We’ve known Ram is planning to re-enter the midsize pickup market for some time. Initially, the new truck was slated for production at the Belvidere Assembly Plant. However, that was changed to the Toledo Assembly Complex in Ohio where the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator are built. That led to an expectation that the midsize truck would be based on the Jeep’s Gladiator truck.
However, a report from MoparInsiders claims that the new truck will be built on the Toledo North line where the Wrangler is built, not the South facility where the Gladiator is built. Moreover, it will have a new body-on-frame (BoF) platform.
Ram mid-sized truck patent drawingsFCA US/USPTO
March 2027 Production
According to MoparInsiders, a source at the United Auto Workers (UAW) confirmed that pilot production is slated to begin in March 2027, ahead of its launch as a 2028 model year vehicle. That will involve the addition of a third shift and 900 new jobs in order to hit a target of 100,000 units annually. According to the report, Stellantis intends to bring back laid-off workers before opening up external hiring.
The big news is that the midsize truck from Ram will be on a new body-on-frame chassis rather than adapting the Jeep Gladiator’s chassis. The Gladiator’s chassis is optimized for off-road abuse so, presumably, the new Ram will be dedicated more towards cargo and towing capacity, and general truck use.
Ram mid-sized truck patent drawingsFCA US/USPTO
Betting Big On The Midsize Truck Market
Stellantis is making a $400 million investment in the Toledo Assembly Complex, which makes for a big bet on the new truck. The smaller truck market is picking up steam again, and the new Ram will join the body-on-frame Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, Nissan Frontier, Toyota Tacoma, and, of course, the GMC Canyon. There was speculation Ram might even go down the unibody chassis route as more of a lighter duty lifestyle truck like the Ford Maverick, Hyundai Santa Fe, or Honda Ridgeline. However, it now looks like the new midsizer will be an old-school truck… which is exactly what Ram buyers want.
Teaser screenshot from a Stellantis video showing a Ram truck for Brazil.Ram/Stellantis
A Shifting Market
Now appears to be the perfect time for Ram to re-enter the midsize market, and rumor has it that it will be in a four-door Crew Cab layout only. At least, initially. As full-size trucks get more and more expensive, people are having to re-examine what they actually need from their trucks in terms of size and ability. The biggest clue to that is the success of the unibody platform Ford Maverick while going against the grain of what a “real truck” should be.
There are no details on the specifications of the new midsize Ram truck, but we don’t expect it to be a reinvention of the segment. Currently, turbocharged four-cylinder engines making around 300 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque are the standard, but we wouldn’t rule out the idea of using a version of the Stellantis 3.0-liter six-cylinder Hurricane engine for a higher trim. If Ram wanted to blow things right open and make a statement, it might use the Hurricane’s high-output version making 540 hp and 521 ft-lb.
Source: Mopar Insiders
