Ram has a lot riding on the upcoming Dakota, its long-awaited rival to the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado for the US.
Due to launch in 2028, it’ll mark the return of Ram to the ‘mid-sized’ pickup segment for the first time since 2011, with the Dakota having previously been in production as a Ram and Dodge from 1989.
Speaking to US publication The Drive, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis said the Dakota will emulate some of the qualities which have made the 1500 so popular.
“It needs to be a credible truck, in case you gotta walk from that to a light-duty truck, and there can’t be a disconnect,” Kuniskis told The Drive.
“So it’s gotta be a real truck, gotta have real capability, just a little smaller and a little bit more accessible.”
Like most of its similarly sized rivals, it’s expected the Ram Dakota will be powered by a four-cylinder or V6 engine, with a hybrid powertrain to potentially find its way into the mix too.
“Powertrain-wise, we haven’t said anything about what we’re going to do,” Kuniskis added.
“Obviously, hybrid is becoming, pretty much, a really important sweet spot in the industry.”
“That’s why I’ve been watching the [Jeep] Cherokee, the biggest segment in the world with a dedicated [hybrid] powertrain. You know, we made that choice on purpose. So, do we need one in the midsize truck? I don’t know, TBD, we’ll see.”
However, it’s almost certain the Dakota won’t break ranks and be fitted with a V8 engine, a move which would see it eat into sales of the 1500.
“I don’t know that it needs a V8,” Kuniskis said.
“And, I mean, look, go back 15 years. A midsize truck today is the size of what a full-size truck used to be, right? Not that far away.
“So, is the midsize segment in the next couple of years gonna act any different than the light duty segment? I don’t think so.”
As previously reported, the Ram Dakota will be based on a body-on-frame platform, something which underpins the Wrangler and Gladiator made in the same Toledo, Ohio facility, suggesting the new model could be related to the Jeeps – though it could also move to an all new architecture.
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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