Ram's been out of the midsize pickup truck game for over a decade, and the market is hot. As of last year, trucks like the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, and Ford Ranger are all new, and now Ram has confirmed that it will reenter the segment in 2027.

The last small Ram pickup sold in the US was the Dakota. The truck shared a platform with the Dodge Durango SUV and was discontinued in 2011. In its final years, sales dropped from a high of 177,000 to just 12,000. The small truck market fell apart during that time, as the trucks were barely more efficient or cheaper than full-sized offerings.

Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis dropped a significant hint at the Detroit Auto Show about the long-rumored return of a midsize truck to the brand’s lineup.It's no secret Ram has been grappling with production issues with its bread-and-butter 1500 lineup—among other marketability problems.

Stellantis will reportedly reopen its plant in Belvidere, Illinois, to build the forthcoming Ram midsize truck. The facility has been idle since 2023.

Rumored for years and finally revealed in a leaked UAW memo, the smaller pickup is set to fill an obvious hole in Ram's lineup.

And Ram is gathering hand-raisers for the 1500 REV and Ramcharger trucks as deliveries are pushed back. A new report from Motor1 claims Stellantis (and thereby Ram) have confirmed that an all-new generation of the midsize Dakota pickup truck will return by the end of the decade.