{"id":1566,"date":"2020-02-28T13:20:32","date_gmt":"2020-02-28T18:20:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.autobison.com\/?p=1566"},"modified":"2020-02-28T13:20:32","modified_gmt":"2020-02-28T18:20:32","slug":"could-peugeot-be-the-source-for-a-new-ram-dakota","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.autobison.com\/2020\/02\/could-peugeot-be-the-source-for-a-new-ram-dakota\/","title":{"rendered":"Could Peugeot be the source for a new Ram Dakota?"},"content":{"rendered":"

With PSA joining with FCA, much of the discussion has been on possible products for the US brands, mostly focused on Chrysler\u2019s thin lineup.<\/p>\n

But there’s another possible product for a North American brand – the Peugeot Landtrek, a surprisingly capable pickup developed with a Chinese partner. What if this could become the basis for a new Dakota? This would give Ram an entry in the rapidly growing midsize truck market. Of course, the Dakota name is a holdover from when pickups were still under the Dodge brand, except for 2011 when Dakota was part of the Ram lineup.<\/p>\n

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\nYou may not fully appreciate the beauty of the front of this rendering if you haven\u2019t seen how Peugeot sells it (below).<\/em><\/p>\n

Our resident artist has taken the Landtrek and added styling cues more appropriate for a Ram truck. PSA offers the Landtrek with the currently popular four-door cab as well as a regular cab pickup and a chassis cab. Years ago, Dodge Dakota dabbled in the chassis cab market, but few were sold.<\/p>\n

Would a Landtrek based Dakota be up to the task? The 4 door Landtrek is about an inch shorter than the Ford Ranger. Available payload is greater than Ranger’s. Currently the Landtrek is powered by a 2.4 turbo or a diesel; it’s likely American buyers would want better performance then the 2.4 turbo provides.<\/p>\n

\"PSA<\/p>\n

The problem with the Landtrek, aside from looks\u2014which our render artist showed could be overcome\u2014is the fact that it was created for third world countries, which means it\u2019s probably lacking the safety structure and amenities needed for North America. The cost of bringing it up to code, so to speak, could make the project impractical.<\/p>\n

On the other hand, today, the Ram 1200 (a Mitsubishi under the badges) sells in all sorts of places outside the United States and Canada, including Mexico. The Peugeot would probably fit the bill in most of those places. As Ram pursues a global aura as an upscale, capable commercial vehicle brand, perhaps PSA will end up selling both Landtreks, as shown above, and higher-trim, facelifted Dakotas.<\/p>\n

Landtrek facts<\/h2>\n