Ram EV will build on core message of capability

CHICAGO — The arrival of an electric Ram 1500 pickup in 2024 would be a stark shift for the brand and set it up for the future, but it wouldn't require much of a messaging tweak on the marketing side.

The focus on capability, which could actually improve with an electric powertrain, wouldn't need to waver, said Carl Lally, senior manager of Ram 1500 brand marketing.

"What we've heard from our consumers is that they're not looking for a compromised truck solution, so really, some of the core attributes that we communicate to our customers about our trucks, the capability and the durability, those aren't going to change, I think, as you look forward to an EV-oriented truck product," Lally told Automotive News last week on the floor of the Chicago Auto Show. "You'll have some benefits, as you'll be able to communicate with respect to, perhaps, efficiency and things of that nature, but I think the core is going to remain very common or very similar."

Ram has coined a brand statement, "Built to serve a sustainable planet," that signals where it's headed as it electrifies its lineup over the next decade. Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. said during Stellantis' EV Day this month that the brand will have a full-electric offering in the majority of its segments by 2025 and have a "full portfolio of electric solutions for all of our segments no later than 2030."

Lally was in Chicago to detail the launches of the new G/T and BackCountry packages for the Ram 1500's Big Horn and Lone Star trims along with a 10th Anniversary Edition of the Limited trim.

The automaker has crafted products such as these while guided by the mantra "Built to serve." As it moved forward with plans to electrify, the brand decided to build on the tag line.

" 'Built to serve' is obviously what we've been tagged around for some time now, and we thought it would be fun to have a little bit of a play on that as we look toward the future because 'Built to serve' can go in a lot of different directions," Lally said.

"It only made sense on the electrification discussion to talk about 'Built to serve a sustainable planet,' but really, it's just a mindset of our customers; that's who they are. It was kind of a natural evolution as we were putting those materials together."

Lally said the EV segment fits Ram.

"There's a bit of a natural evolution in that direction if you look forward to where the market is going based on entrants by competitive makes across various segments," Lally said. "So I think it's a natural landing place at some point in the future, and we'll be ready to make sure that we're able to participate when the time comes."

The electric Ram 1500 will follow the Ford F-150 Lightning, which launches next spring, and the GMC Hummer EV pickup, which debuts this year. Also, Chevrolet is planning an electric version of the Silverado.

But Tyson Jominy, J.D. Power's vice president of data and analytics, doesn't believe Ram will be too late to the market.

"It certainly seems like they're planning to catch up, and catch up very quickly, according to their own plans that they unveiled." Jominy said.

"They don't seem to have a slow adoption. They want to get on this thing and start running pretty fast."