Back in April of 2020, Ralph Gilles, Head of Stellantis Design, and Mark Trostle, Ram Truck, and Mopar Head of Exterior Design ran a contest. The contest was a one-day challenge to see who could come up with the wildest and wackiest Ram and Dodge sketches out there. One of the images posted was the render you see below, the "Rampage." Both Gilles and Trostle shared the image on Instagram to drum up interest in the contest. Basically, it was a hypothetical cross between a Ram TRX that didn't exist yet and a Dodge Challenger.

Now, it might. Mexican patent filings show that Ram has filed a patent for the name "Rampage." Moreover, we've covered this potential Ram/Dodge Rampage since 2017. Then, we said Dodge had so few models it had nothing to lose by bringing back its small "ute" truck. Now, thanks to the end of the Hemi V8 and the arrival of the Ford Maverick, we're making the same argument.

First, the filings. You can see those in the shots above, which contain both FCA's corporate address and the trademarked name. That wall of Spanish also says that the patent is specifically for "Passenger Motor Vehicles." Critically, it states the patent is not yet in use.

Now, let's roll the clock back to 1982. 40 years ago, Dodge needed a small unibody subcompact coupe based on Chrysler's L Platform, which coincidentally, underpinned the Charger. Dodge needed this car to compete with the likes of the Ford Ranchero and Chevy El Camino. Those days are since gone.

However, the Ram Rampage was revived once already back in '06. Then, it was unveiled as a sort of Ford Maverick-esque light pickup. It, like the Maverick, was FWD, though it was motivated by the brand's 5.7-liter Hemi V8.

That leaves us with more than a few possibilities. First, and most obviously, is that Dodge and Ram are going to bring in a small truck to fight the Ford Maverick. The truck is hilariously popular, and Ram would be missing out on a big slice of pie if it didn't have some competition in the space. Why else would Toyota be considering the same thing?

With the V8 Challenger and Charger on the way out (and the TRX, come to think of it), the time is ripe for other shenanigans. Like, say, Dodge's rumored 900-HP Challenger send-off. Something like this will be tricky to make, so we really don't see it being a mass-produced car.

Unfortunately, for now, all we have is the patent filing. As it was filed in Mexico, we can't help but wonder. Does Mexico have a need for a small ute-like truck that we may never see in America? The Suzuki Jimny never made it here for some of the same reasons.

For now, it's simply too early to tell. Dodge and Ram could be working on any number of things. For now, whatever it is will be branded as a Ram, per the filings, but we won't rule out Dodge's involvement.