Sam Krahn 
On February 20, 2020, the annual FCA Drive For Design competition was launched for high school students around the country to design Ram trucks of the future. Three months later, the winners have been announced, and their designs are nothing short of impressive. All three opted for their futuristic Ram truck designs to be electric, and took advantage of the unique packaging that electric architecture allows.
The winning Ram trucks design was penned by Job Skandera, and is called the ‘Magma’. Skandera is a 12th grade high school student from Santa Clara, California, and he’s created an absolutely massive truck to scale. The design rides on enormous wheels, suitable for any concept sketch. Luckily, the truck has adjustable suspension that can lower to allow for easier entry and exit. The “Magma” name comes from he translucent polymer material that replaces glass side windows. Other features include a front trunk, onboard water purification system, integrated roof light bar, and a stove housed in the tailgate. For placing first in the contest, Skandera won a Wacom Mobile Studio Pro 16, which is a graphic design centered tablet.
Placing second is Vincent Piaskowski, with his electric Ram pickup design. Piaskowski is a 11th grade student from Birmingham, Michigan, and is actually a second time finalist in the contest, placing third in last year’s competition. The design takes full advantage of EV packaging by moving the cab as far forward as possible. This allows for a much larger bed than gas powered vehicles. There’s also Rivian R1T-esque side storage, and a drop down tailgate. Piaskowski design earned him an Apple iPad Pro with Apple Pencil.
Finishing third is Alex David Kirschmann from Auburn Hills, Michigan. Like Piaskowski, his design pushes the cab as far forward as possible. The front and rear feature wrap around light strip elements, and the bed has a retractable cover. The rear fenders also have a development of the current Ram Box storage compartments. Third place also won an iPad Pro with Apple Pencil.
The FCA Drive for Design competition was judged by FCA designers and aims to highlight rising talent in the automotive design world, and draw attention to the exciting industry. Question is, would you take one of these designs, or a Tesla Cybertruck?
