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Tesla Has a RAM TRX on Its Test Track, but What Could It Be Doing With It?

Stellantis is doing the absolute right thing by sticking the Hellcat V8 into anything it sets its eyes on, from a pickup truck to an SUV with seven seats. The only thing left would be the Chrysler Pacifica minivan, but that might be too much tomfoolery even for the manufacturer formerly known as FCA.
RAM 1500 TRX on Tesla's Fremont test track 11 photos
Photo: YouTube screenshot
Tesla Cybertruck at Giga TexasTesla Cybertruck at Giga Texas
Looking at the media coverage the TRX has had over the past months, the decision to release the V8-powered truck was definitely the right one. The Ford F-150 Raptor had had so much time along under the limelight it was getting a little too comfortable as the only real performance-oriented truck, and that was despite it having just a V6 engine, even if a twin-turbocharged one.

It didn't take Ford too long to react, even though all we have right now is a new Raptor that still uses a V6 engine and the promise of a V8. However, there's another company that announced a really quick and powerful pickup truck a while ago, and that's Tesla.

You might have forgotten about the Cybertruck, and that's OK: it's hard to remember things that don't really exist. It's been 18 months since Tesla first unveiled the wedge-shaped truck and, according to the EV maker, it'll be no more than six more months before its production begins. Whether you believe that or not depends on whether it's the first time you hear about Tesla or you're well aware of the company's delaying antics.

Well, a recent drone survey of the manufacturer's facility and test track in Fremont revealed promising information for all Cybertruck reservation holders. While there was no electric pickup truck in sight, the footage revealed a RAM 1500 TRX sitting on the track, bed full of all sorts of sensors.

While we can't know for sure why the truck was there, it doesn't take much brainpower to guess it was used as a benchmark for the Cybertruck. After all, it is the closest one in terms of performance to the electric truck's announced specs, so Tesla might see it as "the one to beat."

Despite the TRX's impressive specs (starting with the 702 hp), the Cybertruck should have no problem beating it both where it matters (0-60 acceleration time) as well as where it really matters (max towing and payload capacities). However, as the footage below shows, only one of them actually exists at this moment, so there's that to consider as well.

The good news is that the TRX's presence there at least shows Tesla hasn't forgotten about Cybertruck. Either that or they needed a fast pickup truck, and since Elon had taken the Cybertruck prototype out for a ride, the best they could find was the V8-powered RAM.

(TRX shows up at 1:20)

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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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