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2019 Ram 1500: FCA design boss discusses truck's 'well-dressed' new look

The Ram pickup may be FCA's linchpin vehicle. It is the brand's bestseller in America, by far. In 2017, more than 500,000 of these full-size trucks rumbled off of dealers' lots, outselling FCA's second-bestseller, the Jeep Grand Cherokee by a 2-to-1 ratio. Even in an American automotive market in which sales were down by nearly 2 percent, even in the last model year of production for the truck's current generation, sales were up by more than 11,000 units over 2016. "The Ram pickup is exceptionally important. Especially since the last one was so popular," says FCA Design Head Ralph Gilles. "We're in the middle of a truck war. And the public wins." No small part of the Ram's success has been derived from its sneering appearance, its more carlike ride, and its potent Hemi engines. Sales have nearly tripled in this generation, and many of those sales are poached from competitors at Ford and GM. So, when unveiling an all-new Ram pickup, many considerations have to be weighed. It has to fit in with the heritage of the vehicle, it has to offer significant advances, and it has to capitalize on its slight underdog status in comparison with the bigger players from Ford and General Motors, whose pickups sell over 800,000 units a year. "The Ram was designed as an honest truck," says Gilles. "But with our Longhorn and Limited, we are staring to look at how far we can push the luxury end of things. And with Rebel, we are looking at how far we can push in a sporty direction. So it's kind of a dual personality thing." Gilles says that the distinctive, unique selling proposition of the Ram is based in no small part on its looks. "I think we are the most well-dressed," he says. "The truck is sleek and smart looking, and will age well." Safety features are also key, especially when creating a smoothly holistic appearance, like the new Ram has. "We want to integrate all the safety features consumers want without making the truck look like it has the measles," Gilles says. Although the automotive market overall was down in 2017, pickup truck sales were up by nearly 5 percent over 2016, a rather stunning increase. But one that is reflective of contemporary tastes. Nearly two-thirds of all vehicle purchases in America last year were light trucks (this includes pickups, SUVs, crossovers, and vans.) In an era of intense technological change, this seems somehow retrogressive.

A plea for Ram to build the Hellcat-powered Rebel TRX concept

The Rebel TRX Concept is a high-performance off-roader with a supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V8 that's capable of traveling at speeds of up to 100 miles per hour on rough terrain. There's only one other road-legal machine that has the same off-roading capabilities as the concept – ahem, the Ford F-150 Raptor – and if there's ever been a vehicle that Ram needs to build, it's this one. The market is saturated with pickup trucks of various sizes. Ram itself offers options for consumers looking to tow massive cargo or go off-roading with the Power Wagon and Rebel. But there's also a clear market for the hardcore off-roader, and the Raptor has gone unchallenged for too long. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Ford proved that the market could handle a fast off-road truck with the 2010 SVT Raptor. Demand for the vehicle skyrocketed and after a few years, Ford had to up production from three to five trucks per hour at its Dearborn Truck Plant in 2013. The original V8 model immediately gained stardom for being a purpose-built machine capable of tackling rough terrain at high speeds. The latest 2017 Raptor is shaping up to be a brute in its own right. Gone is the 6.2-liter V8, which has been replaced with a modern twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6. Despite having a much smaller engine than its predecessor, the upcoming Raptor boasts better performance at 450 horsepower and 510 pound feet of torque – up from the V8's output of 411 horsepower and 434 pound feet of torque. With Fox lending a hand with some high-performance shocks and the pickup truck getting various off-roading modes, including one called "Baja," few road-legal machines will be able to match 2017 Raptor when asphalt runs out. Even still, the Rebel TRX concept looks and sounds like it's in a different league. The Rebel TRX concept's design is the perfect combination of speed and looks, which makes it hard to believe that Ram built the concept in just three months, according to an engineer. A higher-up within FCA sent in the demand, and the Ram team obliged with a fully functioning prototype. The Rebel, which Ram has always said is not a Raptor-fighter, can be fitted with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8, while the larger Power Wagon is equipped with the 6.4-liter V8. The supercharged 6.2-liter V8 (the Hellcat engine), as an engineer points out, makes sense in the concept.

2021 Ram TRX to be revealed this summer

The wait for the 2021 Ram TRX will soon be over, FCA confirmed Thursday with a social media teaser. The much-anticipated, Hellcat-powered Raptor slayer will be revealed this summer.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Ram teased the unveiling on Twitter with a short video of the truck kicking up a massive desert dust cloud overlaid with the TRX badge and the caption, "It’s not a mirage." Make sure you enable sound, because the clip has audio, and you can hear the beating heart of the TRX — the same 6.2-liter supercharged V8 that powers FCA's Dodge Hellcat and Jeep Trackhawk models.  The engine sound in the clip lends credibility to a previous spy video purporting to show a group of TRX prototypes testing in Michigan's Silver Lake Sand Dunes.  This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The link in the tweet leads to a microsite which replays the same short clip but offers no additional information, which tracks with the slow-drip approach Ram has taken with teasing out its new truck. Much of what we know (or believe to be true) has come from unconfirmed sources and spy shots, but Ram has acknowledged that the Hellcat powerplant will make more than 700 horsepower, rather than the 500-some-odd figure originally expected.  From the above shots, we can tell the TRX will sport bulging box flares (a la Raptor) front and rear. The hood appears to be equally bulging, good for highlighting the supercharged V8 underneath. The front bumper is similar to that of the Ram 1500 Rebel's with more raised sections in front of the tires to provide more clearance. Ram 1500 TRX View 18 Photos We get a solid look under the body, too. Still present are the extra beefy suspension control arms front and rear. Skid plates seem to line the whole underside down the middle. The tires were Goodyear Wrangler all-terrains, though it was difficult to make out the actual size. Previous spy photos have revealed remote-reservoir shocks. The wheels at each end are six-lug units, so it seems Ram isn't playing with a heavy-duty axle like a previous prototype suggested. Whatever the case may be, we should be no more than a couple of months away from getting the official details on Ram's new Raptor competitor.  Related Video: