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RAM COULD SHOW SMALLER TRUCK CONCEPT TO DEALERS IN MARCH

A Midsize Truck “Test Case”

Ram 700 Dakota Midsize Small Truck Stellantis Mike Koval
Ram 700 for the Mexican market. Image Via Stellantis.

It’s no secret that Ram is looking to expand its horizons beyond the full-size truck segment, with talk regarding midsize and small trucks entering the fold. It appears something is in the works behind the curtain as Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. spoke with The Detroit News during the Detroit auto show and announced that he’s contemplating showing a concept version of a smaller truck at the brand’s dealer meeting in March. A product that’s rumored to be as far as three years out still.

Ram Smaller Truck Concept: Details

To ensure they have a smaller truck, they need to be sure that it’s authentic to Ram’s “Built to Serve” image and capability while, also fitting in with the broader Stellantis strategy of electrification. So the midsize concept that might be revealed at the dealer meeting in March will act as a test case to get feedback on what the 4,000 attendees might have to say about the truck.

Ram 1200 Mitsubishi L200 Triton
The Mitsubishi-based Ram 1200 in the Middle East.

Ram must expand its horizons into the smaller truck segments to keep up with the competition, as Ford has the Ranger and now the compact Maverick. In contrast, General Motors has the freshly revealed GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado. Unfortunately, there’s a profit margin that Ram is missing out on, but that may soon change.

Koval also stated that the midsize and smaller truck segments are expected to grow in the coming years compared to the already steady full-size and heavy-duty markets. According to Cox Automotive, the midsize truck segment was the fifth-largest to see growth in July. The brand recently announced plans to produce a new Ram 1200 truck at a plant in Brazil for South America. Though bringing it to the U.S. poses some challenges, taxes, and homologation regulatory approval to sell the 1200 could prove difficult. Unless Stellantis figured out a way to build it in either Mexico or Canada to exempt it from the protectionist Chicken Tax.

While Ram continues to work towards expanding into different truck markets, it will launch a fully electric 1500 in 2024, with a concept scheduled to be revealed in Los Angeles in November. While it’s arriving later than the competition, that has given the brand time to refine the truck and take notes regarding what the competition is doing with their own entries into the electric truck market.

Ram 1000 Fiat Toro
The Fiat Toro-based Ram 1000 in South America. Image via Stellantis.

Written by Zac Quinn

Zac's love for cars started at a young age, after seeing the popular Eleanor from Gone In 60 Seconds. From there, fascination and enthusiasm blossomed and to this day the Ford Mustang remains a favorite. His first job started out detailing cars, but also provided the opportunity to work on restoration including an 1968 Ford Mustang, Pontiac Firebird, and a C3 Corvette, though he left that job before further work and experience could be had. From there, he was a detailer at a car dealership before quitting that job to try and finish college.

Much of his free time while studying was spent watching YouTube videos regarding new cars, or off-roading. 4WD247 is a personal favorite channel which rekindled a dying flame in car enthusiasm, now tailored towards trucks and SUVs and the fun that can be had building up an overlanding rig, and going on adventures, though, that chapter remains unwritten for the time being.

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