More than a decade after the last model disappeared, the Ram Dakota is (almost) back!
Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis has made it abundantly clear over the past several months that Ram is indeed bringing a midsize truck back into the fray. It’s not just an arbitrary choice, in his view: The brand has to have a midsize truck to compete against the likes of Ford, Chevrolet, GMC, Toyota, Nissan and Honda in the segment. While the Jeep Gladiator has been the de facto midsize contender, Ram’s new midsize truck for the American market is imminent. Now, Kuniskis also confirmed that truck will be called the Ram Dakota.
Shocking, I know. We’ve all more or less said that for many years, even when Ram was much more cagey on whether it would reintroduce a smaller truck below the Ram 1500. As the brand introduced the Brazilian-built Rampage to South America and carries the 700 and 1200 trucks in other markets, Americans and Canadians alike have been tapping our feet wondering when Ram would finally get around to launching a midsize truck here. Then we got some more news in October, as Stellantis announced the then-unnamed model would, in fact, be manufactured in Toledo, Ohio — the same area that builds the Jeep Gladiator.
On a side note…
Stellantis formerly noted Belvidere, Illinois as the home of what we now know is the Ram Dakota midsize truck. That no longer seems to be the case, as that plant is fully slated to build the Jeep Cherokee and Compass, per Stellantis’ October announcement. So, the Dakota should roll out of the Toledo Assembly Complex sometime in the near future.
While we obviously lack firm technical specs at this point, it’s all but certain Ram will stick to a few critical pillars when building the new Dakota. It will still be a body-on-frame truck like past generations. Adhering to Stellantis’ latest “multi-energy” strategy, we also wouldn’t be surprised to see a few different powertrains on offer. Ram could, for example, drop its 3.6-liter Pentastar or 2.0-liter GME (Global Medium Engine) into its engine bay. We could also see electrified options, though it’s not likely we’ll see a full EV anytime soon.
Even though Jeep canceled the Gladiator 4xe, it’s possible a range-extended EV or plug-in hybrid, leaning more on a gasoline powertrain, could make more sense in Ram’s application. After all, we will soon see the Ram 1500 REV on the scene, so it’s reasonable to think that launch could spawn a smaller sibling. That isn’t a given, though — not nearly as much as at least one or two internal combustion options for the next-gen Ram Dakota at launch.
So far, so good: But how much will it cost?
Another piece of the puzzle yet to fall into place is price. Now, Kuniskis has suggested Ram’s midsize truck may land somewhere in the $40,000 range. That may be on the high side, since the Ram 1500 Tradesman comes in about $3,000 higher than that mark. For the sake of separating the Dakota from its full-size brother and making a competitive pitch against the Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado/Canyon and Frontier, Ram would likely need to price the entry-level model in the mid-$30,000 range (at least at current prices).
At any rate, it looks like everything is starting to come together. To be clear, the Ram Dakota Nightfall Concept shown here was shown in Brazil, so it’s not necessarily representative of what the North American market will get. If anything, it could be an approximation of what we’ll get, with the US and Canadian-market Dakota getting a bit larger to suit the market it’s aimed toward. Styling elements could also change, as we can’t say what it will certainly look like or what it won’t at this point.
Ram has yet to show the goods yet, obviously, so we’ll have to wait and see. Since things are falling into place, however, we don’t have too much longer to wait. The guys and gals over in Michigan have clearly been cooking, so I suspect we’ll see more on this and other Ram news in the very near future.
