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All-New 2018 Ram 1500 to Be Manufactured Alongside Old Ram 1500

Introduced in 2008 for the 2009 model year, the fourth-generation Ram 1500 will be replaced for the 2018 model year. Even if we account the minor update brought by the 2013 model year, it’s as clear as day the Ram Truck brand needs a more capable workhorse to take on the light-duty segment. But does it, though?
2016 Ram 1500 Rebel 11 photos
Photo: Ram Truck
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Ram's five-year plan shows that 2017 is when the 2018 Ram 1500 is scheduled for debut, with production slated to start in the latter half of the year. The “major update” for the light-duty pickup will be followed by an update for the heavy-duty and chassis cab lineups in 2018 for 2019.

Along the way, we’ve also learned that the platform of the 2018 Ram 1500 is a prime candidate for a body-on-frame full-size SUV. A revival of the mid-size Dakota is also in the offing, but Ram has yet to announce definitive plans about producing a smaller, more compact truck than the half-ton series.

More recently, however, it has come to our attention that Fiat Chrysler is planning to keep the fourth-generation Ram 1500 alive even after the all-new model rolls into dealerships. According to the manufacturer’s chief financial officer Richard Palmer, “Going into 2018, having more pickup capacity will allow us also to satisfy the fleet customers' demand [...].“

Automotive News highlights that the current-gen light-duty will continue production in Saltillo, Mexico, and Detroit, U.S., into 2019. Planned production is a whopping 200,000 units in 2018 and approximately 65,000 the next year.

The 2018 Ram 1500, on the other hand, will be built at Sterling Heights Assembly. This comes as a result of canceling the ill-fated Chrysler 200 at the end of 2015. As of July 2016, the Michigan-based plant runs a one-shift operation. On the upside, Fiat Chrysler announced that $1.48 billion would be invested in the Sterling Heights Assembly plant “to retool it to build the next generation Ram 1500 and support the future growth of the Ram brand.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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