1500

Make
Ram
Segment
Sports Car

Fiat Chrysler considers the future of its Ram trucks (and Jeep brand) to be such a huge priority that it decided to kill off the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart. Money is money and business is business, after all. The production plant where those sedans are built will be re-tooled for Ram production. The current fourth generation Ram truck lineup has been on the market since 2009 and, despite being refreshed for 2013, a redesign is coming. According to Automotive News, that redesign won't be as dramatic as what Ford did with its F-150.

Specifically, "the Ram will continue to use steel for the majority of its body panels, instead of switching to aluminum construction like the F-150." The exterior, fortunately, will be evolutionary and thus keep that much loved Ram front-end styling. Automotive News claims the "headlights will shrink in size and be more integrated into the chrome grill than is the current generation, giving the vehicle's front fascia a toughened, squinty appearance." The 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 will be upgraded with direct injection and optional turbocharging. Why stick with steel and not aluminum? For starters, it saves money and steel will allow designers to use "more complex shapes in its body panels."

The interior, however, will have more dramatic changes such as a flattened center console design. When will the next gen Ram truck debut? Production is said to begin in late January 2018, so expect 2019 to be the first model year, which will likely be around the same time Ford launches a mid-life F-150 update, as well as the next generation of GM's full-size truck debut.