Fiat Chrysler Isn't in a Hurry to Update the Ram Heavy Duty: Report
Another week, another pushed-back launch date for a next-generation Fiat Chrysler Automobiles product.
Last week, supplier sources claimed the range-topping Jeep Grand Wagoneer SUV was on hold, but this morning brings news of a delay for the next-generation Ram Heavy Duty truck line.
According to Automotive News, sources claim the Ram 2500/3500 and its chassis cab offspring won’t land on an all-new platform in 2018. Instead, the heavy-duty models should soldier on with their current DS platform and gain a minor refresh.
If true, it’s just the latest decision to scramble FCA’s long-term product plans. Just this year, FCA delayed the execution of the Dodge Grand Caravan and gave the current-generation Ram 1500 a new lease on life, even as a new 1500 bows in 2018. A similar pushback might keep the automaker’s rear-drive cars on the same platform for years to come.
Ram’s heavy-duty truck lineup was expected to drop its old bones in favor of FCA’s new DT platform sometime in 2018, bowing as 2019 models. The automaker hasn’t commented on the report.
If the delay is indeed factual, it’s hard not to see money — and FCA’s need to dole it out in limited doses — being behind the decision. Already, the automaker is scrambling to get the next-gen Jeep Wrangler and Ram 1500 out on time, and both of those products require expensive plant retooling. The Ram brand, along with Jeep, is FCA’s cash cow. Switching to an all-new heavy-duty truck would mean a temporary drop in production volume, as well as sales.
Demand for the existing Ram 2500/3500 remains healthy, so keeping a generation born in 2010 alive a little longer could make sense — even if it means selling the oldest heavy-duty pickup on the market.
[Image: Fiat Chrysler Automobiles]
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How are the Cummins engines on competitiveness these days against the other two HD choices?
I'd rather FCA delayed something to get it right than to push something out that isn't ready.