Ram Just Announced One Truck That Will Give Toyota a Run for Its Money

American truck buyers have been left high and dry by domestic automakers for over a decade.

Foreign companies swooped in and grabbed market share while Detroit slept on the job.

But Ram just announced one truck that will give Toyota a run for its money.

Ram CEO drops bombshell about 2027 midsize truck at investor conference

For 13 long years, truck enthusiasts have been asking the same question – when would Ram finally bring back a competitor to challenge the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger?

The answer came last week during the Kepler Cheuvreux Autumn Conference when Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa dropped a bombshell that sent ripples through the automotive world.

Ram’s long-awaited midsize pickup truck is officially coming in 2027, and Filosa couldn’t contain his enthusiasm about what he’d seen at the Detroit design center just two weeks prior.

"Two weeks ago, it was in our design center in Detroit, and I saw the truck itself, not only the sketches and designs but the clay model. And it’s just beautiful," Filosa revealed.¹

The timing of this announcement couldn’t be better for American truck buyers who’ve watched foreign competitors dominate a segment that should belong to Detroit.

Toyota has been laughing all the way to the bank with their Tacoma leading midsize truck sales for years, moving an astounding 130,873 units in just the first six months of 2025.²

Meanwhile, the Chevrolet Colorado managed only 52,815 deliveries during the same period.³

Filosa also described the truck as "just amazing" and was so confident in what his team had created that he made an unusual offer to skeptical reporters.

The CEO was so proud of what his team had created that he jokingly invited reporters to Detroit to see the truck for themselves, though with one catch.

"If you want to come to Detroit, we’ll show you without cellphones and cameras, and you will be, I believe, astonished," Filosa said with the swagger of someone holding a royal flush.⁴

This isn’t the same mistake Ram made before

Here’s what makes this announcement different from the usual corporate promises that never pan out.

Ram has learned from the mistakes that killed the Dakota back in 2011.

The new truck will ride on a body-on-frame platform – the same rugged construction that makes the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger actual workhorses instead of grocery haulers.⁵

This is a complete departure from earlier speculation that Ram would use a unibody design like the Honda Ridgeline.

Body-on-frame means this truck can actually tow, haul, and handle real work without falling apart.

It also means Ram is taking this segment seriously instead of treating it like an afterthought.

The platform will be a shortened version of the STLA Frame that underpins the Ram 1500 Ramcharger, giving it the flexibility to accommodate everything from traditional gas engines to plug-in hybrids and even fully electric powertrains.⁶

But don’t hold your breath for an electric version – Ram just scrapped their all-electric 1500 REV due to wavering demand, showing they’re finally listening to what truck buyers actually want.

Industry sources expect the new Ram to start around $33,000 to $35,000, putting it right in the sweet spot to battle the Tacoma and Ranger on price.⁷

That’s a far cry from the $41,025 starting price of the 2026 Ram 1500, giving buyers a real alternative without breaking the bank.

American manufacturing makes a comeback

The best part about this story isn’t just that Ram is finally competing again – it’s where they’re building the truck.

The new midsize pickup will roll off the assembly line in Belvidere, Illinois, a plant that’s been sitting idle since the Jeep Cherokee was discontinued in 2023.⁸

This isn’t some foreign partnership or rebadged import.

This is American workers building American trucks in the American heartland to take on the foreign competition that’s been eating Detroit’s lunch for over a decade.

The Belvidere plant has automotive history running through its veins, having previously produced everything from the original Dodge Dart to various Chrysler and Dodge models throughout the 1980s and 1990s.

Now it’s getting a second chance to prove that American manufacturing can still compete with the best the world has to offer.

Filosa revealed that "all the specs that we are imagining in the product briefing are very good in the segment," showing Ram’s intention to directly challenge the Toyota Tacoma and Chevrolet Colorado.⁹

The company is reportedly targeting competitive towing and payload figures that can go head-to-head with the segment leaders.

Look, here’s what this really means for truck buyers who’ve been abandoned by domestic automakers for too long.

For years, if you wanted a reliable midsize truck that could actually work for a living, you had to buy a Toyota Tacoma or settle for whatever Ford was offering with the Ranger.

American brands basically handed this entire market segment to foreign competitors on a silver platter.

Now Ram is finally waking up and realizing they’ve been leaving money on the table while Toyota counts their profits.

The timing couldn’t be better either – truck buyers are getting fed up with sky-high prices on full-size pickups and looking for something smaller that won’t require a second mortgage.

If Ram can deliver a truck that matches the Tacoma’s legendary reliability while undercutting it on price, they could steal back significant market share from the Japanese competition.

But the real test will be execution.

Ram has had plenty of time to study what makes the Tacoma successful and what mistakes Ford made with their Ranger comeback.

The question is whether they’ve learned from both and built something that can actually challenge Toyota’s dominance instead of just making noise about it.

Based on Filosa’s confidence and the decision to use proper body-on-frame construction, it looks like Ram is finally taking this fight seriously.

American truck buyers deserve better than being forced to buy foreign just to get a dependable midsize pickup.

Come 2027, they might finally have a homegrown alternative worth considering.

¹ Motor1, "Stellantis Boss Confirms ‘Beautiful’ Ram Mid-Size Truck For 2027," Motor1.com, September 15, 2025.

² AutoEvolution, "2028 Ram Dakota Successor Coming With ‘Very Good’ Specs," AutoEvolution.com, September 15, 2025.

³ Ibid.

⁴ AutoGuide, "Ram Just Revealed When It’s New Midsize Pickup Will Arrive," AutoGuide.com, September 15, 2025.

⁵ CarBuzz, "Ram’s Midsize Pickup Due In 2027 Coming With Body-On-Frame Platform," CarBuzz.com, July 10, 2025.

⁶ AutoGuide, "Ram Just Revealed When It’s New Midsize Pickup Will Arrive," AutoGuide.com, September 15, 2025.

⁷ Car and Driver, "The Return of Ram’s Mid-Size Pickup Truck Is Worth Waiting For," Car and Driver, April 22, 2025.

⁸ MoparInsiders, "Ram’s Long-Awaited Midsize Truck Confirmed For 2027 Launch," MoparInsiders.com, September 14, 2025.

⁹ AutoEvolution, "2028 Ram Dakota Successor Coming With ‘Very Good’ Specs," AutoEvolution.com, September 15, 2025.