RAM hungry for mid-strength ute Down Under

Not content to stay confined to the full-size pick-up, RAM Trucks Australia says it’s still on the hunt for a suitable mid-size ute to bring across the Pacific.

RAM may have only just unleashed its sharply-priced 1500 Express as Australia’s most affordable full-size ute, but the company’s local arm says it wants to go even further down the price – and size – ladder.

Three potential options exist overseas, two of them bearing the Dakota badge on their tailgate. One is built in Argentina for Latin American markets and is a rebadged Peugeot Landtrek, a joint-venture product developed with Changan Automobile. The other has yet to be revealed but will be pitched at the North American market and is slated for a 2027/2028 debut.

Both are positioned below RAM’s core 1500 pick-up range, as rivals to other mid-size ‘tonner’ utes like the Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

The third rumoured candidate is the RAM Rampage, built in Brazil atop the unibody platform of the second-gen Jeep Compass.

None, however, appear to be on the cards for Australia – though not for a lack of appetite on RAM Trucks Australia’s part.

“We have had our hand up for a mid-size pick-up from the moment the rumours began years ago,” said RAM Trucks Australia spokesperson Joshua Dowling.

“At the moment, there isn’t one available to us. If one were to become available to us, we would absolutely have our hand up for that. We think a mid-size RAM would be a great fit for the RAM Trucks Australia portfolio.

“We have the dealer network, we know the customers, it would look great alongside our full-size pick-ups - but what you’ve seen reported so far overseas are region-specific models. We don’t have any for our market at this point in time.”

Is RAM leaving food on the table by not having a mid-size ute offering in Australia? It’s a complex question to answer.

On one side, mid-size utes continue to be one of the strongest single segments in the country, accounting for nearly 20 per cent of overall vehicle sales in 2025. The flipside is that it’s also one of the most competitive segments around, and is currently a key battleground between established mainstream marques and a bevy of challenger brands – the bulk of them from China. Merely being present in that market is no guarantee of profitability.

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