Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. was founded in 2014, the year FCA established Ram Trucks Australia. Now part of Stellantis, the automaker managed to deliver no fewer than 30,000 examples of the Ram P/U in Australia and New Zealand.
P/U is Ram vernacular for the light- and heavy-duty pickup truck lines, while Ram Trucks Australia is tasked with converting the P/U series to right-hand drive in Melbourne. The 30,000th pickup converted to right-hand drive by the guys and gals in Melbourne is a 1500 Big Horn with the 6'4" bed, a crew-cabbed workhorse finished in Billet Silver.
At press time, the folks at Ram Trucks Australia number 400 employees. The company operates two production lines in Clayton, a suburb of Melbourne. Maximum capacity is 50 conversions per day. Ram Trucks Australia is represented by 73 dealers throughout Australia and New Zealand, whereas the current lineup comprises nine distinct pickups.
The list kicks off with the 1500 Express V8 HEMI Crew Cab, which is extremely similar to the 1500 Classic for the US market. Based on the previous-gen Ram pickup, the 1500 Classic will be discontinued in Canada after the 2024 model year. The only reason it exists alongside the current-gen Ram pickup is the lack of a midsizer to take on the likes of the Chevy Colorado and Toyota Tacoma. Over in Australia, make that Hilux and Ranger.
The Ford Ranger moved 63,356 units in this part of the world last year, whereas the Toyota Hilux ended 2023 with 61,111 sales to its name. In third place, Isuzu sold 31,202 examples of the D-Max. Turning our attention back to Ram, the Australian division wants 98,950 kangaroo bucks for the 1500 Express V8 HEMI Crew Cab, which means approximately 64,955 freedom eagles at current exchange rates.
Photo: Ram
The heavy-duty line kicks off with the 2500 Laramie Crew Cab, whose 6.7-liter Cummins turbo diesel inline-six engine puts out 276 kW and 1,152 Nm (370 horsepower and 850 pound-feet). Unfortunately, the Aussies and Kiwis cannot option the high-output version of the six-pot diesel. The punchier engine develops 420 horsepower and 1,075 pound-feet, meaning 313 kW and 1,458 Nm.
Australia and New Zealand do not get the 6.4-liter HEMI either. Be that as it may, the right-hand-drive 3500 is more than capable, offering a braked towing capacity of up to 8,000 kilograms (17,637 pounds) and a maximum payload of 1,759 kilograms (3,878 pounds). The 2500 and 3500 are currently priced at AUD 172,950 and AUD 177,950 (approximately USD 113,550 and USD 116,830 as of May 2024).
The most expensive Rams, however, are the Hellcat-powered TRX and TRX Final Edition. The former is an eye-watering AUD 224,950 (USD 147,715), while TRX Final Edition will set you back AUD 249,950 (USD 164,130). The last Hellcat-powered Ram 1500 intended for Australia and New Zealand is limited to strictly 130 units.
As you're well aware, Ram ditched the 5.7-liter HEMI and 6.2-liter Hellcat from the 1500 line for the 2025 model year. The indirect successor to the 2024 Ram 1500 TRX is the 2025 Ram 1500 RHO, a six-pot dune basher with 403 kW and 736 Nm (540 horsepower and 521 pound-feet) as opposed to 523 kW and 881 Nm (702 horsepower and 650 pound-feet) for the absolutely insane TRX.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
Would you like AUTOEVOLUTION to send you notifications?
Google News