The long-awaited Ram mid-size pickup will largely compete with the likes of the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado, but those waiting for it will have to be patient.
After originally being slated to launch in the US in 2027, Stellantis – Ram’s parent company – announced production is now set to begin in 2028.
As a part of announcing a huge US$13 billion (A$19.9 billion) investment towards its North American operations, the automotive conglomerate said it expects to launch the Ram ute in 2028, with production now slated to take place in Toledo, Ohio.
That represents a change from earlier plans which had pegged the pickup at being built in Belvidere, Illinois at an assembly plant that was idled in 2023.
With the Jeep Cherokee and Compass set to be made in Belvidere from 2027, the Ram’s move to Toledo will put it under the same roof as the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator.
As previously reported, the Ram pickup will be based on a body-on-frame platform, something which underpins the Wrangler and Gladiator, suggesting the new model could be related to the Jeeps – though it could also move to an all new architecture.
While Ram Trucks Australia has already signalled its intention to get the new ute, should it become available, the question of what will power the pickup remains.
In the US, petrol engines are far more popular than diesels in the mid-size segment, as opposed to Australia where turbo-diesel utes reign supreme.
If the new Ram ute was based on the Jeep Gladiator, engine options include a turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, a naturally aspirated 3.6-litre V6 petrol, and a 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel, though the latter was dropped from the lineup in late 2023 due to poor demand globally.
Given the success of the 1500 locally – which has to be converted from left- to right-hand drive in Melbourne – Ram may have to build the new model in right-hand drive from the factory to give it a chance against the Ranger, Toyota HiLux and Isuzu D-Max.
“[The] mid-size truck in the future could be potentially [offered],” Ram Australia general manager Jeff Barber said in August. “They could do a left-hand drive and a right-hand drive, mid-size potentially, who knows? But I don’t ever see that happening in the full-size trucks.
“In relation to our relationship with Stellantis, the support we get, it’s fantastic. I think they’re very impressed by what we do in this market in Australia and New Zealand.”
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