2018 RAM 1500 set for Australian mid-year launch

The 2018 RAM 1500 full-size pickup truck will launch in Australia in the middle of the year, joining the RAM 2500 and 3500 which are already on sale in the country since 2015.

According to the Ateco Group, the importer and distributor of the brand, the RAM 1500 will enable the RAM to compete in what is the largest segment of the Ute Market for the first time.

Powered by a class-exclusive 5.7L Hemi V8 engine, the new RAM 1500 will be a formidable competitor, delivering claimed best in class towing, power, cab size and cargo space with a tub length of up to nearly two meters long as well as options like the class-exclusive RamBox Cargo Management System.

The North American-built RAM 1500 will arrive in Australia as a left-hand drive (LHD) vehicle before being converted to right hand drive (RHD) at a purpose-built facility in Melbourne. The chassis and body are first separated before a re-engineered RHD specific steering system is fitted, then a new dashboard which was designed, developed and produced in Australia is installed along with a RHD-specific heating and ventilation system, before the body and chassis are re-married to produce the final product.

The work is so substantial that it requires production line levels of quality, fit and finish, and a height of engineering excellence that means it is officially classed as a remanufactured vehicle, not a conversion, and offered with a comprehensive three year/100,000km warranty and backed by a nationwide dealer group.

“The RAM 2500, 3500 and, from the middle of this year, the 2018 RAM 1500, are remanufactured in Australia, by Australians to meet Australian market demands,” says Alex Stewart, Chief Operating Officer of RAM Trucks Australia.

“We are not just providing vehicles designed to tow big loads across our big country – up to 6.9 tonnes in fact – but we’re also employing top engineers, designers and automotive technicians, as well as local component companies to work with us. This is something of which we are extremely proud, almost as proud as we are of the expanded range of RAM Trucks that we’ll be selling across Australia and New Zealand!”

Full details, pricing and specifications of the RAM 1500 range for Australia will be announced when it goes on sale in the middle of this year.