Ram Confirms That Its Long-Awaited Tacoma Truck Rival Is on the Way

Ever since the departure of the Dakota in 2011, Mopar fans have been calling for a new midsize truck replacement.

While Ram has promised that their pleas haven’t been falling on deaf ears, the brand’s response has been anything but speedy. It’s now 2025 — while South America got a taste of a striking concept (pictured below), there’s still a conspicuous absence in the Ram truck spread.

Stellantis

However, the Stellantis CEO just confirmed that the brand is about to shake up the market in a big way. The long-awaited Dakota successor finally has an arrival date, and it’s shaping up to be even better than previously expected.

Stellantis CEO sets an arrival date

As reported by Mopar Insiders, Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has stated that Ram will be bringing a midsize truck to market in 2027.  The announcement came at an investor meeting last week — the Kepler Chevreux Autumn Conference — during which time he had lots to share about the forthcoming pickup.

For starters, Filosa stated that “Two weeks ago, it was in our design center in Detroit, and I saw the (truck) itself, not only the sketches and designs but the clay model. It’s beautiful.”

Stellantis

Though there’s been no shortage of speculation about Ram’s re-entry into the midsize truck market, actual confirmation of any progress has been lacking. Moreover, this amounts to the first publicly announced arrival date (and concrete development) in the rumored truck’s existence.

And it sounds like it’ll be set to impress in a highly competitive segment. Antonio Filosa also supposedly told investors that “If you want to come to Detroit, we’ll show you without cellphones and cameras, and you will be, I believe, astonished.”

Stellantis

A rugged Dakota successor

While details about Ram’s new midsize pickup are still sparse at this point, there’s been talk of the truck getting its own body-on-frame design. In doing so, Ram would be building a model that would be rugged enough to take on the likes of the Ford Ranger and the Tacoma.

Beyond its positioning with respect to the rest of the market, it would fill a noticeable gap in the Ram lineup. Though the brand has an inflation-beating option in the Warlock, its full-size 1500 Series isn’t exactly what you’d call affordable at $40,000-plus for the Tradesman.

Stellantis

As such, a smaller and cheaper option would allow Ram to expand its share of the truck segment. Considering that Toyota reportedly has its eye on a new compact pickup, the brand doesn’t have a second to spare.

All the more so because, per the latest Stellantis press release, the all-electric Ramcharger is now dead in the water. Citing a low demand for a Ford F-150 Lightning competitor, Ram is pulling the plug on its EV truck efforts — instead, it’ll move forward with a hybrid.

Stellantis

Given that Filosa’s announcement has effectively started a public countdown, it’ll be interesting to see how the brand’s midsize truck begins to shape up in the coming months — especially because the TRX has been confirmed to be returning as well.

Related Topics