2021 RAM 3500 Reviews

The newest automotive engineering facility in the country is Walkinshaw’s huge south-east Melbourne ‘super site’, which has just been completed, according to the company.The facility will house production lines set to continue the company's work converting full-size American pick-ups like the Ram 1500, Chevrolet Silverado and Toyota Tundra to Australian-spec right-hand drive.“Our new Walkinshaw Automotive Group super site is finally finished and we have begun slowly moving in!” said Ryan Walkinshaw in a post on Facebook.Ryan Walkinshaw, whose father Tom Walkinshaw was a key architect in creating fast Holdens wearing his own name and the HSV badge, has continued leading what is now Walkinshaw Group in the automotive engineering and development space.Walkinshaw says the 100,000 square metre facility will “house up to 1500 employees”, and be “capable of manufacturing 20,000+ vehicles a year for Australia”. “It’s one of the top-five largest manufacturing facilities in all of Australia, home to the most advanced engineering centre in the country, six-plus production lines and our Supercars championship racing team Walkinshaw Andretti United.“Proud to be investing and committing our business to a long future here in Melbourne.”This morning, Ram Trucks Australia confirmed it is moving into its new home, securing “the jobs of more than 270 factory workers, warehouse staff, quality inspectors and engineers”.Production is due to kick off in November for the Ram 1500 at the new site, though neither Walkinshaw nor Ram confirmed how many production lines will be set for the American brand.Toyota and Chevrolet are yet to confirm the move into the new Walkinshaw facility at time of publication.

Is the electric ute running out of charge already? Ram’s recent decision to scrap plans for an electric-powered version of its popular 1500 pickup may prove to be a turning point for the broader ute community.

The Ram Dakota has only just been confirmed by the brand's most senior American executive, but already the mid-sized monster seems locked in for an Australian launch to do battle with the Ford Ranger, Toyota HiLux and BYD Shark 6.

After years of on-again, off-again teasing, evasion and false-starts, recently-installed Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has confirmed a Ram Dakota ‘mid-size’ pick-up for North American production in 2027.

It’s official - Ram has pulled the plug on its fully electric pick-up before it even made it to showrooms.

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 DT-series 1500 Hurricane dual-cab series in both size and price.

Ram is considering a V8 comeback for Australia’s best-selling full-sized American ute, which might include the return of the TRX high-performance flagship.

To borrow a line from Mark Twain, reports of the death of the V8 engine are greatly exaggerated.

Australia's big-ute best-seller, the Ram 1500, evolves with the Rebel, as a Ford Ranger Wildtrak-style sporty off-road value proposition. Based on the Laramie Sport and aimed directly at the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 ZR2, the Rebel gains a suspension lift and other 4x4-focused gear, yet retains the sophistication that's made today's 1500 a segment favourite. And its twin-turbo six is a gem.

Will the Ram 1500 Big Horn turn into the 1500 Warlock instead as the big US truck value opener? With the introduction of the DT Series II “Hurricane” facelift earlier in 2025, the old Big Horn from $119,950 has not yet been replaced, leaving the Laramie Sport as well as newly-released Rebel that both commence at $141,950 as the 1500 range entry points. But with comparatively slow sales of the superseded version (despite being the last of the Hemi V8s – for now), it appears that a completely different grade is in the pipeline, to slip in between. Yet to be confirmed for Australia, the expected new Warlock grade would be a comparatively affordable and more youth-orientated take on the ‘cheapest’ Ram 1500.