In a past that wasn’t so long ago, each of America’s Big Three offered an affordable mid-size pickup truck for folks who wanted to do hard work with a smaller truck. Yet, for a while, the only mid-size offering from Stellantis was the Jeep Gladiator. That’s finally changing, as Ram has confirmed that its new mid-size pickup truck will bring back the Dakota name, and it’ll be hitting the road in 2027. But what’s interesting is the suggested price, which isn’t too far off from a full-size truck.
The fact that Ram is gearing up for a mid-size truck revival isn’t anything new. A couple of months ago, we reported that Ram’s new mid-size truck will be built alongside the Jeep Wrangler and Jeep Gladiator in Toledo, Ohio. This is after Stellantis initially allocated the truck to the Belvidere, Illinois, plant. Stellantis is putting $400 million into this project, and it could also add 900 jobs to the area. The automaker also said that the new mid-sizer was coming in 2028.
… and that was pretty much it. No concepts or sketches were revealed to the public, the truck didn’t have a name, and no price was announced. We just knew that some sort of mid-size pickup truck was coming and that it would compete with the likes of the Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Colorado, and Toyota Tacoma.
Correction: Upon a second look, it appears that our peers in automotive media might have taken Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis’s quote out of context. It’s likely that Tim is suggesting that a volume trim of the Ram Dakota could be $40,000, not the base model. We have updated our story to reflect this, and regret the error.
The Dakota Is Back
Ram boss Tim Kuniskis has finally spilled the beans. The new truck is going to revive an old and beloved name with mid-size truck enthusiasts. Yeah, the Dakota is back! Tim kept bringing out the good news, saying that the new truck is now scheduled to come a year earlier in 2027, and as if things couldn’t get any sweeter, Tim then said that the new Dakota will have a myriad of propulsion options, including gas and plug-in hybrid versions.
If you stop here, this sounds like some of the best news to come out of Stellantis in a while. Ram abandoned the Dakota nameplate in 2011 when the third-generation Dodge truck bowed out. Since then, Ram hasn’t had any mid-size truck to sell in the United States, which has basically let Ford, Toyota, General Motors, Nissan, and Jeep enjoy the spoils.
Mid-size trucks have enjoyed a strong fanbase for several years. In 2024, Ford sold 46,205 Rangers. This year, Ford’s moved 62,864 units as of November. Chevy moved 98,013 Colorados last year, and the GMC Canyon added another 38,486 units into the GM pile. Nissan moved 69,813 Frontiers in 2024. Meanwhile, Toyota sent 192,813 Tacomas home to families last year.
All of that is great! Mid-size trucks are a great way to do truck stuff, but without having a beltline as high as the Pan Am/MetLife building. The idea that Ram is coming in swinging with an all-new Dakota with a plug-in hybrid option is exciting. But then, the rest of the news might raise a question.
Namely, per Car and Driver, Tim suggests that the new truck will start at around $40,000. However, Tim’s actual wording suggests that the price could be for a volume model, which might not be the base model, depending on which trim this truck launches with.
The reason why this matters is that if this truck launches for $40,000, it might face some headwinds. Currently, a Ford Ranger starts at $33,350, a Nissan Frontier is $32,150, a Chevy Colorado hits $32,400, a GMC Canyon is $38,900, and the Toyota Tacoma is $32,145.
Of course, all of these base prices are before fees that will drive the price up by a few grand or so by the time you leave the dealership. But, notably, most of these trucks are a pretty good bit cheaper than their respective automaker’s full-size trucks.
The odd one out is the GMC Canyon, which has a starting price that’s $900 higher than a GMC Sierra. However, the Sierra does have two lower trim levels that the Canyon does not have. Another exception is the Jeep Gladiator, which starts at $38,830. However, Jeep doesn’t have a bigger truck. Besides, the Gladiator is both a Jeep and a truck.
As of publishing, the Ram 1500 has a price of $41,575 before fees. Punching out the mid-size truck at $40,000 wouldn’t leave much buffer between it and the bigger truck.
Now, this could be harmless. Maybe, like the GMC Canyon, the new Ram Dakota will be a ‘premium’ truck even in base trim, with no cheap work truck version on offer. Sadly, since Stellantis isn’t really saying much yet, there is also the possibility that this truck will come at a similar level as a base Ford Ranger or a base Chevy Colorado, but at a Ram 1500-like price.
I should note that GM does sell a work-spec mid-size truck, so it’s not a big deal if GMC doesn’t have a cheap version. But if Ram launches the Dakota as a premium mid-sizer, it could be leaving money on the table, letting fleet sales go to Ford and GM.
Or, maybe my worrying is entirely unwarranted, and the new Ram will sell like hotcakes even without a lower-cost trim level. It’s possible, likely even, that the truck launches for under $40,000 and the $40,000 model is just a higher trim. It’s also entirely possible that, given rising car prices, mid-size trucks in general could start at around $40,000 in 2027, making the Ram Dakota’s price right on target. I sure hope not.
Time will tell. Either way, it’s awesome that America is getting another choice for a mid-size pickup truck. I also love that it sounds like Ram is putting in a good effort on this one, too. This seems like a win for everyone! We’ll have to see if it all adds up to something folks are going to scoop up.
Top graphic image: Ram
So it will cost about the same as a Ridgeline?
Hat tip to Stellantis for offering a PHEV option.
Since the Dakota will be built in Toledo, it would be awesome to also offer a PHEV on the Gladiator built on the same line.
No matter how much Dodge wants me to call every truck “Ram”, it’s just not happening. This? This is a Dodge Dakota. Full stop.
Unfortunate for the Indigenous Dakota. America either wants to Dodge or Ram them.
Thanks for making this political? Like, just ignore the fact that the states of North Dakota and South Dakota exist, and have some of the highest truck sales per capita in the country (along with their neighbors), and a lot of places where you can do “truck stuff”. No, this is totally about smearing the Dakota/Lakota/Nakota peoples somehow…
It was a cynical joke? No need to be sensitive online.
That’s more Frontiers than I would’ve guessed, just by what I see. I’ve only seen a couple in person compared to the dozens of Tacos, not the ~1:3 ratio suggested by the sales. That goes for the Colorado/Canyon as well.
Hopefully it looks good, I think the third gen Dakota is probably the ugliest truck out there.
I think that title goes to the platform mate, the Mitsubishi Raider.
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c3/Mitsubishi_Raider_crew_cab.jpg
Yeah, that’s not good either…
obviously you have never seen a SsangYong Musso sport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:0_SsangYong_Musso_Sports_1.jpg
or the Actyon Sport
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:2008_SsangYong_Actyon_Sports_(Q100_MY08)_Tradie_4WD_utility_(22354915055).jpg
Ok, the ugliest truck in America
I can’t imagine they won’t price it right alongside the Ford Ranger. The volume selling versions are +/- $45K.
Mid-size trucks are stupid, compact trucks are where the market is.
What compact trucks are those? The Nissan Frontier and Toyota Tacoma are barely smaller than a Ranger, the Frontier is antediluvian, and the Tacoma has the Toyota Tax on it. I predict the Slate will be a huge fail despite the hype (I think it’s cool, but I also think it won’t actually sell in any real quantity – especially sans the Fed tax credit).
The Maverick is the odd one out – but it’s not a compact either having at least as much room inside as the Ranger and probably more, and it’s also not a “real truck” (if all the truck a suburbanite really needs). There is zero real market for anything smaller than a Frontier in the US at this point.
Colorado Trail Boss starting at $39,900.
Colorado Z71 starting at $43,900
Colorado ZR2 starting at $49,600
Ranger XLT starting at $35,375
Ranger Lariat starting at $43,755
Ranger Raptor starting at $56,070
Gladiator Sport S starting at $42,025
Gladiator Willys starting at $45,230
Gladiator Rubicon starting at $52,000
Frontier SV starting at $36,190
Frontier Pro X starting at $38,570
Frontier Pro 4X starting at $41,870
Tacoma TRD PreRunner starting at $38,735
Tacoma TRD Sport starting at $40,015
Tacoma TRD Off-Road starting at $42,415
Tacoma Limited starting at $53,170
These are all manufacturers MSRP listing from their websites. Why is everyone up in arms about the Dakota being suggested at $40,000 on average? That slots right in the middle of all of these!
Boom! Truth bomb. All the haters are laid waste.
Because somehow you left off the lowest cost models of some of those. Tacoma SR, Ranger XL, Colorado LT/WT, etc.
That was done on purpose because of what was written in the correction of the article.
Somebody read the entire article.
Hardly anyone buys those trims though. The only Colorado WT’s or Tacoma SR’s I see have NAPA Auto Parts or National Grid logos on them.
IMO, that’s an acceptable price. Ram seems to have a good level of standard equipment even on the base truck, so a Dakota so equipped would be a trim level or two over the competitors. For instance, a 39.9K Colorado Trail Boss doesn’t come standard with cruise control, meanwhile a 41K RAM 1500 comes standard with adaptive cruise.
In 96, bought a Dakota Club Cab, 4×4, 318, 5 speed, ( great combo), picked it up for just south of $19K. Sold 18 months later ( a growing family), ordered up a 97 2500 4×4 ext cab diesel for just over $25K. The last yr of the Dakotas I think there was only $1000-1500 for a full size. Hopefully greed won’t kill it. Perhaps they can tie in the new Durango design like they had in ’97.
That $19k in 1996 is equivalent to $39,885 today.. so yeah.
Or you could buy two $20,000 Slate pickups for the same price, right? If it wasn’t for America’s addiction to automotive nostalgia, Ford, GM and Chrysler (or whatever) would have died a long time ago.
Slate has already said they will have to raise their price.
Where? They just said in a video two days ago that they are staying mid-20’s. Which is what they have always said. Please provide your source!
You just pointed it out yourself. Slate was supposed to start at 20K. Now it’s mid 20’s. Throw in the range extender and watch the price near the $30K mark.
I don’t think that’s right. I think it might have been 20k with the tax credit that is gone. I have been under the impression that it would be about 25-28k starting the entire time and I’ve had a deposit down the whole time. I could be wrong tho, but again I’d love for you to provide any source for 20k.
That said, I think a range extender and you are at 30k or close. In the video I referenced they said that the hardtop and seats would be about 5k. So for the SUV version with a range extender I would guess as high as 33/34k? At that point the competition is steep.
Here’s the link. I hope this reply takes as my last one with a link was blocked.
https://tfltruck.com/2025/07/slate-truck-no-longer-20k-tax-incentive-update/
For the Slate, I think since they no longer have to jump through all the hoops to get the $7500 credit that opened up some possibly cheaper parts options. So where it was $20k with the $7500 credit, maybe now it’ll only be $25k with some options they didn’t have before to meet the credit rules.
But also to get the rear bench that’s another $5k. The Slate is also a compact truck, I’ve seen it in person and it’s like a shorter Maverick in size, like literally if Maverick came as a single cab with nearly the same bed size. Definitely not Colorado sized for comparison so a smaller class you’d expect it to be $5-10k cheaper at least.
They’ll just raise the price of the ram 1500. It’s so obvious.
They won’t have to. Most of the full-sized truck buyers don’t shop midsize/
I just bought a full-size truck and didn’t shop midsize. I don’t need a full-size truck, but midsizes feel cramped, and the economy and price aren’t too far off. Full-size just seemed like a better value.
That is valid point. A very valid point.
Where in this quote does it say it will start at $40K?
“We don’t have a volume trim $40,000 truck. The only way we’ll ever get back to the $40,000 price point [again is with a] midsize truck. And you all heard the announcement that Antonio [Filosa, Stellantis CEO] made. We’re investing $13 billion into the U.S. One of the things that we’re investing that is to bring a midsize truck. Will it be called the Dakota? I guess is the answer there … yeah.”
A volume trim is big horn, that’s $9K more than base trim. By that logic the Dakota could start at low $30’s.
That’s what everyone is reporting about this. For example, Car and Driver:
However, I did take a second look at the quote, and on second thought, I’m no longer confident in the $40,000 claim. I will issue a correction. I am sorry about that, we definitely screwed up there.
The only direct quote I’ve seen is motor trend’s that it’s 40k for a volume trim. That’s very different in truck land from starting price (ie work truck). I suppose further direct quote/comment would be good, but the fact at this stage $40’s was mentioned was fairly large production a ways out.
When the Dakota first came out, it was offered with a payload rating of 2,500 pounds with the eight foot bed.
Let’s see if they bring that back as well.
They need AT LEAST a 6-6.5 ft bed option for sure. Chevy and ford no longer do and Nissan sorta made toyota sell them again.
At least that.
I thought Autopian was better than clickbait and misinformation. The direct quote “ “We don’t have a volume trim $40,000 truck. The only way we’ll ever get back to the $40,000 price point [again is with a] midsize truck. And you all heard the announcement that Antonio [Filosa, Stellantis CEO] made. We’re investing $13 billion into the U.S. One of the things that we’re investing that is to bring a midsize truck. Will it be called the Dakota? I guess is the answer there … yeah.”
Where above does it say starting price? Volume trim is a nice big horn with a bunch of options. Ram 1500 starts at ~$42k, but a no option Big Horn 4×4 crew cab is $53K. If it’s $40K for a “Big Horn” 4×4 Dakota, the starting price would be $35K or less logically…
Did I miss a quote where he said it would START at $40K?
We sourced this from our peers at Car and Driver. Upon checking the apparent quote for ourselves, it looks like they might have accidentally taken Tim’s quote out of context when they made the claim that the truck will start at “around $40,000.” We corrected our story.
Sorry on behalf of all of us for missing this. We never seek to publish clickbait or misinformation. In this case, we used what is normally an accurate and trustworthy source, but the source got it wrong, and thus, we did, too.
I thought this original comment deleted and I rewrote in a better more correct format. I know Autopian is a phenomenal publication as well as your own coverage. I was just surprised as the direct quote seemed to be contracted. Appreciate the follow up and this is why I enjoy this site so much. Keep it up!
There was a time when the Dakota was a real odd ball the midsized truck that could be had with a V-8 or convertible. My wife’s grandfather towed a 5th wheel camper with an early V-8 Dakota. I doubt this new one will break any new ground. They have the Gladiator for the odd stuff.
Since they’re sticking with the dumb decision to keep Ram into its own brand, why then give this new truck a name? The flagship is just… 1500, so shouldn’t this just be the new Ram 1000 (or whatever?). Or just, y’know, Dodge Dakota.
The last Dakota was sold as a RAM for its final two model years, so the brand has laid claim to the name
Ok, good point! Apparently all Ram news just reminds me that this was/is a dumb branding strategy.
They will be doing the world a disservice if this one isn’t called “Dodge Dakota” like the original.
RAM as a brand all by itself has been played out and didn’t work for Stellantis. Time to take the bull by the horns here and right the ship (wait, do ships usually have bulls?).
It’s such a useless brand.
Prediction: this will fail to claim any significant market share and Stellantis higher-ups will attempt to place the blame entirely on external factors
Prediction: If the Dakota gets roughly the same numbers as the GMC Canyon, Stellantis will call it a success.
Oof, like 20,000-30,000 a year is fine when you have a badge engineered sibling that does 70-80k+, but the Dakota will be all by itself
Unless Stellantis wants to resurrect the Commer or Karrier brands and try to shift some in the UK, or maybe build a Fargo version for Canada
I think 40,000 units sold will be the goal.
2025 Q2 truck sales: GM leads, Ram gains, Tacoma wows
There will be a Dakota in South America next year: https://www.ram.com.br/picapes/dakota.html
Will the american like this one? I doubt it, this one is frankenstein, was born chinese, built in Uruguay by Peugeot, than badge engineered to be a Fiat and now will be a Ram built in Argentina.
I read somewhere that Stellantis took over the project from the chinese, so, maybe this is the project that will born in America and later aligned with rest of the world.