The opening of a new manufacturing site by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group earlier this week has led to the facility’s first new vehicle being produced.
A Ram 1500 has taken the honours of being the first vehicle to be completed at one of the Dandenong South facility’s four production lines, adding to the storied recent history between the US truck brand and Walkinshaw.
After initially setting up shop at Walkinshaw’s smaller Clayton facility in December 2015, Ram Trucks Australia later moved to the former Holden Special Vehicles (HSV) shed – also in Clayton – in October 2017, the same month Holden ended local operations.
In the latter facility, Ram had converted more than 34,720 examples of the 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups to right-hand drive, and its circa-250 strong workforce was retained by the move to Dandenong South, joining the approximately 550 additional staff at the site.
“Today marks a significant achievement for our team – we have successfully lined off and invoiced the very first vehicle at our brand-new Dandenong site,” the Walkinshaw Group announced on social media.
“This milestone represents months of planning, collaboration, and hard work across every part of the organisation. It’s a testament to the dedication of our people and the strength of our vision for continued growth and innovation in Australian automotive manufacturing.”
Walkinshaw’s new 100,000 square metre facility features four production lines, with the brand claiming it’s capable of producing more than 10,000 vehicles annually.
As well as being the new manufacturing home of Ram in Australia, Walkinshaw is also moving its own in-house conversions of the Toyota Tundra, Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and Heavy Duty, and GMC Yukon to the facility.
The brand has also confirmed it is working on a second-generation Volkswagen Amarok W-Series, expected to launch later this year or in 2027 as its latest modified, factory-backed ute.
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