Ram Working Hard On Midsize Pickup Truck, FCA CEO Reveals

If you want to buy a sub-$30,000 Ram pickup truck today, you have only one choice: the 2019 Ram 1500 Classic.

Starting at $27,295, it is practically the previous-generation Ram 1500 the company continues to offer for customers who want nothing more than a basic work truck.

However, things may change in the future, as Ram may finally offer a new model that would start in the low $20,000s. Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Mike Manley has confirmed that the truck maker is determined to build a midsize truck that will be positioned below the rugged Jeep Gladiator in FCA’s lineup.

Also Read: Ford Admits It’s Working On A Pickup To Sit Below The Ranger

Manley was quoted as saying by Autonews that the Ram team is “focused on solving a metric ton midsize truck solution for us because it’s a big part of the portfolio and growth we want to achieve.” However, things are more complicated than they sound because Ram currently lacks a platform to underpin a work-oriented midsize truck.

“Being able to find a cost-effective platform in a region where we can build it with low cost and it still being applicable in the market is what they’re struggling with at the moment,” Manley elaborated in a conference call about FCA’s first-quarter earnings.

The executive was adamant that the Ram midsize truck must become a reality as soon as possible. “I want that problem solved, frankly, because it’s a clear hole in our portfolio,” Manley added. He also said that Ram’s midsize truck won’t overlap with the Jeep Gladiator which has a “very, very different mission.”

Until FCA does come up with a new rival for GM’s Colorado/Canyon and Ford’s Ranger, chances are the 2019 Ram 1500 Classic will remain in the lineup. According to Manley, the Ram Classic isn’t going away anytime soon. He describes it as a “real traditional workman’s truck” that enables the company to make gains in commercial and government sales.

Note: 2019 Ram 1500 Classic Tradesman pictured