The 2018 RAM 1500 will be launched in New Zealand in the middle of the year providing buyers in New Zealand’s fastest growing market sector with a unique full-size pickup truck that sets new benchmarks for towing, cabin space and ability, the sole New Zealand authorized importer and distributor of the RAM brand, the Ateco Group, has announced.

The RAM 1500 will enable the RAM to compete in what is the largest segment of the Ute Market for the first time. It will complement the RAM 2500 and 3500 range that was launched in 2015 and which increased its sales by 80 per cent in 2017 compared to the previous year according to official MIA figures.

Powered by a class-exclusive 5.7L Hemi V8 engine, the new RAM 1500 will be a formidable competitor, delivering best in class towing, power, cab size and cargo space with a tub length of up to nearly two meters long as well as options like the class-exclusive RamBox® Cargo Management System. The RAM 1500 will offer customers in New Zealand a unique and exciting addition to the New Zealand Ute market.

The North American-built RAM 1500 will arrive in Australia as a left-hand drive (LHD) vehicle and then be remanufactured to right hand drive (RHD) at a purpose built facility in Melbourne. The chassis and body are first separated before a re-engineered RHD specific steering system is fitted, then a new dashboard which was designed, developed and produced in Australia is installed along with a RHD-specific heating and ventilation system before the body and chassis are re-married to produce the final product. The work is so substantial that it requires production line levels of quality, fit and finish, and a height of engineering excellence that means it is officially classed as a remanufactured vehicle, not a conversion. The vehicles are then sent to New Zealand for to be sold through a nationwide RAM dealer network and backed by a comprehensive three year/100,000 km warranty.

“The RAM range is remanufactured to meet New Zealand market demands,” says David Smitherman, Chief Executive Officer of the Ateco Group in New Zealand. “This means that the RAM 2500 and 3500 now and from mid-year the 1500, offer a range of unique abilities, be it the towing capacity, the size of the tray or space in the cab and much more that cannot be matched by their rivals and which make them ideal for both business and leisure use in New Zealand. The 2500 and 3500 has introduced RAM to New Zealand; the 1500 will take RAM to a whole new level."

Full details, pricing and specifications of the 2018 RAM 1500 range for New Zealand will be announced when it goes on sale around the middle of this year.