So, where do we even begin with this particular story? Frankly, we’d love to get the inside scoop, and we spent a good portion of the day trying to find just that. At a glance, the photo above appears harmless enough. It’s a T-shirt with an American flag in the background, Ram Power in big letters in the middle, and a good ol’ Ram pickup truck front and center.
But look closer. Is this actually a teaser for the upcoming midsize Ram Daktoa? Only if it’s an older Toyota. And we haven’t even discussed the problem with the Stars and Stripes. Somewhere, we reckon somebody is having a really bad day, all because of this shirt. Let’s take a closer look to understand why.
A “2026 Ram Patriotic Unisex T-Shirt” That’s Neither Patriotic Nor Ram
Ram Outfitter T-Shirt Screenshotoutfitter.ramtrucks.com
First off, this is real. The Motor1 crew caught wind of this T-shirt early on June 2, listed at Ram’s merchandise website. It’s a gray shirt with the aforementioned designs on it, priced at a hefty $29.95. In the details section, we see a simple message: Brave the summer heat with this Ram Patriotic T-shirt that’s constructed for all-day comfort. So far, so good, right?
But you don’t have to be a diehard car fan to notice something odd about the Ram truck featured on the shirt. The hexagon grille with tall sides angled in at the top is a dead giveaway, flanked by large rectangular headlights near the top and smaller driving lamps underneath. Those lamp housings are connected by a narrow strip running the width of the bumper.
2021 Toyota TacomaToyota
Folks, Ram hasn’t ever built a pickup truck like that. But Toyota did – from 2016 through 2023. Minor tweaks aside, that’s the face of a third-generation Tacoma, minus the big RAM branding, of course. If you’re still not convinced, observe that slight up-kink of the rear window on the back door. That’s also a Tacoma styling cue, and the white strip on the side mirrors also matches trim on the Tacoma mirrors. That’s a Toyota, full stop.
The Flag Isn’t Quite Right Either
Ram Power T-Shirt Closeoutfitter.ramtrucks.com
As for the American flag, check out the 50 white stars in the field of blue. Actually, you can’t because there aren’t 50 in there. We don’t even count 40. We count 35 visible stars, with presumably two or three more hidden by the truck. So, a few states are missing, but that’s not all. The 13 red and white stripes signify the original 13 colonies, but we only count 11, or maybe 12 if you add the phantom red stripe that disappears behind the truck.
Related
Ram Dealers Got A Dakota Preview. Now They Want To Fight Toyota
Those who saw the new truck describe it as “aggressive” and a “game changer.”
But hey, the Ram head and RAM POWER come through loud and clear. At least it’s not a total fail. Well, maybe it is.
How Did This Happen?
Ram
This, friends, is the question we asked ourselves all day. We asked Ram, too, but thus far we haven’t heard anything back. Knowing what we know about the corporate world, we assume this design had to go through numerous channels before getting approved for sale. That means more than one set of eyes must’ve looked at this shirt and thought, aight, let’s sell it!
It also means someone with apparently no knowledge of Ram actually designed this, but that’s where we think things went astray. This print has all the earmarks of an AI creation. We can’t confirm that, but some Stellantis US brands have been caught in AI purgatory before. Remember the Dodge Neon with double-bubble headlights, or the first-gen Viper with four-spoke wheels?
Dodge Retro ImagesDodge
However this hilarious T-shirt came to be, you won’t be buying one. The shirt was pulled from the website earlier today, for what we assume were very obvious reasons. Like we said, someone is probably having a very bad day.
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Toyota’s Last V6 Tacoma Is Already Appreciating In Value
People are paying a premium for the previous Tacoma with its reliable, naturally aspirated V6 engine.
CarBuzz Insight – Why This Matters
Mistakes happen. But some of us on staff have worked on the other side of the industry under an automaker’s umbrella. The steps to get something approved are… frustrating at best. But we also know that, in such large operations, there are often so many different groups and subgroups and committees doing their own thing that details can get lost very quickly. Still, this shirt actually going live on a merch website is a huge whiff.
But we also know there’s an ever-increasing reliance on AI to just do the job. The tech is there, it can’t be uninvented. And it can be useful, but only if humans are still in that chain utilizing it as a tool for assistance. We can’t help thinking mistakes like this happen not because it’s being used as a tool, but as a substitute for work.
Source: Motor1.com
