This early May, everyone had expected Ram Trucks to do the right thing and give the full-size 1500 series the Hurricane mill everyone is waiting for. But no, they are still into special editions. But how about the smaller sibling, the Ram 1200?
In the United States, Ram only has a couple of vans – Promaster City, the American version of the Fiat Doblo from Europe, and the larger Ram Promaster, which is akin to a Fiat, the Ducato, on this occasion. Otherwise, it is all about big and larger trucks, starting with the 1500 Classic and continuing with 1500, TRX, 2500, and 3500 HDs, plus the all-mighty Ram Chassis Cab.
However, in other parts of the world, it also markets a smaller truck – the Ram 1200. Sure, most people probably know it by one of its other names, as this is a rebadged fifth-generation Mitsubishi L200. Known worldwide through various other nameplates – Triton and Strada are among the most hyped; it is also a veritable chameleon because it was reskinned not just for the Ram 1200 needs but also to play the role of the Fiat Fullback for Stellantis.
As L200/Triton fans know, a sixth-generation Mitsubishi mid-size pickup truck is looming on the horizon – the Japanese automaker has presented the rough and tough XRT Concept at the 2023 Bangkok International Motor Show in March. It previews the upcoming Triton, which will be introduced later this year. Naturally, Mitsubishi's partners are also hard at work cooking up their platform variants, including Ram – which will present a new 1200 anytime soon. Just don't expect it to brawl with the D41 Nissan Frontier, Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, Jeep Gladiator, upcoming 2024 Toyota Tacoma, or the newly released 2024 Ford Ranger and Ranger Raptor for North America.
This is mainly because the Ram 1200 is a Latin American affair, as proven by the recently spied prototypes – both in photo and video formats. Naturally, all this commotion has caused the imaginative realm of digital car content creators to take notice of the shenanigans, so here is Dimas Ramadhan, the virtual automotive artist behind the Digimods DESIGN channel on YouTube, who has taken up the task of revealing the all-new Ram 1200 - in CGI and looking completely unlike the Mitsubishi XRT Concept. That is not necessarily a dreadful thing since individualization is always welcomed and encouraged – we would not want a Ram 1200 looking exactly like a Mitsubishi L200/Triton because the latter brand already has copied Renault, and we have had more than enough of that.
But the end CGI result is not necessarily spectacular, either. That is not to say the pixel master did not try his best, hence the Ram 1500 REV-inspired front lighting treatment combined with a rugged yet stylish appearance. The partially black hood, silver surrounds around the towing hooks, the black mirrors, and the chromed and black steps are also a nice touch. Even at the rear, there is much to like – including the nicely-integrated Dodge Durango lighting signature, the fading-black stripes, or the dual exhaust outlets. Unfortunately, at least as far as we are concerned, the profile is ruining the whole deal. Although the fender flares are squared-off and meatier than on the current L200/Triton, the rounded-off cabin style just does not feel at home anymore on what is presumed to be an all-new generation truck.
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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