No V8 For The New Ram Dakota, But A Hybrid’s Still In Play

Ram says its next midsize truck must feel like a real truck.
New Dakota will be underpinned by a body-on-frame chassis.
Tim Kuniskis also talked about the chance of a hybrid option.

Ram’s upcoming midsize pickup for North America is shaping up to be a big deal for the brand, especially with the budget-friendly 1500 Classic no longer in production. To make a real impact and become a volume seller, it’ll need to hit the right price point, starting somewhere in the mid-$30,000 range.

And as CEO Tim Kuniskis puts it, it must offer the kind of real capability buyers expect from a proper truck.

Read: Ram’s Mid-Size Truck Comeback Is Quietly Taking Shape

This new model is long overdue for the US market, particularly given that Ram already sells midsize trucks in South America and Europe, including an unrelated Dakota model that uses Chinese bones. Ram confirmed work on the smaller truck more than a year ago and plans to begin production of it in 2028.

Speaking with The Drive, Kuniskis said the new model will need to fill the void left by the larger 1500 Classic and will enter a burgeoning market led by the popular Toyota Tacoma. It’d better be a serious performer to compete.

A “Proper” Truck

“It needs to be a credible truck, in case you gotta walk from that to a light-duty truck, and there can’t be a disconnect,” he said. “So it’s gotta be a real truck, gotta have real capability, just a little smaller and a little bit more accessible.”

No V8 For The New Ram Dakota, But A Hybrid’s Still In Play — Ram Rampage

Technical specifications for the model remain unknown. What we do know is that it will use a body-on-frame design, similar to the Jeep Gladiator. This will help give it solid truck credentials rather than being an SUV converted into a pickup, like the Hyundai Santa Cruz.

“It needs to be a proper truck,” Kuniskis added. “It needs to have the towing capabilities, needs to have the payload. It needs to have everything that a truck buyer is looking for. It can’t be, you know, a car that you put a bed on.”

Hybrid Power

Ram isn’t ready to confirm what kind of powertrain the new truck will have, but Kuniskis indicated a hybrid setup is possible.

“Powertrain-wise, we haven’t said anything about what we’re going to do. Obviously, hybrid is becoming, pretty much, a really important sweet spot in the industry. That’s why I’ve been watching the Cherokee, the biggest segment in the world with a dedicated [hybrid] powertrain. You know, we made that choice on purpose. So, do we need one in the midsize truck?  I don’t know, TBD, we’ll see.”

What it won’t be getting though is a V8.

“I don’t know that it needs a V8,” Kuniskis told The Drive. “And, I mean, look, go back 15 years. A midsize truck today is the size of what a full-size truck used to be, right? Not that far away. So, is the midsize segment in the next couple of years gonna act any different than the light duty segment? I don’t think so.”