The small truck segment in the United States is currently limited to the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, both of which enjoy good demand from customers. It seems that Ram also wants a piece of cake and is considering launching a small pickup truck for the US market. Nothing is certain at this point but there are solid clues coming from the brand’s CEO.
automatic blog had the opportunity to speak to Mike Koval, the boss of Ram, at the ongoing Detroit Auto Show and he had some really interesting information to share. He didn’t go into too much detail but said the marque was “active and aggressive” considering a small truck that would sit under the current Ram 1500. In our eyes, this is a direct competitor to the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz.
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Not much other information was shared with the publication, but the publication did make an analysis of Ram’s potential platform for this new truck. Gladiator Architecture seems the most logical choice as it is US certified and is a traditional truck platform in terms of construction. automatic blog also sees the potential of platforms from other brands under the Stellantis umbrella and French company Peugeot has the Landtrek small truck as a possible alternative.
Don’t forget that Ram already sells sub-compact trucks in Mexico and South America. The Ram 700 is a good example with a payload of 1,653 pounds (750 kilograms), 40.36 cubic feet (1,143 liters) of cargo space, and 882 pounds (400 kilograms) of towing capability. This Fiat-based small truck probably won’t meet Ram’s standards for refinement and performance in the United States.
The automaker’s CEO also hinted at the big news coming from the Ram HD family in October. Koval didn’t go into details but with an updated Ford Super Duty coming soon, it makes sense that the heavy-duty Ram truck also gets some improvements. Last but not least, Ram will also be showing the Revolution concept a month later as a preview of a future all-electric version of the Ram 1500.
