Ten years ago, in the midst of a recovering U.S. automotive industry, a new leadership team decided to do the unthinkable – launch a new brand.
The announcement came in October 2009. The Dodge brand, which consisted of Dodge cars and Dodge trucks, would be “unbundled” and the Ram brand was born.
Today, the Ram brand reported record sales of 703,023 vehicles for 2019. It is the highest level of full-year sales ever for the brand and an 18 percent increase over 2018.
Ram full-year pickup truck sales also rose to a record level of 633,694 vehicles. It is an 18 percent increase over 2018.
All this comes as the average transaction price of the Ram 1500 has jumped almost 50 percent from 2010 to about $50,000. Meanwhile, the average transaction price for the Ram Heavy Duty has increased more than 20 percent to about $55,000.
“These results underscore two significant decisions we have made when it comes to Ram – invest in technology and adopt a three-truck strategy,” said Reid Bigland, Head of Ram and U.S. Sales. “It has taken some hard work, but it has been a true reward to see how Ram has evolved over the past 10 years.”
Technology
FCA decided to leapfrog the competition in 2018 by introducing a new Ram 1500 equipped with the new Uconnect 4C with a massive 12-inch touchscreen in the center console. It leads the pickup world in technology, featuring split-screen capability, 360-degree camera views and exclusive content from SiriusXM with Personalized Stations Powered by Pandora, which delivers ad-free personalization not found on any other audio entertainment service. The move was predicated on the belief that Americans were spending more time in their trucks and they wanted the same accessibility to all things cyberspace they could get in their homes. Meanwhile, the idea of keeping a separate “work truck” has faded. People are now making their trucks the family vehicle.
Three-truck Strategy
When FCA introduced the new Ram 1500 in 2018, it was decided that production of the previous generation would continue. The Ram 1500 Classic now provides consumers more choice since the entry-level truck represents the best full-size value in America.
Consumers who want additional features and technology now shop the new Ram 1500. This year, FCA followed the Ram 1500 success by introducing a redesigned heavy-duty Ram.
“We are still in the early days for Ram,” Bigland said. “There are still multiple opportunities we will continue to explore as we look to excite both our loyal Ram owners and the Ram owner yet to come.”
The Ram Heavy Duty and the Jeep Gladiator are both finalists for the 2020 North American Car and Truck of the Year. Winners will be announced Jan. 13 in Detroit.
The Ram 1500 took home the coveted award in 2019.
Ram Facts:
- The company’s first trucks (then known as Dodge Brothers) were produced in 1917 – commercial “Screenside” models. Pickups would come later as would chassis-cab upfits, including ambulance models that would serve the United States forces in World War I
- The Ram Laramie Longhorn uses real leather, metal and wood throughout the truck’s cabin. Each Longhorn’s dash is individually branded and, as a result, no two Longhorn trucks are exactly alike
- The third-generation EcoDiesel engine is available across the entire 2020 Ram 1500 line, including the off-road Rebel model. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is not only America’s best half-ton pickup truck value, but also offers the longest range of any vehicle in the U.S. – more than 1,000 miles on a single tank
