Ram is ready to rock the Ranger and HiLux: All-new Dakota mid-size ute reveal just weeks away, and it's looking like it will be a beast - reports

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Ram is ready to rock the Ranger and HiLux. (image credit: KDesign AG)
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
5 Feb 2023
3 min read

Ram's long-awaited mid-size ute could be mere weeks away from its concept unveiling, with international reports pointing to a dealer showcase in March that will reveal much more detail about the brand's Toyota HiLux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max rival.

It hasĀ been in the product pipeline for years, but the new model – expected to be called the Dakota or 1200, depending on the market – will be shown to dealers for the first time next month, if the latest reports prove accurate.

Once that occurs, the leaks will surely follow, and Ram's mid-size ute entrant will finally begin to reveal itself.

"We've always said we know that on a global basis, probably the biggest area, the biggest white space opportunity for our brand to grow, has been the mid-size pick-up," Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr told Automotive News.

"We're looking at it, believe me, I am. We'll see, but I am thinking about bringing it and giving our dealers a sneak peek."

Now US reporting points to that dealer unveiling occurring next month, ahead of an estimated launch either late this year or in 2024.

What we don't know yet is what might be powering it. We do suspect that the 1200 and Dakota will actually be different utes, with the former being a smaller prodcutĀ powered by a pair of four-cylinder engines – one petrol and one diesel – but neither would produce the kind of outputs expected of utes in our market, or in America.

The Dakota, however, is tipped to be a proper HiLux-sized ute, and if Ram should dig into the engines available in the Stellantis group, it could even put the frighteners on the new Ford Ranger RaptorĀ and its 3.0-litre twin-turbo V6 which delivers 292kW and 583Nm.

The company has revealed a twin-turbo six-cylinder petrol engine that is heavily tipped to make its way to the brand's pick-up truck portfolio.

The new 3.0-litre inline six petrol engine is part of a new Hurricane engine family, and will be offered in Standard Output and High Output forms.Ā In standard guise, you can expect around 300kW and 610Nm. In High Output, the new engine will target 375kW and 645Nm.

All should be revealed soon enough, so watch this space.

Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold. But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul. And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard. When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House. But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others. More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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