2011 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab Sport on 2040-cars

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2021 Ram 1500 adds Limited Longhorn 10th Anniversary Edition, new tech

The Ram 1500 is getting a handful of updates for 2021, including handy new tech, updated convenience features, and a new Limited Longhorn 10th Anniversary Edition with unique trim elements. We heard hints about the Limited Longhorn earlier in August, when it was reported that it might replace the Laramie Longhorn model in the Ram 1500 lineup. Now we know that it's an equipment package that bundles unique door bolsters, seat insert, trim bezels, center stack surround, speaker grilles, berber carpet and a metal pedal kit with Longhorn 10th Anniversary Edition badges inside and out.  On the tech front, the Ram 1500 gets two pretty swanky new options. The first is a new HUD, which is a first for the 1500. As with the rest of the truck, Ram's engineers decided to go big rather than go home, delivering a full-color display that can display five unique elements and be customized via the in-dash Uconnect infotainment center. Drivers can choose between lane departure and lane keeping indicators, adaptive cruise control status, navigation directions, current speed, current gear and posted speed limits.  The second new piece of solid tech is a digital rearview mirror with a 9.2-inch LCD display. Similar to that found in GM's current half-ton lineup, it can be switched off in favor of an old-fashioned mirror if drivers prefer that perspective to the rear-mounted camera feed.  Ram is also shuffling some options around between trim levels, adding and updating some safety tech, and offering some other new features for the first time, like reverse steering control for the Trailer package. A new snow plow prep option with a 220-amp alternator is also available.  Related Video:

Ram pickups to keep it steel through 2020

One of the hottest topics in the industry these days is automakers' expanding use of aluminum, especially for vehicle bodies and platforms. While the lightweight metal has historically been the preserve of premium brands and sports cars, Ford shocked the industry when it announced that its 2015 F-150 would go aluminum-intensive for its new generation. As it turns out, the material change doesn't even mean a big jump in the prices for most of its trims. Possibly in reaction to the big change, General Motors is said to be using the lightweight metal in its next-gen trucks, too. That only leaves Ram as an open question among the domestics, and at least for now, the company is apparently in no hurry to push tin.
According to Reuters speaking with two, unnamed insiders, the Ram 1500 isn't getting an aluminum infusion until sometime after 2020. That's not to say the truck is going to be stagnant for the next half-decade or more, of course. According to Ram's five-year plan, there's a refresh for the 1500 coming in 2015 and much bigger changes on the way in 2017. Those same sources tell Reuters that further revisions aren't expected until at least 2021, which is when the aluminum could be added.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne hasn't minced words about his thoughts on using the lightweight metal in pickups. "I have better use of aluminum in this house than a pickup truck," he said in May. Having said that, Marchionne was clear that if the material turns out to be revolutionary in the segment, the company would be willing to follow.

Ram midsize pickup will be body-on-frame, built alongside Jeep Scrambler

Ram's still far-off midsize pickup is shaping up to be a rugged body-on-frame pickup if this report from Automotive News is correct. We would assume that because its supplier sources claim the smaller Ram will be built at the same Toledo plant as the current JL Wrangler and upcoming Wrangler pickup, aka Scrambler. It's already been a long road of back and forth about whether or not Ram would build the small pickup. Mike Manley, now the CEO of FCA following Sergio Marchionne's passing, confirmed the brand's intentions of bringing a midsize truck to market when explaining the company's five-year plan a few months back. At the time, rumors pointed to a unibody construction with production taking place in Mexico. The possibility of Ram bringing a version of the 1200 pickup here has been tossed around, but we doubt Ram would come to market with a rebadged Mitsubishi against the developing stiff competition. That segment is quickly becoming crowded with the impending arrival of the Ford Ranger and the already successful Colorado/ Canyon twins and venerable Toyota Tacoma. Ram could try using the Dakota name to jumpstart sales, but it looks like it'll be last to the party in this midsize truck renaissance. Its Jeep cousin is expected to be revealed later this year and on the market in 2019, and we've already seen a lot of it in spy shots, and even on the Rubicon Trail. The report predicts we'll see a midsize Ram as a 2021 model, going on sale sometime in 2020. However, back in June this year, FCA's presentation pegged the smaller Ram's arrival for 2022. It's a long ways out either way, so we'll keep you up to date as the small Ram saga continues. Related Video: