Ram Officially Brings Back the Dakota Name — and Teases a New SUV

A Name Years in the Making

Ram has long circled the idea of a midsize pickup, but it wasn’t until last October that the brand finally confirmed one was coming to the US. However, the company stopped short of giving it a name. Even so, the Dakota badge never really left the conversation, especially with a similarly named but different midsize truck made its debut in South America this year (depicted here).

This week, that changed. During a media Q&A session, CEO Tim Kuniskis finally said what most people already expected: the midsize truck will wear the Dakota name. In the same conversation, he also hinted that Ram’s long-awaited full-size SUV will bring back another familiar badge.

A $40,000 Midsize Truck

Mopar Insiders reports that Kuniskis tackled Ram’s absence from the midsize segment directly. He pointed out that Ram doesn’t have a real volume truck at the $40,000 mark, and getting back there means building a smaller pickup. When pressed about the name, he didn’t dodge the question, calling Dakota the obvious pick.

“Will it be called the Dakota? I guess the answer is there… alright here you go, yeah it will be called the Dakota. It’s a no brainer, why wouldn’t you call it Dakota,” Kuniskis said.

The Dakota name hasn’t been on a new truck since 2011, but it still means something to truck buyers. Ram is banking on that recognition as it gets ready to jump back into a segment ruled by the Toyota Tacoma, Chevrolet Colorado, and Ford Ranger.

Kuniskis also hinted at the name for Ram’s upcoming full-size SUV, suggesting that the name has already been mentioned before. Of note, earlier reports from Mopar Insiders point to the return of the Ramcharger badge for a body-on-frame SUV set to debut later this decade.

What We Know About the Dakota and the SUV

Production for the Ram Dakota is set to start in 2027, with the truck landing as a 2028 model. It won’t share a platform with the Jeep Gladiator as some expected. Instead, the Dakota will use its own body-on-frame setup, more in line with the Ram 1500, and focus on towing, payload, and daily practicality.

The Dakota will be built at Toledo North Assembly, with annual output possibly hitting 100,000 units. That kind of volume could bring back laid-off workers and create new jobs, showing Ram’s focus on the US market.

The full-size SUV is expected to start production at Warren Truck Assembly Plant around 2028. Bringing back the Ramcharger name would fill a gap in Ram’s lineup and finally give the brand a real family SUV to go with its pickups.