As on any map of the United States R.A.M. The family tree will soon accommodate two Dakota.
Global Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis has told the North American automotive media that the company’s upcoming midsize pickup truck will, as widely expected, be called the Dakota.
The move will see Stellantis re-enter the midsize ute market and revitalize the Dakota brand in North America. The original Dodge Dakota was released in 1986 and was installed underneath the full-size Dodge Ram.
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In 2010, Dodge’s pickup trucks and commercial vehicles transitioned to the new Ram brand under CEO Sergio Marchionne. Despite this, the Dakota continued to carry Dodge branding before its discontinuation in 2011.
The new ute will compete with the Ford Ranger, Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Canyon and Nissan Frontier.
Other than the name, approximate size and positioning, we don’t know much about the new Ram Dakota. To live up to its name and stand out from the competition at the same time, a body-on-frame design is almost a given.
It’s unclear what platform the new Dakota will use, but it could be adopted from the larger Ram 1500. As for engines, the Dakota is expected to have a choice of turbocharged four- and six-cylinder engines, while mild-hybrid and hybrid options are also rumored to be available.
Although previous generations of the Dakota were available with V8 engines, Ram is expected to retain the eight-cylinder option for the 1500.
Badges aside, the new Dakota – or North Dakota, if you allow this writer to be flippant – is expected to have nothing to do with the Dakota that launched in South America in November.
This Dakota – or South Dakota, to continue the analogy – is actually a slightly redesigned, Argentinian-built version of the Changan F70. This model is already sold in Mexico as the Ram 1200, so it’s possible both Dakotas could be sold side by side in the same showrooms.
Using one nameplate for two completely different vehicles in different regions is not uncommon. For example, the Ford Explorer is best known in its home market of the United States as a large three-row SUV, but in Europe its name is now also used for a small electric SUV based on Volkswagen’s MEB architecture.
Perhaps the most relevant example is the Nissan Frontier. The nameplate is used in many parts of Latin America on the “D23” model, which Australians knew as the Navara. The Frontier name is also used for a North America-specific model, which is essentially a redesigned and heavily updated version of the “D40” Navara that debuted back in 2004.
Confusingly, both versions of the Frontier are sold in Mexico, with the D23 model badged as both the NP300 and Frontier, while the North American version is marketed as the Frontier V6.
MORE: Explore the Ram showroom
