Ram does not currently have a mid-size or compact size pickup in its lineup. But, Ram does have a compact pickup available in other parts of the world. For example, the Ram 1000. So, could it become our new compact Ram pickup?

The Ram Dakota

Speculation in the automotive sphere has been that the off again, and on again Ram Dakota would be coming on a mid-size Jeep Gladiator base. That means if it is green-lighted, that Ram would finally have a smaller option to the full-size Ram 1500. However, other manufacturers are looking at even smaller alternatives for their lineups.

A baby brother to the Dakota

It is expected that Ford will be introducing a pickup that is smaller than the Ranger sometime before the end of this year. Likewise, Hyundai will be introducing the Santa Cruz at some point soon as well. Although, that will be almost mid-size in nature. So, it remains to be seen if Ram will consider a baby brother to the Dakota.

It exists overseas

To see if that is even a possibility, it sometimes helps to look at other parts of the world to see if a manufacturer already has something that might work suitably for the United States market. As it turns out, Ram does. Oddly enough, it is based on a Jeep Renegade and Fiat 500X platform. It is called the Ram 1000. 

The Ram 1000 has been sold in Columbia since 2018. The truck is a unibody, four-door, double cab, pickup with five-passenger seating. It has a foldable mid-wall so that access to the cargo can be had from inside. The pickup also has the availability of a barn-door-split tailgate and all-wheel drive.

It would seem that if a platform that is already being used in the United States to underpin the Compass and 500X can be used overseas, then why not have the Ram pickup version here as well? United States approved platforms must comply with the government-mandated safety regulations before they can be sold. So, if a platform has already been approved here, then it should be an easy (though possibly costly) conversion to make it a pickup for the market here. 

It has been spotted in Tennessee

As recently as this week, A Fiat Toro, which is another version of the Ram 1000, was spotted wearing camouflage in Tennessee. Pre-production vehicles are the ones that usually get wrapped in some sort of camouflage. So, that does lend some credence to the idea that the baby pickup is at least being considered for the United States market by the manufacturer. Of course, testing would need to be completed here before it could launch. So, having a sample of a possible new truck en route to testing on our roads is not surprising. 

The truck’s appearance in the United States last week has certainly caused a lot of speculation. Could the Ram 1000 finally make it within our shores? It seems that the manufacturer is at least considering it. Otherwise, the truck would not be here. But, considering it and green lighting the project are two different things. It has to make financial sense. And right now, Ford and Hyundai are looking to invade that small-truck market. So, Ram may be playing the wait-and-see game, watching to determine if the market is hot enough to have their own offering.