Ram Trucks is celebrating the 1000th pick-up to be remanufactured in Australia since production started in December 2015.
Ram is expecting to reach its second 1,000 vehicle mark in half the time with the recent launch of the Ram 1500 lowering the cost of ownership. Ram is expecting sales to increase significantly with the availability of the 1500 and have prepared for such with an all-new Melbourne production line able to cater for an increase in volume.
The lucky number 1,000 Ram which recently rolled off the Australian production line was a black Ram 2500 Laramie.
Alex Stewart, General Manager of Ram trucks Australia said, “We deliberately launched with the Ram 2500 and 3500 as these models, with their unrivalled towing ability of up to 6.9 tonnes and the massive performance provided by 1084 Nm of torque from its Cummins Turbo Diesel, gave us models that truly brought something new to the Australian market.”
“But, even though there are now 1,000 of them across Australia, towing caravans, working on farms and mines, supporting the emergency services and much more, and we have proven clearly that there is a market for these mighty pick-up trucks, it is still a relatively niche market.”
“The Ram 1500 is a whole new ballpark. It is priced to sit amongst the top of end of the mainstream Ute market, yet it still offers new sector benchmarks, be it the towing capacity of up to 4.5 tonnes, the unique legend that is the Hemi V8 engine under the bonnet and much more, so with the prospect of a significant increase in sales volume, a new production line was an absolute essential for our plans,” Mr Stewart added.
To make the buying and owning experience comparable to any other vehicle on the Australian market, Ram find it is essential to remanufacture rather than convert the vehicles from left to right-hand drive.
The new production line is a crucial aspect as it provides consistent quality vehicles as well as the volume of production to support the 36 nationwide dealership network, which is predicted to grow to 60 dealers by the end of the year.
Each Ram truck imported from North America is built to specific Australia/New Zealand specifications where the instrument packs are metric, the radios are Aussie frequency friendly and the rear lights are ready for local roads.
After arriving in Melbourne, the body and chassis are separated and travel parallel down their own production lines. This allows unrestricted access to the firewall which separates the engine bay and the interior which receives new panel stampings that are sealed and rust-proofed to full factory specifications.
New mounting points are then welded to the chassis ready for the new Australian steering system. An Australian-made dashboard, heating and ventilation systems are fitted with the instrument and telematics system from the original dashboard before the interior is refitted inside the cab.
The last step involves the cab and chassis being ‘re-married’ before the Australianised Ram rolls off the production line destined for a new Aussie driveway.
“The first 1,000 Ram Trucks were built in Australia in 30 months,” says Mr Stewart. “Now that Ram is firmly established in Australia, the Ram 1500 is rolling down the production line and 1,000 Ram owners are out on Australian roads, we know number 2000 will come down the line in well under half the time!”
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