FCA has been out of the midsize pickup market for several years after the Dodge Dakota was deleted from the market and nothing new for Ram.
With the new Jeep Gladiator, FCA is heading back to the midsize truck market with more news on the way. The FCA brand that we expect to see brings us a midsize truck is the Ram brand and we will eventually see a new truck offered with the Ram name on it that will fit into this market. While we don’t have a name, we have an idea of where it will be built.
Growing More FCA Lines in Toledo
The Jeep Wrangler and the Jeep Gladiator are both being built in Toledo. Once the final JK models of the Wrangler came off the line, that production line was transformed to be ready to build the new pickup truck, the Jeep Gladiator. Because this new midsize truck from Jeep is being built at the Toledo plant, it only makes sense that FCA would choose this location to build the new Ram midsize truck as well. The work has begun to figure out what the new Ram truck will look like and how it will be powered.
The Unexpected Offering
While we don’t normally think about Jeep as a brand that offers us pickup trucks, the new Jeep Gladiator will be the first midsize truck offering from FCA in a few years. The call for more off-road performance from Jeep is massive and the Gladiator makes the most sense as the first of the two midsize trucks to be offered from the family of models that comes from FCA. The new Gladiator will be the most unusual of the midsize trucks that we have on the market right now.
A More Conservative Truck
For those looking for a Ram in the midsize form that doesn’t want to turn to Jeep and the off-road features that come from the Gladiator, the new Ram will likely be on the market in 2022. The target audience of the new Ram truck is the same crowd that now turns to the Chevrolet Colorado and the upcoming Ford Ranger. This means the new Ram midsize truck won’t be a unibody model that’s similar to the Ram 750 which is currently being sold in Latin America as the truck enjoyed in this market.
Body on Frame Saves the Day
Approximately half of the Toledo Assembly Complex has been shut for retooling since the last of the JK Wrangler models came off the line. While the Gladiator will take some of this capacity, this new truck isn’t expected to sell in the same numbers as the previous Jeep Wrangler. This is where the body on frame Ram midsize truck will come in and allow the plant to reach its maximum capacity with ease. This is an expected and intelligent plan from FCA and the right place for them to build their new midsize Ram truck.
