Ram's 2026 Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux rival could share more with the Jeep Gladiator than originally expected: report

Ram has been teasing a new mid-size pick-up for years now and it’s still yet to come to fruition.

Speculatively called the Dakota, which revives a name previously used by the US pick-up company, this mid-size pick-up (what we would call a ute) was initially teased in 2021 with the unibody STLA Large platform set to underpin it.

However, Mopar Insiders now reports the Ram Dakota will be based on a body-on-frame platform.

This makes it a more direct rival to the Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux, among other North American mid-size pickups like the Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier.

It’s unclear what type of body-on-frame platform the Dakota will receive. It could have a shrunken version of the body-on-frame architecture that underpins the larger Ram 1500, or perhaps a version of the Jeep Gladiator’s body-on-frame platform.

Another option is the STLA Frame architecture which will underpin the Ram 1500 Ramcharger range-extender (REEV) and 1500 REV electric pick-up will be scaled down for the mid-sized Dakota.

Mopar Insiders indicates production of the new Ram Dakota will begin in 2027 at the company’s production plant in Belvidere, Illinois. It’ll only be made as a dual-cab.

As previously reported, a Ram spokesperson told US outlet Hagerty that the Dakota will “take full advantage” of the company’s “multi-energy strategy”. This means it’ll likely offer internal-combustion (ICE), plug-in hybrid (PHEV) and battery electric (BEV) powertrain options.

At this stage the company hasn’t publicly disclosed any technical information, but Ram no longer offers diesel powertrains, which likely rules this out for the Dakota.

Also, the potential of a petrol-electric hybrid powertrain could see it go up against the BYD Shark 6, GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV and Ford Ranger PHEV.

We’re yet to see what this Ram mid-size pick-up will actually look like. It’s expected spied prototypes will be on the road soon, but in the meantime digital renders give us an indication of what to expect.

The Dakota will likely only be produced in left-hand drive from the factory, though it could be remanufactured to right-hand drive for the Australian market through its partnership with Walkinshaw.

“A mid-size ute is on our wish list for Ram in Australia,” said Ram Trucks Australia General Manager Jeff Barber earlier this year.

“We think it would be a great fit for Australia.”