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American truck maker Ram has released its Rampage ute in Europe, possibly opening the door for the utility to come to Australia.
The Rampage is mid-sized, car-based ute, built in Brazil and launched there in 2023.
Ram now thinks the Rampage will work in Europe and used the Fieracavalli 2025 horse show in Italy to showcase the ute to prospective customers.
“Ram took the opportunity to introduce the Rampage model in a European preview to a community perfectly aligned with the product's placement,” a media statement from Ram‘s parent company Stellantis said.
“With this model, the first Ram vehicle entirely designed and produced in Brazil, the brand aims to redefine the concept of pick-up.”
While European specifications are still undisclosed ahead of the event, the South American version is a good guide.
Measuring 5028mm end-to-end, the Rampage is about 200mm shorter than the Ford Ranger.
As for powerplants the Rampage comes with a choice of two petrol engines in South America - a 127kW/380Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol and a 203kW/400Nm 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol unit.
In South America the Rampage is offered in three grades: Rebel, Laramie and R/T.
Features include a 12.3-inch media screen, wireless phone charging and leather upholstery on the higher grades.
The European Rampage appears to have retained much of the same styling as its South American cousin and looks tough, just like a mini Ram 1500.
CarsGuide reached out to Ram Australia’s importer and distributor Ateco Group to find out if the Rampage will head to Australia next.
"We have always had our hand raised if ever such a vehicle were to become available for our market,” an Ateco spokesperson said.
"We have made our desire for a mid-size ute very clear, but it’s up to Ram USA whether they want to enter that segment of the ute market globally.
"If such a vehicle were to become available, we think it would be a great fit for our portfolio,” they said.
In Australia the ute market makes up almost 20 percent of the nation’s total new vehicle sales and is second behind mid-sized SUVs in biggest selling segments, but a ute like the Rampage may not be a good fit locally.
The Ramage doesn’t have a ladder frame chassis and its braked towing capacity is undisclosed, but wouldn't be the 3500kg offered by the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux.
Safety standards for the Rampage may also prevent it launching in Australia. While the Rampage has AEB and features a suite of advanced safety tech, the Australian New Car Assessment Program (ANCAP) will only award a maximum five-star rating if vehicles meet very high standards.
Ram does have other ute plans in the pipeline that might involve Australia. Recently Ram announced it would produce an SUV along with a smaller pick-up. These will be built in the United States which also has extremely high safety requirements.
For now the Ram SUV and small ute are slated for launch in 2028 and only for the US. Time will tell if they make it to Australia.
