What company manufactures Ram trucks, and where are Ram trucks made? With previous changes in Ram ownership, marketing, and assembly facility locations, it can be confusing to answer these questions. So in this article, I’ll explain who owns Ram and who makes Ram vehicles, including its history.
What company manufactures Ram trucks? Who Makes Ram Trucks? The Ram Truck Division, which was founded in 2010, presently manufactures the Ram. This company is a branch of FCA US LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, an Italian-American conglomerate.
Where are Ram pickup trucks made? Ram trucks are manufactured at two Chrysler vehicle plants in Michigan (USA) and Saltillo, Mexico.
Michigan (USA) – The Ram 1500 is manufactured at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Saltillo, Mexico – The Ram 1500, 2500, 3500, 4500, and 5500 pickup trucks are manufactured in the Saltillo Assembly Plant in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. The Ram ProMaster van is another product of the plant.
In 2009, Dodge and Ram announced their separation. The name “Dodge” was dropped from Ram trucks as a result of this split.
When FCA US LLC acquired the company, they decided that the 2 brands needed to operate as separate businesses. To make this step more noteworthy to truck buyers and the truck industry, the “Dodge” label was removed, leaving only the name “Ram” on the trucks.
Read on to learn who makes Ram trucks and where they are manufactured.
Who Is the Manufacturer of Ram Trucks?
Why did Ram get rid of the Dodge label? Actually, there’s no mystery as to why the name “Dodge” was removed from the equation. It was a natural conclusion of the two companies’ separation, Dodge and Ram. In 2009, these two groups officially separated.
Ram, the new owner of FCA US LLC, became its own truck brand. It is still a light to mid-weight commercial vehicle manufacturer based in the United States. The Ram pickup truck, formerly known as the Dodge Ram, is still one of the company’s signature products.
The Ram Trucks brand has taken up the marketing of this truck. The current and fifth-generation Rams were unveiled at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, Michigan, in January 2018.
In the U.S., the Ram truck is the second most popular light truck. In terms of truck sales, it ranks second. The Ford F-150 is the first.
The Brand Name “Ram”
In October 1980, the brand name “Ram” was first used. It was produced for the 1981 model year of Dodge Trucks. The Dodge D Series pickups and B-series vans were being phased out and rebadged at that time. It’s worth noting as well that some of the trucks sported a ram’s head as a hood ornament as early as 1933.
Yet again, why did Ram ditch the Dodge name? Dodge’s independence from Ram let the company focused on technological advancements in its muscle cars and sedans. Ram, on the other hand, concentrated on what it does best: manufacturing full-size pickup trucks.
The Chrysler Group decided to reorganize the Dodge auto brand in 2009. Several cars and minivans were sold under the Dodge brand. And under the Ram Trucks brand name, the company produced the Dodge Ram and Dodge Dakota truck lineups at the time.
Who makes Ram trucks? Starting with the 2010 model year, the Ram Truck Division, a separate and independent division of the same company, produced the Ram trucks. This department was primarily responsible for the production of pickup vehicles. This leads us to the actual manufacturers of Ram pickups trucks.
The Warren truck facility in Warren, Michigan, is where the “Classic” Ram trucks are made. These trucks are also made at the Saltillo facility in Saltillo, Mexico. The new Ram pickups, on the other hand, are built at the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant. Sterling Heights, Michigan, is the location.
Now, we’ll get into more details about these truck manufacturers.
Ram Trucks Are No Longer Made by Dodge
Many older truck owners still view Ram pickups like the Dodge Ram 1500, Dodge Ram 2500, and Dodge Ram 3500. However, in 2009-2010, the two business organizations separated, allowing them to focus on what they do best. Dodge specialized in muscle cars, whereas Ram specialized in full-size pickup trucks. Both continued to produce their products without interfering with one another.
It’s impossible to erase the memory of more than 70 years of Dodge Rams. Seasoned truck fans still refer to the current Ram truck lineup as Dodge Ram. In 1932, the first Dodge Rams were released. It was manufactured until 1954. The Dodge Ram truck lineup was revitalized in 1981 and lasted until 2009 when it was mostly scrapped due to the new owner’s wishes (FCA).
Ram focused more on establishing its truck market position now that it was free of the responsibilities connected with Dodge. It went on to develop the most technologically advanced and dependable pickup trucks in the United States and around the world.
Meanwhile, Dodge was able to produce vehicles with the most innovative designs in 2010 because it was no longer responsible for truck manufacturing. Following its split with Ram, it produced the 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon, the most advanced vehicle in its class at that time.
Improving the Lineup of Ram Trucks
FCA, the new owner, has put a lot of money into upgrading the Ram truck lineup. It invested $1.5 billion on the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan to produce the Ram 1500 pickup’s next generation.
The company increased its investment in the RAM Heavy Duty Truck Assembly Plant by more than $1 billion. These massive sums of money guaranteed that North American manufacturing plants would remain on top when it came to producing Ram vehicles all over the world.
The current manufacturer of Ram Trucks, Ram Truck Division, nevertheless treats nostalgic customers looking for the perfect Dodge Ram 1500 with care. Regardless of the name given to it by consumers, whether Ram 1500 or Dodge Ram 1500, the word “Ram” still signifies durability, capability, and reliability.
Where Are Ram Trucks Manufactured?
Ram trucks are built in the same factories that make Chrysler cars. To put it another way, aside from FAC’s car manufacturing plants, Chrysler, which focuses on Dodge vehicles, continues to assemble Ram trucks at its facilities.
So, where do Ram trucks come from? Ram trucks are manufactured at two Chrysler car facilities in Michigan (USA) and Saltillo, Mexico.
Michigan (USA) – Ram 1500 is built in the United States at Chrysler’s Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan.
Saltillo, Mexico – The Ram ProMaster is manufactured in Mexico at Chrysler’s Saltillo Van Assembly Plant in Saltillo, Coahuila. Chrysler also produces the Ram 1500, Ram 2500/3500, and Ram 4500/5500 at the same factory.
Now that we’ve answered the question, “Who makes Ram trucks?” let’s take a closer look at the Ram Trucks production sites and respective locations.
Ram Truck Assembly Plant in Mexico
The Ram Truck Division’s Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant is located in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico, and produces Ram trucks. It’s one of FAC’s most productive Ram vehicle plants on the planet.
This factory reached a significant milestone in August of 2019. At the time, the plant had just completed the production of its 4,000,000th Ram vehicle. Given that it only began producing Ram trucks in 1995, this is quite an accomplishment.
Currently, the Saltillo plant is producing various Ram trucks (including the Ram 1500 Classic) for Canada, the U.S., and Mexico. For the export market, it produces the fourth-generation Ram 1500 (DS) Regular and Crew Cabs, as well as the Ram 2500, Ram 3500, Ram 4500, Ram 5500, and the Ram 4000 Chassis Cab for the Mexican market.
The following is a list of Ram Trucks currently being manufactured in the Saltillo Assembly Plant in Mexico:
Ram 1500 Classic (Regular Cab – this is for the U.S. and Canadian markets)
Ram 2500
Ram 3500
Ram 3500 Chassis Cab
Ram 4000 (spec Chassis Cab model – for Mexico)
Ram 4500 Chassis Cab
Ram 5500 Chassis Cab
This truck assembly plant employs 5,384 workers. Three hundred and twenty-four of them are paid with regular salaries, while 5,060 are paid by the hour. They operate according to a 3-2-120 pattern. This schedule simply means that the facility employs three crews, each of which works two 10-hour shifts over the course of four days. A total of 120 hours of production each week would be achieved.
Ram Truck Manufacturing Plant in the U.S.
Ram trucks are also built in the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Sterling Heights, Michigan. It is owned and operated by FCA US LLC.
Chrysler once owned this facility. It began operations in 1953 as part of Chrysler’s Missile Division, manufacturing missiles at the time. Sterling Stamping, which is close by, first opened its doors in 1965.
In 1980, Volkswagen purchased the plant and turned it into automobile production. Volkswagen handed it back to Chrysler in the late 1980s and modernized the facility in 2006. Following that, the facilities saw a number of ownership changes, as well as changes in their use.
In 2010, Chrysler bought the plant from Old Cargo LLC again. In 2011, the company added a new paint shop inside the facility. As previously stated, Dodge and Ram split in 2010, resulting in the formation of the Ram Truck Division. Chrysler stated in December 2016 that the Chrysler 200 plan would be discontinued.
Then FCA announced a $1.49 billion investment to retool the Sterling Heights plant to produce the next-generation Ram 1500 pickup. This facility has been producing the Ram 1500 since 2019.
Ram Trucks Made in Mexico vs. Ram Trucks Made in the U.S.
The Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan, USA, is where the latest models of the Ram 1500’s “DT” generation are manufactured. Ram’s heavy-duty vehicles are built in Mexico’s Saltillo Assembly Plant.
To put it another way, Sterling Heights also produces Ram vehicles. The Warren Truck Assembly Plant, which builds Ram trucks, will be retooled or upgraded to support the manufacture of the next-generation Ram heavy-duty trucks, including the anticipated Jeep Wagoneer.
Mike Manley, CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, reviewed the decision to stop producing Ram heavy-duty trucks in Saltillo, Mexico, in the last two months of 2018. The agreement was supposed to be finalized the next year. Full-size Ram pickup trucks will continue to be manufactured in Mexico.
Furthermore, the plan is to equip the redesigned full-size Ram 1500 with new features that are unlikely to be seen in trucks made in the United States. Cruise control, an optional 12-inch touch screen display, and partial electric power to save fuel and increase acceleration are among the new features. With these new features, the truck manufacturer expects to boost the demand for the pickup truck.
Redesigning Ram Trucks
Phil Jansen, Fiat Chrysler’s product development head, stated in 2018, that when redesigning the Ram 1500, they chose an all-aluminum body to make the truck lighter. Back then, Ford Motor Company was already using aluminum for their truck bodies.
Fiat took a risk that its competitor, General Motors, did not. To help with shifting and acceleration, they installed an electric motor and a large battery pack. Fiat hopes that by idling the engine when the truck is stuck in traffic, these technologies will help give a smooth start-stop function. These improvements would also help the truck save fuel costs.
Later in the course of designing the revitalized vehicle, they chose to have a larger screen than other truck manufacturers. Only three variants were supposed to have this feature. However, they later decided to include it in one more trim. The demand for this upgraded vehicle was so tremendous that Fiat-Chrysler drove the screen manufacturer to make as many units as it could.
Conclusion – Who Builds Ram Trucks?
So, to recap and answer the question, “Who Makes Ram Trucks?” Ram trucks are currently manufactured by the Ram Truck Division, which was created in 2010.
The company is a division of FCA US LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, an Italian-American conglomerate. Dodge and Ram officially split up in 2009, clearing the path for the name “Dodge” to be dropped from Ram vehicles.
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