At the CES in Las Vegas, Ram gave a first glimpse of the future of the brand under the Stellantis Group with the 1500 Revolution Concept. In the future, Ram is likely to rely more on purely electric drives, but is leaving open the option of supporting them with a range extender. But, with the relaunch of the successful full-size pickup, Ram's work is far from done. The market for pickup trucks has opened up significantly at the bottom in recent years, which has flushed new competitors like the Ford Maverick or the Hyundai Santa Cruz into the segment. According to MotorTrend, Ram now also wants to participate in the success of this segment and is therefore presenting a first preview of an expansion of its pickup lineup as early as March.
Ram To Show New Electric Mid-Size Pickup Truck To Dealers In March
Now that the production version of the Ram 1500 REV has finally been unveiled, Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. can turn his attention to the next project for the brand. According to the report, Ram plans to give a first glimpse of a future mid-size pickup from the brand at a major dealer presentation in March, which will be positioned below the new 1500 REV. This confirms rumors from last fall that Ram is aiming for a return to the mid-size segment and could present a first concept soon.
According to Koval Jr, Ram wants to get initial reactions to the new project during the dealer presentation, so it can deduce "if it's the right truck." These statements indicate that Ram's new mid-size truck is likely still in a very early stage of development and therefore the production version is not expected to be presented until the second half of the decade at the earliest. In addition, Koval Jr.'s statements suggest that Ram is considering at least two different concepts for re-entry into the mid-size segment, one of which is now being made available to larger audiences for initial reactions.
It Could Be A New Lifestyle Pickup Like The Maverick And Santa Cruz, But Fully Electric
Although there are many different options for a mid-size pickup in the Stellantis lineup, a growing favorite is emerging. As a result of increasing environmental regulations, the model is therefore likely to rely on an electric powertrain, although this could be supported by a range extender as in the larger 1500 REV. The small pickup is also likely to be positioned in the lifestyle segment, which is enjoying growing popularity. The STLA-Large architecture, which will also be used for the new Dodge Charger Daytona, is therefore the most likely platform.
After the sales figures for mid-size trucks continued to decline at the latest in the course of the noughties, Ram decided to finally discontinue production of the Dakota in 2011. From then on, the entry-level model for pickup enthusiasts was the full-size Model 1500, which continues to sell very successfully, but also makes it clear how big the gap is at the lower end of the Ram model range. It's a gap that other manufacturers have taken advantage of in recent years and have had great sales success, particularly in the new lifestyle truck segment. With the successful market launch of the Ford Maverick, the pressure is also increasing for Ram to catch up with its biggest competitor again in this segment.