Full-size American pickup truck brand Ram has officially confirmed it will introduce its long-awaited global mid-size pickup – which could be called the Dakota, may borrow design cues from the Ram Rampage dual-cab sold in South American markets, and will do battle with the top-selling Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux in Australia – but not until 2028.
Antonio Filosa, the CEO of Stellantis – which owns the Ram, Jeep, Chrysler, Alfa Romeo and Maserati brand, among others – said in September that the ‘Dakota’ would be launched in 2027, and senior Ram executives previously said the all-new dual-cab would be sold in Australia ‘one way or another’.
The announcement was made overnight as part of the largest single investment in the 100-year history of Ram parent Stellantis, which includes a spend of nearly US$400 million (A$611m) to produce “an all-new midsize truck” alongside the Jeep Wrangler and Gladiator at the company’s Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio – rather than its Belvidere, Illinois plant, which will instead be re-opened to manufacture two new Jeep models.
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In an effort to counter import tariffs set down by the US government in April 2025, which saw it pause imports to North America earlier this year, Stellantis said it would invest $US13 billion ($A19.96bn) in US manufacturing.
Stellantis said it would expands its US production by 50 per cent and introduce five new models and 19 ‘product actions’ over the next four years.
It said that will include a new-generation Dodge Durango to be built in Detroit, and an all-new extended-range electric vehicle (EREV) and a combustion-powered large SUV to be built in Warren, Michigan – creating more than 5000 new jobs at its factories in Illinois, Ohio, Michigan and Indiana.
“This investment in the US – the single largest in the company’s history – will drive our growth, strengthen our manufacturing footprint and bring more American jobs to the states we call home,” said Mr Filosa in a statement.
“As we begin our next 100 years, we are putting the customer at the center of our strategy, expanding our vehicle offerings and giving them the freedom to choose the products they want and love.
“Accelerating growth in the US has been a top priority since my first day. Success in America is not just good for Stellantis in the US – it makes us stronger everywhere,” he said.
Potentially reviving the Dakota nameplate previously offered by both Dodge and Ram, the new mid-size ute will be Ram’s first direct rival for some of the world’s (and Australia’s) most popular dual-cabs, positioned below the Ram 1500 pickup.
Like its rivals, it’s expected to be underpinned by a traditional ladder-frame chassis, and the fact it will now be produced in the same factory as the Wrangler and Gladiator suggests it will share its underpinnings with those hardcore off-road vehicles.
The Dodge Dakota, which has never been officially sold here, was last produced in 2011 and was marginally larger than the US-market Ranger, sitting on a 3355mm wheelbase with an overall length of 5558mm.
The Ranger dual-cab has a 3270mm wheelbase, with the volume-selling XLT variant measuring 5370mm long. That makes it shorter than the Ram 1500 dual-cab, which has a 3672mm wheelbase and measures 5916mm in its shortest form.
The last Dakota was available with V6 and V8 petrol engines, but there’s no word on what will power the new Ram mid-sizer.
In the US, the Wrangler and Gladiator are offered with turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder and naturally aspirated V6 petrol engines (and a plug-in hybrid powertrain for the former), but no diesel engines like the majority of utes sold in Australia.
However, Stellantis offers a range of hybrid and electric powertrains in the US, where its famous Hemi V8 has returned to the Ram pickup range.
Australian-market Rams are no longer available with a V8, following the release of the facelifted MY25 Ram 1500 earlier this year with the more powerful Hurricane twin-turbo inline six-cylinder engine. There’s no confirmation on whether the V8 will make its way back to Australian showrooms.
As part of the announcement, Stellantis also confirmed it will produce a new four-cylinder internal-combustion engine (ICE) in Michigan.
The investment announcement comes after Stellantis suffered significant sales and profit slides, including a US$2.7 billion ($A4.15bn) loss in the first half of 2025.
Mr Filosa took over the top job at Stellantis in June after Carlos Tavares resigned from the role in December 2024 ahead of his planned 2026 retirement.
“That is now a product for ’27,” said Mr Filosa at the Kepler Cheuvreux Autumn Conference last month, when asked when Ram would introduce its long-promised global mid-size ‘metric-ton’ pickup.
“Two weeks ago I was in our design centre in Detroit and I saw the car itself – not only the sketches and the design but the clay model – and it’s just beautiful.
“And all the specs that we are imagining in the product briefing are very good in the segment, so that’s why 2027 we’ll have a very strong Ram offer in that segment.”
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