Sam Krahn 
We’ve been tracking the information on the teeny tiny Fiat Strada pickup for a few months, and the wait is almost over for the official reveal. According to MoparInsiders, the compact pickup will make an official debut on June 26. What’s most appealing about this new truck is the high likelihood that it will be rebadged as a Ram 700 pickup.
The previous generation Fiat Strada was rebadged as a Ram 700 and sold in Mexico. While not confirmed, that will probably continue for the new model. But this time around, we hope the Ram 700 will be sold in the U.S. as well.
Before its official debut, Fiat has been trickling out information on the mini pickup. Its built on a unibody design, and slots beneath the size of mid-size pickups like the Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado. For the South American market, it’ll be powered by either a 1.4 liter 88 hp motor or a 1.3 liter 110 hp motor. Both are paired to a five speed manual transmission.
While there is no concrete evidence of the Ram 700 coming to the U.S. market, Ford is rumored to bring a compact, unibody pickup to the states. We first heard about it back in March, and believed it would carry the Courier name. Now, more recent leaks of a Ford tailgate sporting the “Maverick” name have emerged, suggesting this is what Ford will call it. This also further validates the fact that a new baby pickup is indeed coming.
With the Ford Maverick probably coming (the name has been trademarked in America), and FCA having easy access to a platform to create a competitor, we could soon see a new pickup segment emerge in the U.S. Pickup trucks have only gotten bigger and more expensive over the years, and there are surely customers that would love a back to basics, cheap and cheerful workhorse. Chances are it would also be highly successful with fleet sales, due to the smaller size and low expected cost.
We truly hope to see the Strada rebadged as the Ram 700 like it has in the past, and that FCA will bring it to the U.S. this time to compete with the rumored Ford Maverick.
