It won’t overlap with the Jeep Gladiator.
Some will remember that Ram presented its 2018-2022 roadmap nearly a year ago, and that one of the vehicles featured in the product plan was a midsize pickup truck. Rest assured it’s still in the works as FCA CEO, Mike Manley, said during a recent conference call about the group’s first-quarter earnings. He referred to the yet-to-be-named metric ton midsize truck as being a “big part of the portfolio” as it will address a segment of the market the new Jeep Gladiator can’t satisfy.
According to the aforementioned product roadmap, it’s due to arrive by 2022. However, finding a suitable platform for what will essentially be a Ram Dakota successor is tricky. Manley admitted FCA is experiencing issues when it comes to identifying an architecture that would allow Ram to build the truck in a cost-effective manner while being a true competitor for segment rivals such as the Ford Ranger.
He explained the new midsize Ram will not clash with the Jeep Gladiator since the latter “is a very, very different mission.” Manley went on to mention FCA is focused on bringing the new truck to the market and the issue with finding a compatible platform will be “fixed soon.”
During the same call, FCA’s head honcho also said the Ram 1500 Classic – which he described as being “the real traditional workman’s truck” – will not be discontinued anytime soon. Announced in June 2018, the workhorse based on the previous-generation 1500 still makes sense in Ram’s lineup as Manley explained it has potential when it comes to generating government and commercial sales. His sentiments are echoed by dealers as they’re saying the old one is still desirable considering not all customers are willing to pony up the money for the more sophisticated next-gen model.
Automotive News says dealers are expecting the Ram 1500 Classic (pictured here in the 2019 Warlock guise) to remain in the lineup until at least the end of the year, with Manley believing the two-truck strategy is working well for the time being.
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