Is Ram working on a high-performance sport truck?

By John LeBlanc Fiat’s Ram Truck brand (nee Dodge) released a teaser image to announce it will debut a new high-performance concept pickup this weekend at the Woodward Dream Cruise, held in Detroit, Mich. The question is: Will the concept make it into production? While the annual Woodward Dream Cruise focuses on showcasing vintage American muscle cars and hot rods, automakers have used the event in the past to promote existing new product to the thousands of automotive enthusiasts that attend each August. But the as-yet-un-named Ram Truck will be the first official concept debut at the event. Based on the released image, the new concept appears similar to the previous Ram 1500 Rumble Bee special edition. But that vehicle was mainly a trim package. If the Woodward Dream Cruise concept offers more than stripes and decals, it will be the first high-performance Ram since the 2004 to 2006 SRT-10 models, a truck that used a 510 horsepower version of the contemporary Dodge Viper’s 8.3-litre ten-cylinder engine, plus substantial suspension, tire and chassis upgrades to keep the very large vehicle under control at very high speeds. (In fact, a 2004 Ram SRT-10 holds both the Guiness World Record and Sports Car Club of America records as the world's fastest production truck, with a 249 km/h top speed). Beyond the teaser image, Ram is offering no other details of the show truck. As of now, the most powerful engine you can opt for in a Ram 1500 is the 395 hp, 5.7-litre Hemi V8. It’s unlikely the new SRT Viper super sports car’s 600 hp, 8.3-litre V10 would be used in the Ram. Instead, the new, 410 hp 6.4 L Hemi eight-cylinder that is debuting for 2014 in the Ram 2500 and 5500 heavy-duty trucks (first seen in the 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and other SRT models) is a more realistic high-performance choice. With fuel prices creeping up again, fuel economy has become a priority with new truck buyers. So rivals for a Ram sport truck would be few and far between. General Motors, Nissan and Toyota do not have high-performance versions of their full-size pickups, and Ford’s recently announced F 150 Tremor makes do with only a 365 hp turbocharged six-cylinder.. How do you feel about a Ram sport truck? The brand’s rivals seem to think there’s no market for such a truck. Do you feel there is still a market for what will be admittedly a low-volume model? Or has the desire for fuel economy in big trucks killed-off any chance of a high-performance Ram? Source: Fiat

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