Out with electric utes. In with a ‘baby brother’ for the 1500 and 2500.
That appears to be the plan for Ram, the Stellantis-owned pickup truck brand, with an internal memo obtained by Crain’s Chicago Business publication claiming that a new model will be built at the company’s Belvidere, Illinois plant.
“First, a new mid-size pickup truck will be produced in Belvidere, returning approximately 1500 UAW-represented employees to work there,” the memo read, according to the Crain’s report.
READ MORE: Ram’s electric HiLux rival
The apparent confirmation comes only months after former Dodge CEO Tim Kuniskis came out of retirement to take over as Ram CEO. Kuniskis’ return coincided with the departure of Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, who was reportedly increasingly in conflict with his board of directors of the direction of the company. Tavares was reportedly the driving force behind the decision to drop the iconic Hemi V8 and push more electric vehicles across the brands, despite limited market interest.
Now, with the new US government vowing to place tariffs on imported products and cutting support for electric vehicles, Ram is pivoting away from its plans for an electric Ram 1500 and instead focusing on a more-affordable, entry-level model for the Ram range.
The new smaller Ram is expected to be called the Dakota and will target the likes of the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado in the US market, sitting underneath the respective F-150, Tundra and Silverado pickups.
Ram already has a smaller ute, the Rampage, but that is based on the Jeep Compass compact SUV and is much smaller than a potential Ranger/Colorado/Tacoma rival would need to be in order to compete in the US market.
Since taking the reins of Ram in December, Kuniskis has wasted no time trying to put his stamp on the brand and a ‘compact truck’ is a priority. In an interview with Road & Track earlier in January Kuniskis said: “We’re a truck brand and we don’t have a compact, we don’t have a mid-size. Kinda disingenuous to call me a truck brand, isn’t it? he added. “So yeah, I need that. I want that, I need that. I’m not telling you that I am going to have it in six months, but I desperately want it, and there is a market for it.”
According to the initial report, the Dakota (or whatever badge it receives) is expected to go into production by 2027. It’s unclear if it will be developed from scratch or borrow elements of the Jeep Gladiator to speed up development.
There’s also no word when, or even if, this new smaller Ram could be offered in Australia. Given the US market is prioritised, right-hand drive from the factory appears unlikely and would therefore make it difficult (but not impossible) for a cost-effective local conversion to compete with Ranger, HiLux and co.
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