First Ford. Now Chevy. Where's Ram?
This was a big week for General Motors. Despite its decision to drop out of the 2022 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), GM's online-only reveals were hugely successful, specifically the Chevrolet Silverado EV, due in 2023. Ford also had a big week following the announcement of doubling F-150 Lightning production to meet surging demand. America is ready for fully electric pickup trucks. But what's the status regarding Detroit's third major truck maker and its truck? The Ram 1500 EV, according to Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares remains on schedule to launch in 2024.
Speaking to media at CES in Las Vegas, Tavares is keenly aware of the so-called Truck Wars but doesn't seem too bothered that his crosstown rivals are ahead.
"It's in the making and it's now being, I would say, adjusted every month to improve our specs and our capabilities, taking into consideration what our competitors are doing," he said. Being the last of the three to launch isn't necessarily a bad thing, he pointed out. "It's a fact that we are coming slightly after (the competition), but it's also a fact that we have the opportunity to adjust the competitiveness and the appeal of our own trucks to what they are doing, which is a competitive game, which is a fantastic situation for the consumer because the real winner of this competition is the consumer."
It must also be said that Ram had an excellent 2021, beating Chevy for the second year in a row for the second-place sales slot behind Ford. Ford has been No. 1 for decades and that's highly unlikely to change.
That's why the battle for No. 2 is so critical. With the merger between FCA and the PSA Groupe now fully completed, Tavares isn't wasting any time preparing the world's fourth-largest automaker for an all-electric future. Chrysler, for example, will launch its first BEV (probably a production version of the Airflow concept) in 2025 and will go all-electric in 2028. Other Stellantis brands will follow suit eventually.
Although Ram has additional time to fine-tune the 1500 EV ahead of its reveal, company officials must be aware that a completely redesigned F-150 Lightning will arrive in 2025. It's important to use this time very wisely.
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