By James Raia
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will soon join many other manufacturers and offer an electric truck in its Ram lineup.
During the company’s recent quarterly business update, CEO Mike Manley surprisingly announced the plan – but just with vague information.
“I do see that there will be an electrified Ram pickup in the marketplace, and I would ask you just to stay tuned for a little while,” Manley said. “And then we’ll tell you exactly when that will be.”
No further details were offered, but the decision to join the EV truck competition was a new approach for Ram. A few months ago, the company didn’t seem particularly interested in expanding its truck segment.
“Obviously, pickup trucks are a key franchise for us, and we’re not going to sit on the sideline if there is a danger that our position gets diluted going forward,” Manley said.
Well-established manufacturers like GM and Ford are preparing EV trucks to launch at unknown dates.
But it’s upstart companies that currently lead the way in the segment. Rivian, Tesla, Lordstown Motors, and Nikola having all touted their pending EV trucks with the hope to debut their vehicles first.
Lordstown is the current front-runner with an expected launch of its EV truck in the summer of 2021.
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James Raia, a syndicated columnist in Sacramento, California, publishes a free weekly automotive podcast and electronic newsletter. Sign-ups are available on his website, www.theweeklydriver.com. He can be reached via email: james@jamesraia.com.
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