Tim Kuniskis should be lounging his way through retirement right now. It was in May 2024 when he left the company he had served for 32 years after too many arguments with his old boss, Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares. But when Tavares resigned a year ago, Kuniskis was convinced to reclaim his old job as Ram CEO, and he’s been failing badly at retirement ever since.
Expect New Dakota In 2027
That’s because he spent 2025 “putting the band back together” by relaunching the beloved 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, prioritizing extended-range powertrains over battery-electric, expanding warranties, and leading a rejuvenated Ram truck brand and product-development team to reclaim ground lost to cross-town rivals in the full-size truck and commercial vehicle sector.
Kuniskis spoke with automotive media in Detroit this week to share product news coming in 2026 (more on that in coming weeks), and he announced that indeed the Dakota name is being resurrected for the new Ram midsize pickup truck that will likely arrive in 2027 as a 2028 model. Mopar Insiders reports the truck will be built in Toledo, Ohio.
Ram Needs Truck For $40,000, Or Less
Kuniskis told media that Ram really needs a truck in the $40,000 price range, and that calling it Dakota is a no-brainer. But does the name Ram Dakota roll off the tongue as easily as Dodge Dakota, which left the market after the 2011 model year?
It’s interesting that Kuniskis specifically called out the $40,000 price point because a full-size 2026 Ram 1500 Tradesman can be had for about $43,000. The smaller new Dakota should do battle with the Toyota Tacoma and Ford Ranger, which can be had for around $33,000, to start. Perhaps his $40,000 reference is to average transaction prices, rather than base, for midsize trucks.
“The only way we’ll ever get back to the $40,000 price point is if Ram brings midsize trucks,” he told journalists. “And you all heard the announcement that Antonio [Filosa, Stellantis CEO] made. He said we’re investing $13 billion in the U.S. One of the things we’re investing in is to bring a midsize truck… Yeah, it will be called Dakota.”
2026 Ram 1500 REV Rolls First
But the new Dakota will come after the full-size extended-range 2026 Ram 1500 REV pickup reaches showrooms in 2026, with 150 miles of EV range. You might recall this truck was originally going to be called Ramcharger, while the battery-electric full-size Ram was going to be called the REV.
Truck shoppers will need a scorecard to keep these names straight, but the REV name is now attached to the extended-range pickup, which is long overdue, having been announced two years ago.
‘We Were Premature’
A journalist asked Kuniskis why the battery-electric Ram pickup was killed off completely when there are still shoppers (granted, a smaller number) who want an EV pickup.
“The truck buyer was not quite ready for a fully battery-electric truck,” Kuniskis said, citing the lagging infrastructure, charge times, cold weather impact, and limited towing. But he’s convinced fully electric trucks are coming. “Let’s be honest — we were premature.”
150 Miles of EV Range, 690 Total
He said the best solution — and a bridge to full electrification — is a range-extended pickup like the REV. It has “all the advantages of being an electric vehicle — instantaneous torque, smooth, all of that — but none of the downside… It has 650 horsepower, 690 miles of range, 14,000 pounds of towing. The thing’s an absolute beast, and I have it at a lower build cost than the full battery-electric.”
Kuniskis said he’s convinced a truck like the REV will “make customer (EV) adoption go up faster than trying to force full electrification on them.” And without naming Ford, he took note of another automaker announcing this week “they’re doing the same thing” with a range-extended version of the F-150 Lightning pickup, in place of the EV.
Could There Be A Better Name For EREV Ram SUV?
1999 Dodge Ramcharger
As for the Ramcharger name, well, doesn’t it make sense to put that on perhaps a three-row SUV that could join the Ram lineup, especially one that would have an extended-range powertrain like the REV pickup? Is there a better name for an SUV that could run a certain number of miles on electricity only, straight from the plug, while the gasoline engine (likely Pentastar V-6) would generate all the range one might need for a road trip?
Reviving The Ramcharger Name
1974 Dodge Ramcharger
That three-row SUV could come as early as 2026, which aligns neatly with the launch timing for the 2026 Jeep Grand Wagoneer. That full-size SUV will arrive next year — Jeep isn’t saying exactly when — but they’re calling it America’s first range-extended SUV.
Jeep also isn’t ready yet to say how many all-electric miles this Grand Wagoneer can drive, but we know it’s powered by a 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 powering the onboard 130-kW generator to fuel a sizable liquid-cooled 92-kWh battery pack to power the motors turning the wheels.
STLA Large Platform Under All
Underpinning the 2026 Grand Wagoneer is Stellantis’ new body-on-frame STLA Large platform, and it makes perfect sense that it would also support the Ramcharger SUV and the Ram REV pickup — all-three with the same V-6-powered range-extended powertrain, for those of you keeping score on what’s to come from Ram, as well as Jeep.
Source: Ram/Jeep
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