Brute ute battle looms: Ram Dakota to target 2026 Ford Ranger, BYD Shark 6 and Toyota HiLux

Ram is preparing to return to the midsized ute market globally, to take on the Ford Ranger, Toyota Hilux, BYD Shark 6, Isuzu D-Max and more, with Australia looming front-and-centre.

Expected to resuscitate the long-dormant Dakota badge when it debuts possibly as early as next year, the one-tonne pick-up range will slip underneath the full-sized 1500 dual-cab series in both size and price.

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This could mean a welcome return to sub-$100,000 pricing, abandoned locally when the earlier-shape DS 1500 Express was phased out in 2024.

When the anticipated Dakota arrives in Australia is still anybody’s guess.

RTA General Manager, Jeff Barber, said little, beyond signalling his desire for a factory-built right-hand-drive (RHD) ute to sell below the 1500 against the Ranger and HiLux.

“A mid-sized truck in the future could be potentially (offered in RHD form directly from the source factory),” he said.

A strong hint at what the new mid-sized Ram might look like premiered in Brazil in the middle of August this year, as the Dakota Nightfall Concept, ahead of going into production in Argentina (also home of the original Volkswagen Amarok) sometime next year.

While this is the first time the Dakota name has been used on a vehicle since the third-generation Dodge/Ram Dakota was discontinued in 2011 after a 25-year model run, the Nightfall Concept seems to be a variation of the existing Ram 1200 ute, that’s based on the Changan F70 ute out of China.

As part of an agreement between Changan and Stellantis, there is also a long-running Peugeot Landtrek version, as well as a Fiat Titano derivation. These utes are badge-engineered entry-level vehicles for emerging markets.

In contrast, the coming, North American-market Ram Dakota could go down a couple of roads.

One is that it could be developed off a scaled-down 1500 body-on-frame platform, meaning it would be an altogether larger and more powerful proposition, with rumours suggesting that it could even be powered by a modified Hurricane straight-six turbo petrol engine, and even possibly a Hemi V8.

As CarsGuide has recently reported, another is that the North American Dakota could be a scaled-down derivation of the Ram 1500 Ramcharger range-extender (REEV) and 1500 REV battery-electric ute.

Either one of those proposals would see the mid-sized ute being manufactured in Belvedere, Illinois.

Whatever happens, it seems Ram is preparing to finally rise to the Ranger and HiLux challenge.