Zac Quinn 
It’s clear by now that Ram has plans to add a smaller truck to their lineup to compete against the Ford Maverick or perhaps even the mid-size truck lineup from Chevrolet, GMC, Ford, and Toyota. Speculated to be called the Ram 1200 or Ram Dakota, it wasn’t long ago that a test mule was sighted in the arctic circle dawning camouflage, making it look more like a parade float than a pickup truck with all of the tape and possible cardboard cladding. It’s an intelligent way to obstruct the view of the pickup’s profile and to throw off onlookers further, a scaffolding rig props up a canopy of camouflage up and over the bed, extending the roofline to make this prototype appear more like an SUV or a van. The truck is still out testing in the cold weather, with a more recent sighting from Motor1.
Ram 1200 or Dakota Prototype: Details
The prototype was spotted in the northern regions of Sweden while undergoing rigorous cold weather testing alongside other Stellantis vehicles, the most distinguishable one being the Fiat Toro. The Ram 1200 will be based on the Toro but with significant changes, especially with the powertrain. The truck’s headlights make it stand out, and one could think that they’re looking at a Jeep pickup, but those could be placeholders like the rear Fiat Toro lights seen in some of the spy photos.
The concealment attempts to hide a massive front grille with horizontal slats at the front. Meanwhile, one can determine the significant ground clearance of the vehicle from the side. The Ram 1200, or Ram Dakota, will likely be built on either the Small Wide 4×4, the STLA Medium, or STLA Large platforms. Size-wise, this prototype is expected to fall between the Fiat Toro, or Ram 1000 found in other markets, and the Ram 1500. It’s also possible that unlike the Ram 1000, the Ram 1200 could be offered as a 4×4 variant only.
As far as powertrains are concerned, Ram will likely offer a turbodiesel 2.2-liter for the medium-sized truck that could produce around 200 horsepower and 441 lb-ft of torque, which will probably be for other markets outside North America. However, as for when we can expect to see this product released, it will likely be another two years before production begins.
