Ram's first electric pickup name has familiar ring
The long-awaited electric pickup by Ram Trucks will add a twist to a familiar name.
The Stellantis brand confirmed on Thursday that the truck — production of which is slated to begin next year — will be called the Ram 1500 REV.
More:Ram 1500 electric pickup concept described as 'brutiful'
Two teaser images were also released, displaying "RAM" on the grille and "REV" on the hood of a glossy, dark truck.
As he's done in the past, Ram brand CEO Mike Koval Jr. noted in a news release that customers should have big expectations for Ram's first electric pickup offering.
“At Ram, we started a revolution last year as we invited consumers along on the beginning of our electrification journey, gathering their feedback on exactly what they are looking for in an electric pickup truck,” Koval said in the release. "We are confident the Ram 1500 REV will push past the competition, offering what will be the leading combination of attributes customers care about the most: range, payload, towing and charge time.”
Koval expanded on the name selection in an interview with the Free Press on Thursday, saying, "We wanted to make sure it's clean, confident, it's straightforward, it's easy to understand, it's easy to communicate."
The name is also a nod to the idea of being revolutionary as was the redesign of the Ram 1500 for 2019, he said, noting that the Ram 1500 REV marks an evolution of that process.
"We kind of shook things up," Koval said, referencing the many new features that year and the solid reception it received.
The name should also help dealers and customers with some delineation in the showroom.
"It's like adding an addition on your house. We’re just bringing our electrified solutions to market in parallel with our current in-market ICE offerings,” Koval said, referencing the internal combustion engine Ram pickups.
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More information about the truck will be available on Sunday, according to the news release, which said the truck would be revealed in the coming months. Earlier this week, the company announced it would air two 60-second commercials during the Super Bowl — a spot for Jeep at the two-minute break of the second quarter and one for Ram at the beginning of the fourth.
Ram unveiled its concept version of the truck, the Ram 1500 Revolution Battery-electric Vehicle concept, at CES in January. That truck, described as “strikingly ‘brutiful’ — brutal yet beautiful,” would be built on a platform that can manage up to 500 miles on a charge. It's not clear what the production version will manage.
Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Ram Trucks EV name revealed; production slated for next year
