The new Ram 1500 full-size pickup truck is all set for its New Zealand launch.
Ateco Group, the sole authorised importer and distributor of Ram Trucks for Australia and New Zealand, expects the ute to arrive in the country by mid-2018.
It will join the Ram 2500 and 3500 range that was launched in 2015 and which increased its sales by 80% in 2017 compared to the previous year according to Motor Industry Association figures.
Powered by a 5.7L Hemi V8 engine, the new Ram1500 is set to be a formidable competitor in towing, power, cab size and cargo space with a tub length of up to nearly two meters long.
The North American-built ute, a division of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, will arrive in Australia as a left-hand drive vehicle and then be remanufactured to right hand drive at a purpose built facility in Melbourne.
The chassis and body are first separated before a re-engineered steering system is fitted, then a new dashboard which was designed, developed and produced in Australia is installed along with a right hand drive specific heating and ventilation system.
The work is so substantial that it requires production line levels of quality, fit and finish and engineering that means it is officially classed as a remanufactured vehicle, not a conversion.
The vehicles are then sent to New Zealand to be sold through a nationwide Ram dealer network.
Ateco Group New Zealand chief executive David Smitherman says the Ram models “offer a range of unique abilities, be it the towing capacity, the size of the tray or space in the cab and much more that cannot be matched by their rivals and which make them ideal for both business and leisure use in New Zealand”.
“The 2500 and 3500 has introduced Ram to New Zealand; the 1500 will take Ram to a whole new level,” Smitherman says.
Full NZ pricing and specification details of the 2018 RAM 1500 range will be announced later in the year.
