American manufacturers know how important the large pick-up segment is, but, increasingly, medium-sized pick-ups like the Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado are growing in popularity.
As they ramp up plans for electric full-size trucks – Ford, Chevy and Ram have all revealed their hands in this space – it now looks like the big Americans are planning to electrify their smaller pick-ups.
A report from US publication Automotive News this week revealed that Stellantis has shown its dealer group a concept of a Ram electric mid-size pick-up at a dealer conference in Las Vegas recently.
While it was expected that the internal combustion engine (ICE) version of Ram’s Toyota HiLux-sized model would be uncovered at the dealer event, it looks like Ram chose to show off the electric version instead.
Ram discontinued its Dakota mid-size pick-up in the States back in 2011, but given the rise in popularity of utes of the same size, specifically the Ranger and the Toyota Tacoma, Ram decided to get back into the segment.
Little information was revealed about the smaller electric Ram concept, although a dealer confirmed with Automotive News that it looks similar to the 1500 Revolution concept that was unveiled in January at CES. Ram uncovered the production version of that model shortly after.
Ram’s sub-1500 electric pick-up is expected to be built on Stellantis’ STLA Frame platform that will accept battery packs with a capacity ranging between 101kWh and 118kWh, allowing for a driving range of up to 500 miles – or approximately 800km.
It’s unclear when Ram will reveal the concept to the world, but when it becomes a production reality it could face rivals like the Rivian R1T in its home market.
Whether it gets the green light for Australia is another unknown. Electric vehicle production has made building vehicles for right-hand drive countries – like Australia – a lot easier and more affordable, but whether it ends up here as a competitor to the small but growing list of electric mid-size utes, like the LDV eT60, and coming models like the Volkswagen Amarok and electric GWM Ute, is not known.
The Ram mid-size EV pick-up wasn’t the only thing Stellantis showed off to its dealers in Vegas. The automotive giant also revealed the next-generation version of the Dodge Durango large SUV – a twin under the skin of the previous Jeep Grand Cherokee.
The company also detailed plans to its dealers for more than 30 new models across multiple brands under the broader Stellantis umbrella that is home to Jeep, Ram, Dodge and Chrysler, as well as European brands like Alfa Romeo, Fiat, Maserati, Peugeot, Citroen, Opel and more.
Keyword: Smaller sibling to Ram 1500 REV revealed... to dealers, but will it come to Australia to take on the Volkswagen Amarok electric car and LDV eT60?