- Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis has revealed he wants the brand to offer a passenger van.
- The former Dodge boss may want to replicate the success of the Grand Caravan.
- While the minivan stayed out of the limelight, it was Dodge’s best-selling vehicle.
Ram sales plummeted 19% last year to 439,039 units, but the brand is eyeing an unlikely savior. A passenger van.
That’s a surprising development as Chrysler already offers the Pacifica and Voyager. Pacifica sales were down 11% last year to 107,356 units, but that bested rivals such as the Honda Odyssey (80,293), Toyota Sienna (75,037), and Kia Carnival (49,726).
More: Ram Boss “Desperately” Wants A Smaller Pickup
Those numbers aren’t great, but Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis undoubtedly remembers the Dodge Grand Caravan. While it played second-fiddle to the Charger, Challenger, and Durango, the minivan was Dodge’s best-selling vehicle in 2018 and 2019. In fact, before it was discontinued in 2020, Dodge routinely sold more than 120,000 units annually.
While the glory days of minivans are firmly in the rearview mirror, Kuniskis told Automotive News he wants a passenger van. The closest thing the company currently has is the commercial-focused ProMaster, which starts at $44,960 and comes standard with two seats.
That stands in stark contrast to the Grand Caravan, which could be used by contractors as well as families. The model was also affordable, which was a key driver of its success.
There’s no word on when Ram could get a passenger van, but the brand needs a mid-size pickup pronto. While Stellantis has the Jeep Gladiator, it starts at $38,695 which makes it thousands of dollars more expensive than the Chevrolet Colorado, Ford Ranger, Nissan Frontier, and Toyota Tacoma.
Kuniskis hinted at affordability as he wants more trucks under $50,000. The Ram 1500 starts at $40,275 and it sounds like there could be sporty, but value-focused variants on the horizon.
The outspoken executive also touched on the possibility of bringing the Hemi back. While he acknowledged the brand might be losing sales due to the lack of a V8, it’s too early to tell as he suggested part of the problem could be marketing or pricing. Once those and other issues get sorted out, “maybe I need to get a Hemi in there fast” if sales are still down.
