The FCA team is working to ramp up production of the Ram 1500 to give us two models at the same time that will be offered at dealers.
In an effort to mirror the success of the Jeep Wrangler that was being built in both JK and JL forms at the same time, FCA decided to build the last models of the 2018 Ram 1500 and begin the production of the 2019 Ram 1500 at the same time.
Spending a Lot to Give us Two Ram Models
The thought was to have the 2018 versions offered as a lower-priced alternative for customers as the new 2019 models began to ramp up and be offered to the market. Unfortunately, the company has had to spend nearly $300 million to address the issues that have caused slow production numbers so far.
The Sterling Heights Assembly Plant is where the Ram 1500 is built and the new Ram began its production run in the middle of January. Since then, the plant has only been able to reach a sixty percent capacity number which means there are only 1,000 trucks per day being built by the plant with a goal of building 1,400 trucks per day.
While this number would certainly have Elon Musk and Tesla salivating if they could reach it, FCA is used to being able to produce vehicles in the massive numbers that we want them.
What’s Causing the Troubles for the Ram 1500
The reason for the slow production and the lowered capacity is the fact the suppliers and the employees of the plant are having trouble keeping up with building two different versions of the truck at the same time.
The new 2019 model of the Ram 1500 is a step in the positive direction regarding technology and power which is an improvement, but the changes to the items needed for this truck makes it difficult for the suppliers to continue to offer what’s needed for the 2019 models and the outgoing 2018 version.
Some Ram 1500 Models in a Holding Area
Right now, there are also more than 2,500 of the new 2019 models of the Ram 1500 that are in a holding area near the plant that needs to be repaired before they can be shipped.
This isn’t a surprise or something new, but it does slow things down and causes the team to focus on the repairs until the job is done. The repairs that need to be addressed are electrical in nature and hopefully, that won’t take too long to get the trucks ready to head out on the road for the drive.
Some Models are Ready
So far, FCA dealers have only received the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 models of the new 2019 Ram 1500 with the Pentastar V6 and 48V mild-hybrid models still yet to be sent to dealers and rated by the EPA. Even though the production is going slowly, there are still plenty of Ram 1500 models on the different dealer lots in order to have trucks that we can choose for the drive.
This may be the last time we see FCA have an overlap of the models they offer, but you certainly can’t say they didn’t try to duplicate the success of the overlap of the Jeep Wrangler with the Ram 1500.
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