Jeep, also owned by Ram parent company Fiat Chrysler, recently unveiled a midsize pickup concept called the Comanche built on the Renegade SUV frame.Despite comments to the contrary around this time last year, Ram may indeed be entering the midsize pickup market.
The Detroit News recently reported that Mike Manley, global head of Fiat Chrysler Automobilies NV and Ram trucks, said that there’s “opportunity there in the U.S. if you look at what’s happened in the mid-size segment here—significant growth last year. I think that space is big enough, certainly, to have two offerings there.”
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Manley’s comments to the Detroit News came at the New York auto show, where just last year he told Automotive News that while he believed Ram could deliver a midsize truck at an attractive price point, he had yet to figure out how to deliver the “incredible” fuel economy customers of that segment demand. According to Hegbloom that would be about 35 miles per gallon.
GM’s new midsize pickups, the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon, enjoyed increased market popularity and had nearly 115,000 combined sales for 2015.
Despite increased popularity among GM’s midsize pickup offerings, Toyota’s midsize Tacoma still led the segment for 2015.
FCA announced earlier this year that it plans on offering a new Jeep pickup by 2020. Manley said that a midsize truck offering from Ram would not compete with that pickup.
