What Secrets Are These Ram Pickups Hiding?

Our intrepid shutterbug Brett Borgard sent us these spy shots of a couple of new Ram 1500 pickups out testing in the rain in Colorado, wearing Michigan manufacturer plates (alongside a pair of new Jeep Wranglers).

And while they look mostly like any other examples of the latest trucks, the selective application of camouflage makes us wonder what Fiat Chrysler is working on here.

Instead of the usual all-enveloping camo, or the disguising of the front and rear ends (as we often see), these Rams are sporting camouflage only on sections of the roof and hood.

The disguised sections of the hood lead us to believe that FCA could be working on some sort of new vents or scoops for its hot-selling pickups. The roof camo leaves us scratching our heads a little longer, though. A new sunroof, perhaps? Or some lighter-weight material to reduce mass at the highest point on the vehicle? Hard to say.

One thing’s for sure, though, and that’s that Auburn Hills isn’t about to sit still and let its rivals encroach on its slice of this particularly lucrative pie. The Ram pickup doesn’t sell in quite the same numbers as the Ford F-150 or Chevy Silverado (especially when combined with its sister GMC Sierra), but it far outstrips the import competition from the likes of the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan. Of the half-million full-size pickups sold in the US in the first quarter of this year, Ram’s accounted for over 100,000.

FCA sold nearly 50,000 Ram pickups in America just last month, making it far and away its top-selling model – well ahead of the runners-up from Jeep, whose Cherokee, Grand Cherokee, and Wrangler each sold barely more than 20,000. In fact, if you added up the August sales for the entire Dodge, Chrysler, and Alfa Romeo brands, they still wouldn’t add up to the number of pickups FCA moved last month.

Suffice it to say, then, that Fiat Chrysler will continue investing heavily in the Ram trucks, however the product of that investment turns up.

Thanks to Brett Borgard for the photos!