Ram celebrates 20K manufacturing milestone

RAM Trucks Australia has celebrated the production of its 20,000th right-hand drive vehicle this week with a Hydro Blue-finished TRX rolling off the company’s recently expanded Melbourne manufacturing facility.

Under the auspices of the Ateco Group, the facility is the world’s only Ram-authorised manufacturer of right-hand drive Ram vehicles, continuing a partnership that began in late 2013 and offers what Ateco says is a “no compromise, full-size pick-up truck that leads in durability, technology, efficiency and luxury”.

The Ram pick-up trucks sold in Australia are international specification vehicles, uniquely coded for the Australia and New Zealand markets as well as the local build process.

According to Ateco, Ram Trucks Australia is now the largest vehicle manufacturer in the country with the more than 1000 new parts required to convert the DS, DT and Heavy Duty models bringing “significant local supply chain benefits”.

Locally, the Ram line-up comprises 1500 Express Crew and Warlock variants in the original DS series, followed by the 1500 Laramie and Limited in the recently launched DT-series range.

Ram also offers Heavy Duty 2500 and Heavy Duty 3500 models, as well as the sporty TRX as a “powerful new halo model”.

Celebrating the milestone in Melbourne this week, Stellantis India & Asia Pacific COO Carl Smiley said the quality of manufacturing in Australia is testament to those on the ground.

“Ram is one of our best known and strongest brands in the USA and I am really proud to see it here in Australia,” he said.

“The Ateco Group are great partners to have in this project – the quality of right-hand drive trucks is testament to the teamwork between those on the ground here in Australia and those back in the US.

“We are committed to continued support for the Ateco Group and their Ram Trucks Australia business with further technical and engineering assistance.

“With discussions around future product – including the recent Ram Revolution EV truck reveal – I am confident the long-term arrangement will continue to innovate and elevate this partnership.”

Unveiled at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas earlier this year, the Ram Revolution EV is built on a new STLA body-on-frame architecture designed specifically for full-size battery electric vehicles (BEV).

Power comes from two electric motors providing all-wheel drive and four-wheel steering capability.

Billed as a “visionary roadmap showing how the industry’s leading truck brand will redefine the pick-up segment once again”, the new BEV ute shows where the company is heading in the near future – unequivocally towards electric vehicles.

The Ram Revolution EV is loaded with advanced technology its maker says enables it to “reinvent the customer experience”, while also providing a look at the future styling of the brand with a face that includes modernised R-A-M badging and animated full LED ‘tuning fork’ headlights.

Ram sold 405 examples of its 1500 utility in Australia last month, significantly outpacing its nearest rival, the Chevrolet Silverado, with 184 unit sales.

It is expected both Ram and Chevrolet will have their work cut out for them come Q4 when the Ford F-150 goes on sale Down Under – and again when Toyota offers its full-size Tundra in partnership with the Walkinshaw Automotive Group, possibly as early as 2024.