Ram 1200 spied again, but could it be made in South Africa?

Stellantis’ eagerly rival for the Toyota Hilux and Ford Ranger, the Ram 1200, has made another spy short appearance in Brazil undergoing what seems to be final testing.

Almost ready

Appearing every bit a smaller version Ram 1500, the images sees the 1200 taking leave of the fake pre-production body panels and some of the disguise wrapping it sported towards the end of last year.

Besides looking like the 1500 when viewed from the front thanks to the design of the grille and headlights, a sighting of the rear shows light cluster seemingly taken from the then named Dodge Ram of two generations ago, with the same applying to profile of the loadbin and wheel arches.

Despite the camper-style canopy in the loadbed, the images, posted to motor1.com Brazil of what is believed to be the final production model, shows a double cab bodystyle that will reportedly be the sole configuration available.

ALSO READ: First ‘pair of Ram 1200s’ makes spy shot debut

The confusion

The biggest source of confusion though centred around the claims of Ram working on two different models; a unibody bound for South America aimed at the Ford Maverick, Chevrolet Montana and fellow Stellantis offerings, the Fiat Toro/Ram 1000, and a body-on-frame for other markets meant to take on the Hilux, Ranger, Isuzu D-Max, Volkswagen Amarok, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara and Mazda BT-50.

Seemingly though, this no longer seems to be the case as mentioning until now has been made only of the former that will be assembled at the same Goiana Plant where production of the Jeep Renegade, Commander and Compass takes place.

Supposedly already seen by a select group of dealers from the United States last year, the 1200, thought at one stage to revive the Dakota name Ram’s smallest bakkie went by until 2011, will make use of the same Small Wide 4×4 platform used by the Renegade, Commander, Compass, Toro, Fiat 500X and Alfa Romeo Tonale, but with a number of changes.

Unibody with changes

In accordance with a prior sighting early January, motor1.com Brazil noticed a coil spring rear suspension setup similar to the Navara, which eschews the multi-link arrangement employed on the Toro and Ram 1000.

At the same time, it is believed that despite its architecture, an all-paw gripping system will be offered in the guise of a part-time rather than a permanent configuration.

Four-cylinders only

Underneath its bonnet, the 1200 will have a choice of three engines, none being six or cylinder mills that featured throughout the Dakota’s 25-year production run.

Accordingly, petrol engine power will comes from a brand-new 2.0-litre Tigershark turbo producing a supposed 147kW/326Nm, while the diesel will be the 2.0-litre Multijet unit from the Commander and Toro rated at 125kW/380Nm.

The third option, still a rumour though, comes by way of a bigger 2.2-litre oil-burner once used in the European market Jeep Cherokee. In that application, it came in two states of tune; 136 kW and 147 kW, with torque in both cases amounting to 440 Nm.

For now, mentioning only of a nine-speed automatic gearbox, as used in the Commander and Toro is being made, though expect a six-speed manual to feature on entry-level models.

Ram(ming) into South Africa?

Despite the unibody now seemingly being the sole Ram 1200 that will exist, its production facility in Brazil could potentially be supplemented by a second, more specifically, South Africa following Stellantis’s announcement earlier this week that it signed a deal with the Department of Trade and Industry aimed at possible vehicle production by 2025.

Although no further details were made, a hint that the Ram brand could expand its footprint beyond North America came in the form of a comment made last month by Stellantis CEO, Carlos Tavares.

According to The Wall Street Journal, Tavares was quoted as saying, “when we bring Ram pick-up trucks outside of the US – it can be in Latin America, it can be Africa, Middle East, it can be Oceania – it sparks immediately”.

Although offered in South Africa courtesy of US Truck Sales, the Richard’s Bay based importer doesn’t have the same backing as Walkinshaw Automotive, who do have official Stellantis backing for the conversion and importing of the Ram 1500 to Australia.

As is already known, sales of the 1500 have skyrocketed Down Under, which subsequently lead to Ford and Toyota approving right-hand-drive rebuilds of the F-150 and Tundra from this year.

While Stellantis South Africa has so far remained mum on the model it plans on producing locally, South Africa’s love for bakkies and cachet associated with the Ram name, could well translate to the 1200 being deemed suitable for the new factory.

However, this is still purely speculative and will only be resolved once official announcement by the automaker is made.

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