The imminent RAM 1500 pick-up truck range will see its Australian and New Zealand dealership networks expand rapidly in the coming year.
Australian distributor Ateco Automotive has announced at the RAM Trucks launch in Sydney today that it will grow from the current 33 dealers to 36 by the end of the financial year, and 40 by the end of 2018.
The additional RAM Trucks footprint will be inclusive of the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles Australia’s 17 franchised RAM dealer sites.
Not all FCA dealerships which supply Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Fiat and Alfa Romeo vehicles are capable of servicing the new RAM range, however Ateco says the new sites will make up for that.
“Our RAM Trucks range will be fully supported just like any other rival in the dual-cab ute market,” Ateco public relations manager Edward Rowe expains.
“Dealerships must be appointed a RAM Truck dealer with technical training, and we have fully backed the new range with a complete inventory of parts,” he says.
“All RAM Truck parts will be delivered within 24 hours, with the exception of paint and airbags, airbags of course which are not Takata parts,” Rowe adds.
The new RAM Trucks range will be honoured with a three-
year/100,000km factory warranty, including in New Zealand where the 1500 will also be imported and factory-backed with a full national dealer network for the first time. Those 40 Australian RAM dealers will be selling two primary specifications, starting with the base-model 1500 Express from $79,950 driveaway which boasts 3.5-tonne towing expandable to 4.5 tonnes with an optioned 3.92 axle ratio, a 912kg payload inside a six-foot four-inch tray, and a 5.7-litre Hemi V8 with 291kW of and 556Nm of torque.
The higher-spec 1500 Laramie will start at $99,950 before statutory on-road costs before heading into 2500 model range territory starting at $139,950 before on-road costs. The range ceiling is at $147,950 for the 3500
The vigorous market attack for the RAM range is to put top-spec dual-cab utes like Ford Ranger Wildtrak, Volkswagen Amarok V6 and Mercedes-Benz X-Class Power in direct line of sight, with the slogan “Eats utes for breakfast”.
Lenn Kench, Ateco national project manager, says it’s time to spice up the market segment, especially from other locally-converted pick-up trucks.
“We welcome the competition from the Ford F-150 and Holden doing the Chevy Silverado, although I haven’t been in either,” he says.
Kench says all RAM dealer servicing staff have also taken part in two-day technical training with the new 1500 range to prepare for the anticipated increase in volume sales.
“All our dealer technicians have been properly brought up to speed on the new vehicles as far north as our Port Douglas dealer; with parts in stock.”
With ambitious targets, Ateco says it expects to sell 2100 units in Australia’s first year of sale, another 3700 units by mid-2020 and a confident 4500 vehicles by 2021.
New Zealanders are expected to buy 250 in the coming year and another 450 by mid-2020 utilising an also-expanding 13 FCA’s RAM Trucks dealer network, with the same two-tier model range.
A diesel version will be available around October and the special edition Black Pack with various dark highlights and louder exhaust system will be available from November, according to Ateco. The 1500 Express comes with a “crew cab” that is slightly more confined than the Laramie’s “crew cab”.
Larger gross combined mass versions in the 2500 and 3500 will edge closer to the limits of a standard car license before going to a light truck license above 10.8 tonnes depending on various state/territory regulations and vehicle configuration. Both 2500 and 3500 put out 276kW and 1084Nm for a 6.9-tonne and 6.1-tonne towing capacity respectively, depending on specification.
All variants come with low-range four-wheel drive as standard, while measuring in at just over 5.8 metres and exactly 2.018 metres wide, which will make some suburban parking difficult.
The 1500 Express gets a 121-litre fuel tank compared with 98 litres in the Laramie, which could cost around $180 for a full tank of regular 91 octane petrol which is suitable to run on. The Hemi V8 is also Euro 5 compliant with 12-month servicing intervals.
Kench also says the 1500 range is not ANCAP crash tested, but has been crash tested internally within the company to meet and comply with Australian Design Rules standard 69 which requires passing a 48km/h full-width frontal crash.
All RAM Trucks are built to full ADR compliance in Holden Special Vehicles’ Melbourne factory, receiving full left to right-hand drive conversion from American Special Vehicles, which is now fully Ateco-owned.
