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Ram 1500 EV shown in more clarity with new teaser images

Besides the first electric Jeep and other product plans, Stellantis gave us yet another preview of the upcoming electric Ram 1500 pickup truck. The company isn't giving much away, but these new renderings do give us some more details on what the truck will look like. The most striking features of the front are the pairs of LED lights above and below that meet toward the middle in a sort of dog bone shape. In the middle is the updated Ram logo that's been featured for its "Ram Revolution" program that takes input from Ram fans for designing the truck. The hood has creases that are suggestive of the dual-level, semi-truck-inspired design that has stuck with the truck since the 1990s. It also seems to have a heat-extractor vent design, which we're not sure would really be functional on an electric truck. Along the sides, the fenders appear to be pushed far outward. The edge where the cab meets the bed has a jog in it that pushes into the cab. It has us thinking the cab and bed may be one piece, along the lines of the Chevy Silverado EV. That single piece will still ride on a separate frame, though, since the Ram 1500 EV will be built on the STLA Frame platform. Continuing on the topic of side styling, the window sill rises toward the rear pillar, and that rear pillar leans forward, again more like the GM electric truck designs. At the back, the electric Ram has taillights that connect into the tailgate like the Ford F-150 Lightning. The shape also echoes that of the headlights, along with the illuminated Ram logo. The rear shot also gives more clarity on the unique cab design. The electric Ram will go into production in 2024. As touched on, it will use the STLA Frame platform that features a traditional separate frame from the body. The platform can accommodate 159 to 200 kWh of battery capacity with a range of up to 500 miles. Early renderings also show the platform using independent suspension both front and rear. Furthermore, Ram has said it will offer a plug-in hybrid variant based on the electric model to go on sale the same year. And electrification won't stop at the 1500.

Ram boss thinks midsize truck could fit in the lineup

The execs at Ram are changing their tune about the possibility of a midsize truck in the US. Nothing is certain yet, but the chances now look a little more favorable. "I think there's opportunity there in the US if you look at what's happened in the mid-size segment here – significant growth last year," Jeep and Ram boss Mike Manley told the Detroit News. "I think that space is big enough, certainly, to have two offerings there." The other product that Manley alludes to is the forthcoming Jeep Wrangler-based pickup that's due in 2017. However, there might not be much customer overlap between the Jeep and those looking for a more traditional Ram-branded model. Manley admitted the most likely candidate for a midsize Ram would be for the company to use an existing Fiat platform, according to the News. One possibility could be rebranding the Fiat Toro pickup, but it's rather small at 20-inches shorter than a Chevrolet Colorado. This greater openness to a midsize Ram is a complete change from the company's position in the past, though. Last spring, the brand's CEO for North America said he couldn't find a strategy to make the model work. FCA boss Sergio Marchionne made the same point in 2014, when he admitted the company showed a Ram 1000 at design clinics, but the response was "lukewarm." Over the past couple years, the midsize truck market has a renaissance of fresh products. The Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon are successes both critically and commercially. The latest Tacoma is on sale, and the new Honda Ridgeline is imminent. We know Nissan has a Frontier successor under development, and there are always rumors of Ford reviving the Ranger in the US. With so much development in the segment, it's easy to see why Ram would want to be at the party. Related Video:

Ram 1500 Mossy Oak Edition ready to start Truck Dynasty in the Motor City

Throughout the last half of the 20th Century and extending into the 21st, our country has had an on-again, off-again love affair with redneck culture. Urban Cowboy begot The Dukes of Hazzard which bled into the Ernest movies, which, in turn, paved the way for the long locks of Joe Dirt and Kid Rock. These days Duck Dynasty is the ignoble standard bearer for the hillbilly way of life - a group that would undoubtedly feel right at home in the latest offering from Ram, the 2014 Ram 1500 Mossy Oak Edition.
Custom designed for the hunters, fishers and other outdoors-folks that make up the Ram customer base (according to the company's press release) the latest instantiation of the Mossy Oak boasts a liberal daubing of camouflage. The camo rides on top of your choice of Black, Black Gold Pearl, Prairie Pearl and with either a Canyon Brown or Frost Beige interior. All of the Mossy Oak Edition trucks are 4X4s with a Crew Cab body, perfect for hauling your hunting buddies out into the wild places of the world.
Fashionable redneck culture doesn't come cheap apparently; the Ram 1500 Mossy Oak Edition starts at $39,985 with a $1,195 destination fee.