Ram Dakota Midsize Pickup Confirmed For 2027

[Motorpsychology]

https://www.dakotaforums.com/forum/threads/2027-ram-dakota-confirmed-for-us-north-america.24108/

[rmc523]

Just as Ford is reportedly about to exit.

[akirby]

2 hours ago, rmc523 said:

Just as Ford is reportedly about to exit.

I don't think they'll exit - I think they'll just replace Ranger with a more affordable unibody truck.

[Texasota]

6 hours ago, rmc523 said:

Just as Ford is reportedly about to exit.

What? Huh? Did I miss something? Are you referring to the speculation that Ranger may be replaced by a Bronco pickup? Please say it ain't so!

Edited December 20, 2025 by Texasota

[Sherminator98]

1 hour ago, Texasota said:

What? Huh? Did I miss something? Are you referring to the speculation that Ranger may be replaced by a Bronco pickup? Please say it ain't so!

 

Nah its just people trying to read tea leaves with all the changes Ford has announced. 

[twintornados]

12 hours ago, Texasota said:

What? Huh? Did I miss something? Are you referring to the speculation that Ranger may be replaced by a Bronco pickup? Please say it ain't so!

 

Actually, it is a good idea for them to replace Ranger in the NA market with a Bronco derivative to maximize parts sharing between both lines that would streamline production and increase margins.  

[Texasota]

2 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

Actually, it is a good idea for them to replace Ranger in the NA market with a Bronco derivative to maximize parts sharing between both lines that would streamline production and increase margins.  

Yes, and it seems like it would be relatively easy to do. Mostly a top hat change since the Ranger and Bronco already share the same platform and drive trains.

 

I could get excited about it if they give me a hybrid Bronco pickup with Pro Power Onboard.

[Motorpsychology]

2 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

Actually, it is a good idea for them to replace Ranger in the NA market with a Bronco derivative to maximize parts sharing between both lines that would streamline production and increase margins.  

That's assuming a Bronco Pickup would sell as well, which I'm not sure it would. They are two different approaches for two different customer perceptions, mechanical innards notwithstanding. 

Maverick would also benefit profit wise from shared styling with Bronco Sport, but each serve different market segments. 

[twintornados]

1 hour ago, Motorpsychology said:

That's assuming a Bronco Pickup would sell as well, which I'm not sure it would. They are two different approaches for two different customer perceptions, mechanical innards notwithstanding. 

Maverick would also benefit profit wise from shared styling with Bronco Sport, but each serve different market segments. 

 

I can see a Bronco pickup using interior pieces (dash, seats, center console, rear seats, door panels) and most of the exterior panels but with a different nose....call it Bronco Ranger edition, F100 (far fetched) or just continue with the Ranger name on the newly styled truck and move forward. Right now, the interiors are completely different as is all the exterior panels. I know it shares chassis and suspensions....but more sharing equals savings in scale..... common doors, panels, hoods etc, etc, etc....

[akirby]

1 hour ago, Motorpsychology said:

That's assuming a Bronco Pickup would sell as well, which I'm not sure it would. 

Ford sells 50k Rangers now.  Gladiator sells 45k.  No reasonto think a Bronco pickup would sell less.

[Sherminator98]

21 minutes ago, akirby said:

Ford sells 50k Rangers now.  Gladiator sells 45k.  No reasonto think a Bronco pickup would sell less.

 

But how much of that is due to it being limited in production due to the Bronco itself.

 

I just think its awful big leap to put ANOTHER pickup, either a Bronco Pickup or a unibody Pickup into a brand new plant when there are obvious gaping holes in the lineup that plant could fill. I still stand by that fact that Ford is just saying something to say something because they don't have the plan nailed down yet for TTP. They still have 36+ plus months for things to change and a possible administration change in January 2029 and UAW possibly forcing changes. I just think that they are mining what they can out of the pickup market and adding anything will hurt other products in sales. 

 

IMO they'd be far better off going with a CUV that would slot into the Edge/Escape size at that plant and maybe add a second line for another product. 

[twintornados]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Ford sells 50k Rangers now.  Gladiator sells 45k.  No reasonto think a Bronco pickup would sell less.

 

I see a Bronco pickup moving the needle toward 75K+ sales, mostly at the expense of Gladiator

 

42 minutes ago, Sherminator98 said:

But how much of that is due to it being limited in production due to the Bronco itself.

 

I just think its awful big leap to put ANOTHER pickup, either a Bronco Pickup or a unibody Pickup into a brand new plant when there are obvious gaping holes in the lineup that plant could fill. 

 

The limitations would be less because any Bronco pickup truck would share more parts as opposed to Ranger that shares absolutely zero body or interior parts. 

[akirby]

Bronco pickup only makes sense if Ranger gets replaced by a unibody version.  I don't see how Ford can make all new affordable pickups at TTC unless they're small and midsized unibodies to replace Maverick and Ranger.

[fuzzymoomoo]

7 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

Actually, it is a good idea for them to replace Ranger in the NA market with a Bronco derivative to maximize parts sharing between both lines that would streamline production and increase margins.  

There’s already a lot shared between the two…

[twintornados]

1 minute ago, fuzzymoomoo said:

There’s already a lot shared between the two…

 

I am talking about maximizing through shared body panels and interior items. I am sure they do share parts, but by sharing panels and interiors, it spreads out the economy of scale significantly. 

[Texasota]

2 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

I am talking about maximizing through shared body panels and interior items. I am sure they do share parts, but by sharing panels and interiors, it spreads out the economy of scale significantly. 

Would a Bronco pickup have removable doors and roof like the Bronco? Seems like it would to achieve the economy of scale you are suggesting. And if that is the case, then my enthusiasm for a Bronco pickup would completely evaporate.

[twintornados]

12 hours ago, Texasota said:

Would a Bronco pickup have removable doors and roof like the Bronco? Seems like it would to achieve the economy of scale you are suggesting. And if that is the case, then my enthusiasm for a Bronco pickup would completely evaporate.

 

No, but a non-removable door hinge and a steel roof could lead to a third Bronco stable-mate with fixed doors and a fixed roof ....think Bronco Unlimited....Something along these lines...but again, with a fixed roof and non-removable doors and a unique grille treatment. Continue to call it Ranger and call it a day.

 

Edited December 21, 2025 by twintornados

[akirby]

14 hours ago, Texasota said:

Would a Bronco pickup have removable doors and roof like the Bronco? Seems like it would to achieve the economy of scale you are suggesting. And if that is the case, then my enthusiasm for a Bronco pickup would completely evaporate.

What would be the point of a Bronco pickup without a removable top?  Might as well keep Ranger.

[twintornados]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

What would be the point of a Bronco pickup without a removable top?  Might as well keep Ranger.

 

Economy of scale...even higher level of shared parts.

[akirby]

3 hours ago, twintornados said:

 

Economy of scale...even higher level of shared parts.

Keeping the removable roof and doors would maximize shared parts.

[Motorpsychology]

18 hours ago, akirby said:

Keeping the removable roof and doors would maximize shared parts.

I suspect it's far more complex than reconfiguring Legos. Different door mounts, body mount points, exhaust plumbing, suspension rates, Crash engineering, on & on. If It would've been more economical to build a "Bronger" pickup rather than the one that is already sharing some ROW parts, they would have done that for 2024, After all, this is the company that saves money by deleting the light for the shifter. Therefore a pickup version of the Bronco would be significantly more expensive to build than the current Ranger, and therefore result in less, not more combined sales. @fuzzymoomoo can probably address this better, but I think Ranger's less than stellar sales have more to do with parts shortages than low demand.

 

[Sherminator98]

2 hours ago, Motorpsychology said:

I suspect it's far more complex than reconfiguring Legos. Different door mounts, body mount points, exhaust plumbing, suspension rates, Crash engineering, on & on. If It would've been more economical to build a "Bronger" pickup rather than the one that is already sharing some ROW parts, they would have done that for 2024, After all, this is the company that saves money by deleting the light for the shifter. Therefore a pickup version of the Bronco would be significantly more expensive to build than the current Ranger, and therefore result in less, not more combined sales. @fuzzymoomoo can probably address this better, but I think Ranger's less than stellar sales have more to do with parts shortages than low demand.

 

IMO the biggest issue is just making a bed for it. The passenger cell would be more or less the same. 

 

The Gladiator is more or less identical to the Wrangler from the C pillar forward. 

 

Its a cool thought exercise, but I don't think it has much merit to make it happen.

 

If anything it might be just a better idea to move Ranger production to the TTP with another product and make a modified Everest SUV as a higher end Lincoln along with the Bronco at MAP

[akirby]

2 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

If anything it might be just a better idea to move Ranger production to the TTP with another product and make a modified Everest SUV as a higher end Lincoln along with the Bronco at MAP

Insiders say they're killing Ranger in favor of more affordable trucks.

[Sherminator98]

5 hours ago, akirby said:

Insiders say they're killing Ranger in favor of more affordable trucks.

 

This what Ford actually put out

 

All new built Ford tough gas powered trucks (notice everything else is not plural also)

 

IMO that is really nebulous and a word salad to say something without actually saying it. Lets not forget Ford's other promises over the years with SUVs and other products that never made it to market. 

 

I still don't see how Ford could make something more affordable then the Maverick unless they seriously limit the options, even if they applied the lessons from the CE1 program and not adversity affect the sales of the Maverick or Ranger. No do I really see a market for truck that is purely sold in the 20-30K range for cheap that can actually make a profit for Ford. 

The price increases with the Maverick are in line with the rest of the market increases since it came out also. 

[rmc523]

 

On 12/20/2025 at 4:04 PM, twintornados said:

 

I see a Bronco pickup moving the needle toward 75K+ sales, mostly at the expense of Gladiator

 

 

The limitations would be less because any Bronco pickup truck would share more parts as opposed to Ranger that shares absolutely zero body or interior parts. 

 

Except Ranger shares its parts with the global model.

 

On 12/20/2025 at 7:30 PM, Texasota said:

Would a Bronco pickup have removable doors and roof like the Bronco? Seems like it would to achieve the economy of scale you are suggesting. And if that is the case, then my enthusiasm for a Bronco pickup would completely evaporate.

why would that kill your enthusiasm for it?   That’d be the entire point of such a model…

 

3 hours ago, Sherminator98 said:

 

This what Ford actually put out

 

All new built Ford tough gas powered trucks (notice everything else is not plural also)

 

IMO that is really nebulous and a word salad to say something without actually saying it. Lets not forget Ford's other promises over the years with SUVs and other products that never made it to market. 

 

I still don't see how Ford could make something more affordable then the Maverick unless they seriously limit the options, even if they applied the lessons from the CE1 program and not adversity affect the sales of the Maverick or Ranger. No do I really see a market for truck that is purely sold in the 20-30K range for cheap that can actually make a profit for Ford. 

The price increases with the Maverick are in line with the rest of the market increases since it came out also. 

 

Yeah, we’re just grasping at straws really, and Ford will likely change out the straws a few times by then anyway, in typical Ford fashion