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2021 Ram 1500 DT Series is go! Due in Australian showrooms this month

Sales of US pick-ups in Australia are poised for a third record year in a row – despite the market slowdown due to the coronavirus crisis.


Ram Trucks Australia has already overtaken the previous annual sales record for US pick-ups in Australia set by the Ford F-250 and Ford F-350 models 18 years ago in 2002. 

The Ram Trucks Australia sales tally of 3320 in 2020 and 2868 in 2019 both exceed the aforementioned Ford F-250 and F-350 peak of 2480 deliveries reported in 2002 (see tables below).

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Ford sold 9600 examples of the F-Series in Australia over eight years; Ram has sold 7600 pick-ups in Australia in five years. Despite the strong surge in demand, only Ram and Chevrolet sell US pick-ups in Australia with factory-direct support. Ford says it still has no plans to embark on an F-Series conversion program locally.

Ram Trucks Australia is now poised to post its fifth year in a row of significant sales growth, as the local appetite for US heavy-duty picks-up shows no signs of easing.

The 2021 Ram 1500 DT Series received full volume compliance In December 2020 and is due in local showrooms by the end of this month where it will sell alongside the Ram 1500 DS Series – dubbed “Classic” – which will continue to be sold for at least the next two years.

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Local remanufacturing from left- to right-hand-drive by the Walkinshaw Automotive Group – on behalf of official factory-backed importer Ram Trucks Australia – commenced in Melbourne last week.

A confidential bulletin sent to Ram Trucks Australia dealers has advised there will be three models initially: Ram 1500 Limited Launch Edition, Ram 1500 Limited MY21 and the Ram 1500 Laramie. A second-generation Warlock is due by the end of this year.

The current Ram 1500 DS Series line-up will continue with Express Quad Cab and Express Crew Cab variants.

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Customers who have ordered a current generation Ram 1500 will not be left waiting.

According to the confidential dealer bulletin, Ram Trucks Australia will first start working through almost 1000 orders placed before the holiday period – three quarters of which were for the "Classic" DS Series.

Initial supply of the new-generation Ram 1500 DT Series will be shared across the dealer network nationally from the end of January in limited volumes, before ramping up production from February and March onwards.

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Ram Trucks Australia dealers have been advised there will be 150 examples of the 2021 Ram 1500 Limited Launch Edition. All will be finished in diamond black paint and come with 22-inch shadow-chrome alloy wheels and chrome highlights on the grille, mirror scalps, door handles, and window frames.

These models will be equipped with the following:

  • RamBox with 230V power outlet
  • Air suspension
  • 12-inch infotainment display running Uconnect 4
  • Harman/Kardon 19-speaker sound system with active noise cancelling
  • Premium leather seats, 4x heated & ventilated, with 60/40 split-fold reclining rear seat
  • Leather and carbon-fibre-look steering wheel
  • Dual-pane (opening front, rear fixed) panoramic electric sunroof
  • Adaptive cruise control
  • Parallel and perpendicular parking assistance
  • Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert
  • Electronic parking brake
  • 360-degree camera
  • Wireless charging
  • Automatic retractable side steps
  • Remote tailgate opener
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From March, Ram Trucks Australia will begin local assembly of the 2021 Ram 1500 Limited MY21 model, which will initially be available in three colours (diamond black, silver, and granite). White will follow after it has been added to February production schedule out of the US.

These models will have the same equipment as the launch edition, plus the option of a black pack which includes black wheels, grille, mirror scalps, and window frames.

The Laramie version of the new-generation 2021 Ram 1500 is also due to commence local remanufacturing from March.

Standard equipment on that model will include a 12-inch infotainment display, 19-speaker Harmon/Karman audio system, radar cruise control, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, an electric park brake and a power-operated tailgate.

A sunroof is no longer an option on the Laramie, but retractable side steps and a Rambox with a 230V power outlet will be available at extra cost.

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Prices are yet to be announced for the new-generation Ram 1500 but Drive expects the model will be more expensive than the current DS Series and could range from $110,000 to $130,000. 

For 2021 the Ram 1500 line-up is expected to be as follows:

  • Ram 1500 Express Quad Cab DS Series (Classic)
  • Ram 1500 Express Crew Cab DS Series (Classic)
  • Ram 1500 Warlock II DT Series (new)
  • Ram 1500 Laramie DT Series (new)
  • Ram 1500 Limited DT Series (new)
  • Ram 2500 DT Series (new)
  • Ram 3500 DT Series (new)
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There is no further update on local plans for the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, powered by a supercharged 523kW V8. However, as reported earlier, Drive understands two examples will be assessed locally before a limited run of 200 or so vehicles are imported either later this year or early next year.

Price, specifications and towing capacities for the 2021 Ram 1500 DT Series are due to be released later this month as the first examples arrive in showrooms.

The new Ram 1500 is expected be a petrol V8-only proposition – at least initially if not indefinitely – after a lukewarm response to the diesel version of the current Ram 1500 DS Series, which accounted for less than 10 per cent of the sales mix.

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YearRam Trucks Australia SalesPercentage change
20203320up 15.8 per cent
20192868up 296 per cent
2018723up 81.7 per cent
2017398up 36.3 per cent
2016292First year

Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

YearFord F-250 and F-350 sales in Australia
200831
2007106
2006842
20052111
20041851
20031956
20022480
2001290

Source: Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries.

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Joshua Dowling

Joshua Dowling has been a motoring journalist for more than 20 years, spending most of that time working for The Sydney Morning Herald (as motoring editor and one of the early members of the Drive team) and News Corp Australia. He joined CarAdvice / Drive in 2018, and has been a World Car of the Year judge for more than 10 years.

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