Ram Truck Rebel Yell – Oi, Oi, Oi

Chrysler execs on both sides of the Pacific would like to sell Aussies a RAM truck, but it basically boils down to a business case.

No one denies that the market here for a traditional, larger American-style pickup could be lucrative; Performax International and Harrison Trucks base their livelihood on it. But for Ram Trucks – the former Dodge commercial vehicles division and now a brand in its own right – to sell its products here, the business case would have to be economically sustainable. That's not readily achievable with aftermarket conversion to right-hand drive thrown into the equation.

A bit of background: Americans buy pickup trucks by the millions, and have for decades. In fact, the Ford F-Series is the best selling vehicle in the United States and has earned that position for 33 successive years.

Filling the F-Series' mirrors is the big grille of the Chevrolet Silverado. Ram, however, is running strong. The smallest of the big three posted a 28 per cent increase in sale in 2014 to take 23 per cent of the market. Bragging rights are at risk, and Ram was talking big at the morning reveal of its Rebel model during day two at the North American International Auto Show.

Bob Hegbloom describes the blood red Rebel on the stand with the same passion and emotion you'd expect from a Harley dealer: "Rebel is an all new breed of Ram truck for people who push back."

"Designed to empower people who think their own way."

Hegbloom, president and CEO of Ram Trucks, delivers on his promise with a Rebel 4X4 loaded with American-sized features: everything from air suspension to a 33-inch wheel and tyre package to achieve 10 inches (254mm) of distance between drivetrain and dirt.

Rebel offers a choice of power and performance with either a 227kW 3.6-litre V6 or the 295kW 5.7-litre Hemi V8. Both link to an industrial strength eight-speed Torqueflite automatic transmission.

Rebel is an example of how Ram is doing things differently to conquest new buyers and reach into new markets to find new customer.

It is a truck brand that takes risks. For example, it remains the only pickup manufacturer to offer American buyers a fuel-efficient diesel engine in any of its models. The 3.0-litre V6 returns 29 miles per gallon (8.1L/100km) to win customer sales at the bowser. You wonder why Chevy and Ford aren't thinking along the same lines.

Big country, big trucks and big distances – it is the story of Ram in America but Hegbloom admits to looking across the Pacific. He and Pat Dougherty, CEO Fiat Chrysler Australia, have been talking Ram.

"I know the product, the brand image and our model range would suit the Australian market," confessed Hegbloom. "Yes, we're giving the idea a cursory look."

"We know Pat [Dougherty] loves Ram trucks, but it comes down to a business case," said Mike Cairns, head of engineering at Ram Trucks. "It would be expensive to convert our Ram pickups to right-hand drive because they are engineered for left-hand drive only. But then we can use the Canadian instrument cluster in kilometres ..." he muses out loud.

Unlike General Motors with the Colorado or Ford with its Ranger, Ram doesn't manufacture a mid-sized pickup. Offering the full-size Ram pickup to Australia may be a no brainer for a pickup manufacturer willing to take risks.