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Ram Considers Bringing Back a More Affordable Pickup

Stellantis CFO Confirms Plans to Fill the Gap Left by the Ram 1500 Classic

Stellantis is looking to reintroduce a more budget-friendly version of its Ram pickup truck following the discontinuation of the Ram 1500 Classic (DS) last year. The move comes as the company aims to regain market share and appeal to cost-conscious buyers who still want a capable full-size truck.

2024 Ram 1500 Classic Warlock Quad Cab 4×4 All-Terrain. (Mount Airy CDJR).

“We need to introduce kind of a lower-end trim of the new pickup to fill that gap,” Stellantis Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Doug Ostermann said during a Wolfe Research conference. However, he cautioned that such a model “would not come to market immediately.”

The decision to bring back a more affordable truck reverses a move made under former Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, who ended the entry-level Ram Classic production in 2024. That move led to around 1,100 layoffs at Michigan’s Warren Truck Assembly Plant (WTAP).

Ram’s U.S. pickup sales dropped by 16% last year, contributing to a 15% decline in total vehicle deliveries for Stellantis. The automaker has been working to recover by slashing prices, offering bigger incentives, and broadening its product lineup, which had suffered from a lack of investment under Tavares’ leadership.

2025 Ram 1500 Tradesman Night Edition Crew Cab 4×4. (Mount Airy CDJR).

Stellantis, like its competitors, faces increasing political pressure from the U.S. government to bring more vehicle production back to American soil. Ostermann noted that the company has already moved additional parts supply across the Canadian and Mexican borders to mitigate the effects of potential new tariffs. He also mentioned that if trade levies are imposed, Stellantis could shift some Ram 1500 (DT) from Mexico back to Detroit.

Meanwhile, Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis has expressed a strong desire to expand the brand’s lineup of sub-$50,000 trucks, hinting at future offerings that cater to more price-sensitive buyers. “We see an opportunity to grow Ram in this space,” Kuniskis said, reinforcing the brand’s commitment to affordability while maintaining capability.

2025 Ram 1500 Tradesman Sport Crew Cab 4×4. (Mount Airy CDJR).

Ram recently lowered the price of its off-road-oriented Ram 1500 Warlock Crew Cab 4×4 to $50,000. It joins other sub-$50k Ram 1500 Tradesman pickups, like the Tradesman Sport and Tradesman Night Edition, offering sporty offerings under the $50,000 price mark.

Source: Bloomberg

Robert S. Miller

Robert S. Miller is a diehard Mopar enthusiast who lives and breathes all that is Mopar. The Michigander is not only the Editor for MoparInsiders.com, 5thGenRams.com, and HDRams.com but an automotive photographer. He is an avid fan of offshore powerboat racing, which he travels the country to take part in.

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Even the Classic wasn't affordable. 40k is not affordable. Lets see a starting price of 15k, then we'd have affordable.

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Want to know what Ram owners want in a truck? That's simple information to gather. Hell, Sign me up& I'll spend the last quarters gathering that data across the states, from sea to shining sea, from as many Ram owners as possible. Focusing on Ram owners who are on their second Ram or following the Ram Fam for who knows how long.

I can easily say it's not going to be a 15k$ truck. If you want a 15k$ truck, buy a used one.

The #1 goal would be compiling a vast majority who dislike/ hate/ despise/ or simply have no use for XYZ features.
Features like the backup camera being mounted in the tailgate. Why? Now I have to get angry every time I think I can easily pull my tailgate off& forget about this wire holding it together that's stronger than the steel strap that holds it. But that's low in the list. START by getting rid of the mandatory safety Features. The amount of times I need to be backing up or maneuvering the truck as I'm jumping in&out with the door open, or hanging out the door looking at everything you can't see elsewhere must be at a much higher rate than everyone else who doesn't use their truck for truck things. I'm not trying to pick my transmission off the floor because I forgot you can open the door while in gear. LORD FORBID YOU DON'T PUT YOUR TRUCK BACK IN PARK IF YOU FIND YOURSELF IN A LAKE OR RIVER! YOUD BE FUQQ'D. Know what else we want? Keys. Some of us need keys. And not some ¼" × ¾" plastic play slot that you can start with your finger and not the key. Hell, lose the transmitter junk& you'll watch car thieves get really uncomfortable trying to pick a lock like the good ol days. No more downloading keys at your buddies house to then go rip off whomever, that ALL OF US DRIVERS END UP PAYING FOR IN THE LONG RUN.

What else? I get that technology can be cool. I don't understand why I don't have the ability to override Features just like Ford can with their backdoor software. Which relates to the open door/ anti drive policy. Let ME BE THE ONE WHO CAN TURN THAT OFF IF I CHOOSE. OR DELETE IT ALL TOGETHER. LET DARWIN GIVE OUT HIS AWARDS AS NEEDED. BECAUSE TODAY, THEY'RE NEEDED MORE THAN EVER.

I could go on&on with another dozen or more things right off the top but the woman is getting upset as I'm finger banging this broken screen because PHONE COMPANY'S CAN'T EVEN MAKE A PHONE THAT'S BUILT IN A WAY TO PROTECT ITSELF FROM MEN.

WANT TO BUILD YOUR BUSINESS? BUILD GOOD, RELIABLE, TOUGH, EFFICIENT, you add all those words you want. She's removing clothes..... Gotta go

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Even the Classic wasn't affordable. 40k is not affordable. Lets see a starting price of 15k, then we'd have affordable.

So, a box of parts from China?

A Wuling 2 passenger with mid-range EV drivetrain is like $11K in China. So I suppose they could throw a bed on one of those.

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Even the Classic wasn't affordable. 40k is not affordable. Lets see a starting price of 15k, then we'd have affordable.

Unless you plan on building it yourself like a piece of IKEA furniture or building a time machine, then no vehicle will ever be $15k again.

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Unless you plan on building it yourself like a piece of IKEA furniture or building a time machine, then no vehicle will ever be $15k again.

There is entire class of Chinese EV like the Wuling 1 x 1 for around $5K the 4 passenger class A cars around $11K.. That is in China so yeah it would be tough to get under $15K by the time it got here with shipping and distribution. The range is good enough for local trips, you see none on the interstate.

Currently the materials alone a full sized pickup would exceed $15K not even considering conversion into something useful

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