Automakers largely wrote off the mid-size truck segment, but it’s been picking up steam in the past few years.
This caused Ford to bring back the Ranger and Nissan to redesign the Frontier. FCA even got in on the action as they introduced the Jeep Gladiator in 2018.
The Gladiator was expected to share its underpinnings with an all-new Ram Dakota, but a report surfaced last month indicating the model was axed. Fast forward to today and Automotive News is reporting the opposite as a source told them the truck is “still moving ahead.”
Also Read: 2022 Ram Dakota – Everything We Think We Know About FCA’s Midsize Truck Revival
Stellantis is staying tight-lipped, but it would be a little surprising if the truck was killed off. Jeep Gladiator sales nearly doubled last year to 77,542 units and sales of the Ford Ranger were up nearly 12,000 units. While sales of the Chevrolet Colorado and Toyota Tacoma declined, that’s not too surprising given the coronavirus pandemic.
The fate of the Dakota is still shrouded in secrecy but, if it goes into production, it would likely come standard with a 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 engine that produces 285 hp (209 kW / 289 PS) and 260 lb-ft (353 Nm) of torque. It could be joined by a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 pumping out 260 hp (194 kW / 264 PS) and 442 lb-ft (600 Nm) of torque.
While the Dakota and Gladiator would likely be similar, the two would presumably have vastly different price points. The Gladiator starts at $33,565 which makes it much more expensive than competitors such as the $24,820 Ranger, $25,200 Colorado and $26,250 Tacoma. The Dakota would probably slot in somewhere around there, but only time will tell if the model is headed for dealerships.
