√Ram hits 20,000 sales, demand for US pick-ups off the charts

Demand for US pick-ups remains at record levels, as car giants Ford and Toyota prepare to join the battle with Ram and Chevrolet in Australia.

Ram – the biggest seller of US pick-ups in Australia – has passed a major milestone, converting its 20,000th vehicle from left- to right-hand drive.

The total includes 18,000 Ram vehicles sold in Australia, 1000 exported to New Zealand and another 1000 in transit on their way to dealers.

The 20,000th example built was a 6.2-litre supercharged V8-powered Ram 1500 TRX in Hydro Blue (pictured below).

Ram sales have been growing at such pace in Australia, last year the firm took over Chevrolet’s side of the Melbourne assembly facility that previously had both rival brands under one roof.

Although it took three years for Ram to eclipse the first 1000 sales, and five years to eclipse the first 5000 sales, last year alone Ram Trucks Australia reported a record 6095 deliveries.

In other upsets, Ram outsold stablemate Jeep for five months last year – and with January 2023 sales figures just in, it has now done so for the past five months in a row.

The record sales of US pick-ups comes as more Australians have chosen to holiday at home following international travel restrictions and rising airfare prices.

Ram Trucks Australia outsold its nearest rival – the Chevrolet Silverado distributed by General Motors Specialty Vehicles (GMSV) – by more than two-to-one (6095 versus 2389 last year).

A sign of our changing taste in cars, Ram also outsold the Nissan Patrol for the past two years in a row.

Ram Trucks Australia reported a record 710 monthly sales in November 2022, eclipsing previous records of 657 in October 2022, 633 in June 2022, and 604 in June 2020.

The surge in sales of US pick-ups – driven by Ram’s record growth – has prompted a response from Ford and Toyota, both of whom plan to launch full-size pick-ups later this year.

Ford has been testing right-hand-drive versions of the F-150, and Toyota has been testing right-hand-drive versions of the Tundra.

Ford has partnered with Thailand-based RMA Group – a Ford-backed accessories fitment specialist that has never before undertaken a right-hand-drive conversion program on such scale.

Toyota has partnered with the Walkinshaw Automotive Group, the former Holden Special Vehicles engineering and assembly firm behind the Ram Trucks Australia and GMSV Chevrolet Silverado pick-ups.

Ford Australia previously sold the F-250 and F-350 – from 2001 to 2007 – but the vehicles were dropped from the local market after weaker than expected sales.

During a visit to the Ram Trucks Australia remanufacturing facility in Melbourne last year, Bob Graczyk, head of Ram International, said in a media statement: “When we first looked into the business opportunity seven years ago and asked how big the market could be (in Australia), no-one really knew what to expect, maybe 3000, 4000, perhaps 5000 (sales per year).

“It has completely exceeded our expectations and 10,000 vehicles is now realistic – who knows, we could go up to 15,000 or 20,000. The acceptance of full-size pick-up trucks by Australians is just phenomenal,” said Mr Graczyk.

Ram Trucks Australia is the world’s only Ram-authorised re-manufacturer of right-hand-drive Ram pick-ups.

All vehicles delivered by Ram Trucks Australia are “international specification” vehicles, uniquely coded for the Australian market and the local build process, the company says.

Ram Trucks Australia now employs 641 assembly workers, engineers and office staff and has become the biggest vehicle assembler in Australia. There are 361 locally-developed parts fitted on the DS-series Ram 1500, 402 unique components on the DT-series Ram 1500, and 465 unique components on the heavy-duty models.