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Ram’s Revived Tacoma Rival Will Make Its Truck Lineup More Affordable

The brand confirmed a pickup that fans have been holding out for along with the new name of its upcoming full-size SUV.

Silver RAM pickup truck rear with black wheels parked on asphalt near dry grass.Stellantis
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By Gray Van Dyke

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Ever since the discontinuation of the Dakota in 2011, pickup fans have been fiending for a more affordable midsize alternative to Ram’s larger 1500 series trucks. After all, even with inflation-beating options like the Warlock, it’s not exactly cheap at $41,575 for the most spartan Tradesman options.

Thankfully, back in September, newly minted Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa finally put a concrete timeline to Ram’s revived midsize effort, stating that production of the pickup would begin in 2027.

Front view of a gray RAM truck with illuminated LED headlights and a prominent black grille featuring the RAM logo. The hood has three amber marker lights, and the bumper includes metallic accents and fog lights. The background is dark with subtle smoke effects.
The Dakota concept unveiled for Brazil sparked a lot of speculation about the return of the name for North America.
Stellantis

As such, while the exec didn’t offer up a name at that particular moment, overwhelming speculation suggested that the forthcoming truck could be the long-awaited Dakota revival set to take on approachable domestic options in the Ford Ranger and the Chevrolet Colorado, as well as segment best-sellers in the Toyota Tacoma.

The Dakota makes a return

Now Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis has spilled the beans, and it turns out that the pickup is panning out to be precisely what everyone has been hoping for.

Red Dodge Dakota Sport pickup truck with extended cab and silver alloy wheels on gray background.
Dodge/Ram hasn’t fielded a midsize since the departure of the Dakota in 2011. Its return will make for a welcome addition to the lineup.
Stellantis

Put another way, the previously confirmed midsize will, in fact, be called the Dakota, and it’s likely going to make the Ram truck lineup much more accessible in terms of pricing.

Following a media conference yesterday, the big boss proved especially forthcoming in addressing ongoing rumors, as Mopar Insiders reports. 

In addition to acknowledging “we don’t have a volume trim $40,000 truck” and that “the only way we’ll ever get back to the $40,000 price point is when we bring back a midsize truck,” Kuniskis also confirmed that “yeah, it will be called the Dakota.”

Side view of a modern pickup truck with a geometric patterned matte gray finish, large off-road tires, and a spare tire mounted in the bed. The truck has tinted windows, black fender flares, and sleek LED headlights and taillights. The background is dark with a checkered floor and overhead lighting.
If the Dakota is going to compete against trucks like the Tacoma, the Ranger and the Colorado, it’ll need a rugged version like the above concept.
Stellantis

As he put it, “it’s a no-brainer, why wouldn’t you call it Dakota?”

Of course, apart from offering up those choice nuggets, the Ram CEO couldn’t exactly openly discuss development of the upcoming truck. Nevertheless, the confirmed $40k target MSRP and the revival of the Dakota badge amount to some pretty telling admissions.

Especially as the truck comes with some high expectations. Along with bringing its own body-on-frame design and a platform distinct from the Jeep Gladiator, it’s also supposed to tout impressive towing and payload capabilities.

Silver Ram 1500 pickup truck driving on a paved road with a clear sky background. The truck has a crew cab, black wheels, and a prominent front grille with the RAM logo.
Ram’s Ramcharger was once intended to be a BEV truck; now, it’s going to reprise its role as a full-size SUV.
Stellantis

The Ramcharger is now an SUV

As if that wasn’t enough, Tim Kuniskis also dropped another hint regarding another one of Ram’s upcoming releases: a full-size SUV.

Per Mopar Insiders, beyond the above Dakota comments, he added that “You guys all figured out the name of the full-size SUV, too.” 

Two-tone blue and silver Dodge Ramcharger SUV with large off-road tires parked on grass.
The Ramcharger will make for a much more fitting SUV than it would have a pickup, clever as the name was.
Wikipedia – Greg Gjerdingen

In other words, the Ramcharger that Dodge pulled from the market in 1993 will be returning not as an all-electric pickup truck but instead as a large gas-powered family vehicle.

It’s a change that comes following Ram’s decision to move forward with a generator-backed EREV instead of a full BEV, one that Ford has since emulated with its F-150 Lightning pickup. That truck will instead be called the 1500 REV.

Black Ford pickup truck driving on snow with sun setting behind snow-covered trees.
Ford has decided to follow Ram’s lead by dropping its BEV F-150 Lightning for an EREV version going forward.
Ford

In any case, with production of the Dakota slated to begin in 2027 at Toledo North Assembly and production of the Ramcharger slated to begin around 2028 at Warren Truck Assembly Plant, Ram’s Tacoma and Sequoia fighters will be here sooner than you think.

Moreover, given the teasers the brand has put out in the last couple of days, it seems we’ll be getting something just in time for the holidays. If reports are to be believed, Ram should have something TRX-related for us come the new year.

About the Author: Gray is an associate editor at Gear Patrol, covering cars, motorcycles and anything else with wheels. When he’s not chasing the latest industry news, he’s probably wrenching on one of many projects. For better or worse, he believes classics make perfectly practical daily drivers.

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