Heads-up, Chevy.
Ram has a plan, it seems, to knock the Silverado out of the No. 2 spot in the full-size pickup segment in 2018 and cut into sales of the midsize Colorado at the same time.
How? By continuing to build the current-generation Ram 1500 — likely backed by attractive discounts — while ramping up production of the redesigned Ram 1500.
The new Ram, code-named DT, debuts in January at the Detroit auto show. Production will begin the same month at the retooled Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in suburban Detroit. FCA said last week the move to Sterling Heights will expand Ram 1500 capacity by 60,000 trucks annually over current levels.
In addition, CEO Sergio Marchionne revealed that FCA will keep the current Ram 1500, code-named DS, on a single shift at the nearby Warren Truck Assembly Plant through 2018.
That means even more trucks on dealership lots next year.
"I think this is a brilliant plan," said Ralph Mahalak Jr., who owns six FCA dealerships in Michigan, Ohio and Florida. "We can certainly use more trucks."