A concept will be shown to dealers next month.
Speaking with MotorTrend, Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. said the American truck brand is currently working on a mid-size model that may be shown soon. “We can clinic it to see if it is the right truck,” he said, referencing a concept that will be shown during a dealer meeting next month in March. We can only hope that one of those dealers is loose-lipped.
This news comes just days after Ram was spotted testing a smaller truck with heavy camouflage. The truck is rumored to be called the Ram 1200 and will sit below the Ram 1500 in the lineup, competing against the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, GMC Canyon, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma.
Ram has not offered a mid-size truck since the Dakota (formerly branded as a Dodge) was discontinued in 2011. It seems unlikely that the Dakota nameplate will make a comeback for this new truck, though the possibility has not been ruled out. In fact, Ram has struggled with many decisions, including which platform to use. It's still unclear if the Ram 1200 will use a body-on-frame platform to compete with the aforementioned mid-size segment or a car-based architecture geared towards the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.
One thing is for certain: the Ram mid-size truck will be electrified in some way. We doubt it will be all-electric but some form of hybridization is highly likely.
While the Maverick offers a standard hybrid powertrain, none of the mid-sizers are available with any form of electrification. Ram could come back to the segment after more than a decade and deliver something that none of its competitors have. Based on how much camouflage covered the test mule and how few details exist surrounding this product, we don't expect to get any official news from Ram until next year at the earliest.
It's also worth remembering that rumors of a smaller Ram truck have been circling on and off for years, so there's no guarantee the model reaches production.
Keyword: Ram May Finally Have A Mid-Size Dakota Replacement