Trucks are big business in the U.S., and we’re not just talking full-size pickups such as the F-150 and Chevrolet Silverado. Midsize trucks have also been popular enough that Chevrolet brought back the Colorado and Ford revived the Ranger. For some reason, though, Ram still has yet to give us a new midsize pickup truck of its own. Ask Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis, though, and he’ll tell you that needs to change.
Speaking to Motor1, Kuniskis said, “I want a mid-size truck so bad. Everything is more expensive. Trucks are way more expensive — bread goes up, you still got to eat, right? Trucks go up, you start looking for alternatives. I used to have a price point alternative with the Ram Classic. I don’t have that anymore.”
Unfortunately for those of you hungry for a new Dakota, Kuniskis didn’t have much to say about a possible midsize truck other than that. When pressed for more details, Kuniskis reportedly responded, “Wouldn’t it be great if I had a mid-size that was an awesome, capable [truck] to fill in that gap? Yeah, I’d love to have one.”
If Ram were to start developing a new Dakota from scratch, we likely wouldn’t see it before 2029 or so. After all, it takes a long time to bring a new vehicle to market. Don’t forget that work had already started on the XT4 when Johan De Nysschen joined Cadillac, and when he left the company, it still wasn’t on sale yet. That said, it wouldn’t surprise us in the least if Ram introduced a new midsize truck much sooner than 2029.
We can’t guarantee anything, of course, but Kuniskis’s answer sounds like the kind of thing an executive with media training says when a new vehicle is already in the works. Plus, the deal the UAW struck with Stellantis included plans to build a midsize truck in the U.S. at some point. Oh, and, you know, there are all the other automakers making money in the midsize segment. At some point, Stellantis has to get back into the game, right? Might as well do it before trucks all go electric.
