The mid-size pickup market is about to get significantly more congested, and Ram is the automotive brand belatedly elbowing its way to the front of the queue. The long-rumored, eagerly awaited return to the segment abandoned over a decade ago is fast approaching reality, although the sheer audacity of launching an all-new vehicle with its name still under wraps until the 2028 production launch is a masterclass in marketing.
Initially slated for Belvidere, the new body-on-frame warrior has been relocated to the industrial heart of Ohio: the Toledo North plant. This is the same facility that currently churns out the iconic Jeep Wrangler. To accommodate this challenger to the established order, Stellantis is reportedly injecting nearly $400 million into the plant. This investment, part of a larger $13 billion play to stroke the ego of American manufacturing, is serious business.
Stellantis plans to add a third shift, creating around 900 new jobs and mercifully recalling any recently laid-off workers. Sources close to the UAW suggest pilot production will commence in March 2027, with an aggressive annual output goal of 100,000 units. If Ram can actually hit and sell that figure, it’ll instantly solidify a position at the top table, a cynical move that forces the hands of rivals.
The most shocking revelation, however, is the insistence that this new Ram isn’t merely a rebadged Jeep Gladiator. Despite being built in the same complex as the Wrangler and its pickup sibling, the new Ram mid-size pickup will apparently ride on its own unique body-on-frame design. This is a curious choice; rather than just slap a Ram badge on the rugged Gladiator platform, Stellantis is designing a dedicated chassis.
Essentially, they are creating a new platform for a truck that is explicitly less focused on the mud-slinging image of its factory sibling.It’s an expensive way to say “we are not Jeep.” Yet, the preparation work is undeniable. Ram is determined to compete, spending hundreds of millions to develop a new architecture to challenge the market leaders, ensuring that when the new mid-size truck finally rolls off the Toledo line, it will be a genuine contender.
