THE RAM 1500 CLASSIC LIVES ON FOR 2021

Despite the current-gen Ram 1500 pickup being available at this point since 2018, FCA has kept the previous generation model on sale as the Ram 1500 Classic during the interim. According to a new report from Cars Direct, it appears that the aging Ram 1500 Classic will continue to soldier on for yet another year of sales in 2021.

The FCA DS Platform-based Ram 1500 Classic sits below the current Ram 1500 in the lineup, as a pseudo replacement for Ram’s lack of a mid-size truck offering. While the strategy may seem odd, it has reportedly played a role in the company’s ability to combat General Motors in the highly-contested segment. The truck is slated to carry a base price of $30,145 including destination charges, according to the Cars Direct report.

That money buys a relatively-sparse Regular Cab Tradesman with the 3.6L V6 and rear-wheel drive, though the 5.7L Hemi V8 is available. That’s $3,800 cheaper than any variant of the current generation DT Ram 1500, though the Classic is missing many of the desirable features found on the new product line. Furthermore, the Ram 1500 Classic models tend not to come very well equipped from the factory, requiring buyers to spend the money on options one might expect to have.

Ram and FCA clearly see the merits of keeping the aging truck around, with price point likely being the main sticking point. Pickup trucks have gotten quite a bit more expensive over the last decade or so, and that trend doesn’t appear to be slowing down. Whereas other automakers have brought out smaller offerings to combat this sticker shock, Ram has been slow to react to the mid-size segment’s growing popularity. Perhaps 2021 will be the last year that Ram utilizes this strategy, before finally bringing us all a proper Ranger and Colorado/Canyon competitor.