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Ram 1200 small pickup rumored on its way to fight Ford Maverick

A report out of Brazil from Auto Segredos (translated), picked up by CarBuzz, claims the U.S. is going to get a baby Ram pickup. The outlet was part of a group of local car media speaking to Antonio Filosa, president of Stellantis South America. Filosa's big announcement was that there'd be a new Ram 1200 truck for our neighbors in the next hemisphere, part of a product onslaught involving 16 new models and 26 revised models over the next three years. The key Auto Segredos line for us is, "The pickup will also be sold in the American market to face the Ford Maverick." If it's true, then this is enormous news. Other details in the report leave us a touch cloudy on what such a pickup will look like for the American market, though. At one point, the AS article says the truck will be built on the Small Wide 4x4 platform used by Stellantis family products like the Jeep Renegade and Alfa Romeo Tonale. The architecture will be resized in Brazil "to be a medium-sized pickup" competing with the segment including the Chevrolet S10 (which is still on sale down there), Toyota Hilux, and Ford Ranger. Ram had a 1200 pickup on sale in the Middle East that was based on the Mitsubishi L200 and fought the Hilux and Ranger, but the Mitsu has always been body-on-frame and we'd wonder at Ram sending a cushy-riding pickup to battle hardcore work trucks. In the U.S., however, we're told the Ram 1200 would fight in the class below that, in the growing field of compact pickups dominated at the moment by the Ford Maverick. The most confusing bit: AS writes, "In the U.S., there are plans for the Ram 1200 to have a chassis-mounted version." The way the piece is translated, Brazil would be getting a midsized Ram unibody pickup to challenge midsized body-on-frame pickups while the U.S. would get a compact Ram body-on-frame pickup to compete against a compact unibody pickup. Something's either been lost in the Google translation, or Ram is truly operating in the fourth dimension if this comes to pass as we're reading it.

FCA names Mike Manley head of Ram brand

Sergio Marchionne seems to revel in shifting the numerous portfolios of the senior executives who work under him. Case in point: the latest round of hat-swapping announced by Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Several appointments have been made at the top levels of the group, chief among them a new head of the Ram truck brand. That role will now fall to Mike Manley, who will also retain his responsibilities for the Jeep brand and as COO for the Asia-Pacific region. With his hands busy enough as it is, we'd imagine that much of the day-to-day will fall to Robert Hegbloom. He had Manley's new job until now – but will still remain head of the Ram brand for North America, where the bulk of its business is conducted. Along with the shift in leadership for the Ram brand, FCA also named Reid Bigland as head of fleet operations for North America. Bigland is also responsible for sales in the same region, and for the Alfa Romeo brand here as well. The company also named Tim Kuniskis to the Group Executive Council, charged with overseeing all the passenger-car brands in North America – including Dodge, Chrysler, and Fiat. While it was at it, FCA also named Al Gardner as head of network development for North America, and Jason Stoicevich as Bigland's deputy for US fleet and small-business sales. All these appointments take effect immediately. FCA US ANNOUNCES LEADERSHIP CHANGES October 5, 2015 , Auburn Hills, Mich. - FCA US today announced several leadership team moves in support of changes at the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. (FCA) Group Executive Council (GEC) level. The moves were made to ensure proper representation of all of FCA's major brands on the GEC, the highest management level decision making body within the FCA organization. Earlier today, the following moves were announced at the GEC level. - Mike Manley is appointed Head of Ram Brand. Manley will retain his current GEC responsibilities as APAC Chief Operating Officer and Head of Jeep Brand. - Reid Bigland is appointed Head of NAFTA Fleet. Bigland will continue his current GEC responsibility for NAFTA Sales & Alfa Romeo. - Timothy Kuniskis becomes a member of the GEC and assumes responsibility for NAFTA Passenger Car Brands, consisting of Dodge and SRT, Chrysler and FIAT. In addition, the following appointments were made to the North American leadership team. - Robert Hegbloom continues as Head of Ram Brand for North America, now reporting to Manley.

2017 Ram Model Year Preview and Updates

Launched as its own division in 2009, FCA's Ram Truck line has ridden the wave of post-recession growth with significant sales upticks throughout its brief, independent history (it was spun off from Dodge) within the Fiat Chrysler ranks. Although the 'new' news for 2017 is limited, Ram continues to focus on efficiency, with the Ram 1500 offering both a 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 and 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, achieving an estimated 29 and 25 miles per gallon highway, respectively. RAM 1500: All 1500s receive a list of revisions laden with value-added standard features. The most visible example is the recently launched Rebel, which receives more than its share of standard updates, including Uconnect 8.4 and media hub; automatic dual-zone temperature control; security alarm; remote start; rear backup camera and rear park assist. Newly announced at the Chicago Auto Show in February was the Copper Sport edition, built in limited volume and offering a host of 'custom' upgrades. The 1500 is sold in eleven different models. 2500/3500: Ram's Heavy Duty offerings include a new-for-2017 Power Wagon and an also-new 4X4 Off-road package, with the Power Wagon taking its design cues from the '79-'80 Macho Power Wagon. Announced at the Chicago Auto Show is a new Night package for the heavy duty lineup. Also for 2017, product planners have made the 6.4-liter HEMI standard on Laramie, Laramie Longhorn and Limited trims. PROMASTER CITY: Essentially unchanged, the compact commercial and passenger van has been updated for 2017 with brighter shifter illumination, rear door reflectors for better visibility when opened, and what is now best-in-class fuel economy.