There are no official renderings yet, but executives at Stellantis are confirming that a new Ram midsize pickup will launch in 2027. It will be union-built in the United States at the currently shuttered plant in Belvidere, Illinois. Buyers can expect ICE, plug-in hybrid, and EV versions, but Ram won’t confirm whether it will bear the old Dakota nameplate. Ram, and its predecessor, Dodge, have been absent from the ultra-competitive midsize category since 2011.
The final iteration of the Dakota wasn’t all that different under the skin than the original that hit showroom floors in 1987. Dakotas distinguished themselves by offering the only V8 in the segment (the 5.2-liter Magnum, and later the 5.9-liter Magnum and 4.7-liter Powertech V8s), and the second-generation had baby Ram styling that aped its full-size brother. Beyond those distinguishing characteristics, the old Dakota didn’t have much to offer as a particularly inspiring off-road rig or a long-term travel platform. Though to be fair, the Dakota did disappear from showrooms before overlanding became a common lifestyle in the Western hemisphere. It struggled sales-wise vis-a-vis the Ford Ranger (the original Ranger also died in 2011-2012), Chevy S-10 and Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, and even the Nissan Frontier. Dodge moved just 12,000 Dakotas in the final year of production.
A second-generation Dodge Dakota.
Stellantis already has a midsize pickup in its inventory, the Ram-branded Ramcharger (see the lead image), which is built in Brazil for the South American market. It has sold like the proverbial hotcakes in the land of the Samba. It’s not clear if the Ramcharger can be easily federalized for North America, or adapted to the relevant hybrid and EV architectures. It may be more likely that the neo-Dakota will be based on a truncated version of the new STLA architecture that was designed for the Ram 1500 Ramcharger hybrid and the all-electric Ram 1500 REV. This is a body-on-frame arrangement, but Motor Trend reports that a car-based unibody might be a possibility as well, as Ram’s CEO Tim Kuniskis says he “sees no difference between the two in the eyes of the consumer,” citing the sales success of Ford’s AWD Maverick compact pickup.
Ram’s STLA pickup platform.
In either case, another entry into the midsize pickup wars is welcome news, and Stellantis’ commitment to manufacturing the truck in the US will bring an estimated 1,300 jobs back to the Illinois production plant. Ram’s Kuniskis projected that a concept should be forthcoming by 2026 since this two-year timeline is seriously compressed for the development of an all-new vehicle. Will everyday consumers flock to a pint-sized Ram? Will overlanders? That will be an uphill battle for sure, with the brand’s long absence from the category and relative lack of cred. At least one solid axle and a transfer case for a 2-range four-wheel-drive system would certainly be welcome, and it would position the truck favorably versus the Tacomas and Colorados of the world.
Images: Ram, Wikimedia
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