Ram Trucks Adds “Classic” Name To Out Going Trucks For 2019:
The Out Going "DS" Platform Ram 1500 Stays For Part Of Model Year:
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) announced this morning that the Ram brand would be producing the outgoing “DS” platform Ram 1500 trucks for the 2019 model year under the Ram 1500 “Classic” nameplate. The DS generation pickups are still selling extremely well and the Ram brand wants to take advantage of the sales to push them into second place in truck sales over the Chevrolet Silverado. Last year, Ram Trucks sold 500,723 units in the United States. However, production capacity limited the number of orders they could sell and General Motors’ Chevrolet division cranked out 585,864 pickups for sale in the United States.
“As we launch the all-new 2019 Ram 1500, we didn’t want to walk away from a key part of the light-duty truck market,” said Mike Manley, Head of Ram Brand — FCA. “Ram will continue to produce the 1500 Classic targeted at entry and commercial buyers.”
With production of the all-new 2019 Ram 1500 (DT) already in full-swing at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan, Ram is looking at using the available addition time to run production of the DS model at both Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Warren Michigan and Saltillo Truck Assembly in Saltillo, Mexico full swing to produce more trucks than ever. The Sterling Heights Assembly Plant has been producing the all-new 2019 Ram 1500 models since earlier this year, but still have yet to produce the entry level 3.6-liter V6 models and have just started producing eTorque HEMI models this past week.
Offered in four trim levels, Tradesman, Express, Big Horn/Lone Star and SSV (Special Services Vehicle), the Ram 1500 Classic benefits from content specifically designed to match its capability and style. The Ram 1500 Classic also benefits from three new packages:
- Chrome Plus is offered on the Tradesman trim that offers bundled value content, which includes chrome bumpers, body-color upper front fascia, 17-inch wheels, remote keyless entry and carpet floor covering
- Tradesman SXT is offered on the Tradesman trim that includes chrome bumpers, body-color front fascia, 5-inch radio, fog lamps (new to Tradesman), dual exhaust on V-8 models (new to Tradesman) and 20-inch chrome wheels (new to Tradesman)
- Express Black Accent Package is offered on all Express trim exterior colors, which includes Black wheels, Black headlight bezels and Black badging
The 2019 Ram 1500 Classic is available in three cabs and three bed lengths: Regular Cab with 8-ft. bed or 6-ft., 4-in. bed, Quad Cab with 6-ft., 4-in. bed, Crew Cab short bed (5-ft., 7-in.) or Crew Cab with optional 6-ft., 4-in. bed.
Available in 4×2 or 4×4, other powertrain offerings include award-winning 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or optional 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8. The optional 3.0-liter V-6 EcoDiesel will be available at a later date.
The Ram 1500 Classic will be available in the fourth-quarter of 2018, but will only have a limited production run.
