New Ram TRX pickup will take on Ford Raptor — and it's coming soon
Eric D. Lawrence, Detroit Free PressPublished 8:39 a.m. ET July 10, 2020 | Updated 4:59 p.m. ET July 10, 2020
FCA is about to take its Ram truck brand into high-performance territory. Wochit
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Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is about to go hunting for Raptors.
The company is pushing its Ram truck brand into high-performance territory, possibly powered by a Hellcat engine in the 2021 model year, in an effort go after the Ford F-150 Raptor.
Get ready for the Ram TRX.
FCA teased its Ram fans with a video clip on Twitter and its other social media sites recently. You don't see the truck, but you hear the roar of an engine and see a huge cloud of dust in some desert landscape as the letters, "TRX," appear.
"It's not a mirage," reads the posting, which also says "Ram TRX ... late summer 2020."
The Ram TRX will appeal to this group and take on the Ford Raptor. (Photo: FCA)
The planning for what's expected to be called the Ram 1500 Rebel TRX hasn't been a secret, exactly, but Ram enthusiasts who dream of off-roading power will be thrilled to know the truck is on its way soon.
Sam Fiorani, vice president of global vehicle forecasting for Pennsylvania-based AutoForecast Solutions, said the extreme competition between Ford, Ram, Chevrolet and GMC in the full-size pickup market means everyone is looking for ways to broaden their market. And Ram has a key advantage over Ford trucks in the horsepower department.
"As buyers are moving away from sports and muscle cars, they are shifting toward utilities and pickups. The Ram TRX will appeal to this group and take on the Ford Raptor. While the Raptor produces 450 (horsepower) from its turbo V6, FCA offers a range of high performance V8s up to the supercharged Hemi, which would easily out-power the Ford," Fiorani said. Two years ago at FCA's Capital Markets Day event in Italy, Mike Manley, who was then the head of Ram but has since been elevated to CEO, specifically
targeted the Raptor and its then-average transaction price of $71,000 when he said the TRX concept would be brought to market.
The concept was introduced at the 2016 State Fair of Texas, with some boasting from Manley at the time, although the promised horsepower is likely to be higher now.
Jim Morrison, Head of Ram Brand, FCA North America, reveals the Ram Rebel TRX concept at the 2016 State Fair of Texas. (Photo: FCA)
“With 575 supercharged horsepower and a suspension system built to withstand an all-day hammering, the Rebel TRX concept can devour the roughest terrain at more than 100 mph and never look back,” he said then.
Ford spokesman Mike Levine highlighted his company's track record when the company was asked for comment on FCA's plan to target the Raptor:
"As America’s truck leader for the past 43 years, we’re focused on meeting the needs of our customers regardless of what challengers say or do."
More: A muscle car for the SUV crowd: FCA introduces a Durango powered by a Hellcat
More: Dodge unveils 797-horsepower, 200 mph Hellcat Redeye
More: Last 2018 Dodge Challenger SRT Demon rolls off line in Ontario
FCA is already making preparations for TRX production near its Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, also known as SHAP, where FCA builds the popular Ram 1500 pickup.
Paperwork filed for an industrial facilities tax exemption says the company is building a metering and sequencing parts facility in the Sterling Enterprise Park on the north side of 17 Mile Road, a short drive from SHAP, in order to accommodate new trims coming in the next model year, specifically mentioning the TRX.
The building, a $14.6 million investment, is near completion. The company says a supplier will operate the facility, with 150-175 new jobs on three shifts to mirror the schedule at SHAP.
Ram Rebel TRX Concept unveiled at the 2016 State Fair of Texas. (Photo: FCA)
Valerie Knol, FCA manager of state and local government relations, told Sterling Heights City Council members this week that the facility the company already uses for this purpose in Mount Clemens will remain open. But the new facility, which will accept 40 deliveries per day from suppliers and about nine round trips per hour from the facility to and from SHAP, down Van **** Avenue and up Mound Road, is needed because of a space crunch.
FCA spokesman Kevin Frazier explained that bulk parts metering is "a process where parts are shipped from suppliers in large quantities and repackaged into smaller quantities, and then delivered to the assembly plant, sequenced in the exact order that the vehicles are built." Those parts can include dashboard wiring harnesses, rear drive shafts, steering wheels and shocks.