Ram’s Ford Ranger Rival Will Launch In 2028

Stellantis has lacked a mid-size pickup for quite a long time now, long before the automaker opted to utilize that name, in fact. The Ford Ranger rivaling Dodge/Ram Dakota was discontinued following the 2011 model year, in fact, but rumors that a mid-size pickup would rejoin the lineup have swirled for quite some time. That on again, off again project is in fact back on again, with a brand new Ford Ranger rival set to launch in the coming years – and now, we know when that will happen.

Recently, Stellantis announced that it would be investing $13 billion in its U.S. operations with the intentions of reviving its fledgling business in that market, an investment that will lead to five new product launches and an increase in the company’s domestic production footprint. Perhaps the most interesting piece of all this, however, is news that $400 million of that tally will go toward the company’s future mid-size pickup, which is now tentatively slated to launch in 2028.

Previously, that pickup was expected to be built at the Belvidere Assembly plant in Illinois, which is currently shuttered. In its most recent contract agreement with the United Auto Workers union, Stellantis stated that it would reopen that facility in 2027. However, the automaker now says that it will build the new mid-size pickup at its Toledo Assembly Complex, alongside the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator, adding 900 new jobs as a result.

Not much is known about this new mid-size pickup otherwise, save for the fact that it will reportedly utilize body-on-frame construction, just like the Ford Ranger and its rivals, even though Stellantis originally planned to underpin it with the STLA Large platform – a unibody architecture. Otherwise, the smaller Ram will be offered exclusively in four-door Crew Cab format, with an expected starting price tag of less than $40,000.