When Ford revived the small truck segment in the USA with the Maverick, it went viral due to its cheaper price tag and versatility. It was a perfectly American solution to an American problem: trucks are simultaneously getting bigger and more expensive with each generation, and the Maverick’s compact proportions and sensible sticker price has customers lining up for months-long waiting lists just to get one of these unibody, FWD-based trucklets in their driveways. It’s also got the competition talking, with the likes of Toyota, Subaru, Nissan, and GM looking to offer future small trucks of their own. Just as well, Stellantis seems to be busy developing a new Ram 1200 small truck. Except there appears to be a problem: it doesn’t appear bound for the United States (or Canada).
Spy photos from Hagerty recently spotted the Ram 1200 testing somewhere in South America. It’s expected that this truck will have a four-cylinder engine, and going off of the images; it appears the truck will feature coil-spring rear suspension.
During the winter, the upcoming Ram 1200 was spotted testing in the colder climates of the Arctic Circle, and as testing continues, we may see the product as early as the end of this year.
The Fiat Toro-based Ram 1000 for South America. Image via Stellantis.## Future Ram 1200 Small Truck: Details
Towards the end of last month, Stellantis held its first national dealer meeting in Las Vegas, where Ram showed what was described by insiders as a midsize electric truck concept that appeared to be a lot like the Ram 1500 REV, only smaller. Ram CEO Mike Koval reportedly told dealers that the midsize pickup concept wouldn’t be developed under the guise of the Revolution line (Ram 1500 REV), as by the time it does release to the public electric trucks won’t be viewed as “revolutionary.”
Though dealers were meant to be very hush about what they saw in the meeting, that didn’t end up being the case as forums blew up after the event with talk about upcoming products from Stellantis. And yet, of those posts, nobody mentioned or described the emergence of a small Ram truck as depicted in the spy photos. This implies that, because North American dealers haven’t seen it and instead beheld an electric midsize truck, the upcoming Ram 1200 small truck is not intended for the United States and/or Canada.
The last-generation Ram 1200 truck, which as also sold as the Fiat Fullback truck in select markets globally. This truck was based on the Mitsubishi Triton (L200).
