Stellantis (FCA US) has been criticized for moving slowly towards electrification compared to the rest of its Detroit rivals, which have already had several new electric vehicles (EVs) arrive in the past few years. But Ralph Gilles, Head of Stellantis Design, recently spoke to the Automotive News about the company’s electrified design direction at last month’s New York International Auto Show (NYIAS), mainly focusing on the 2025 Ram 1500 REV electric pickup.
Gilles called the recent number of concepts from the automaker “manifestos” that show “everything we want to try to do, try to do, and will do in the future.” Even though he didn’t name every concept car that fits this description, models like the Chrysler Airflow, Dodge Charger Daytona SRT Banshee, and Jeep Wrangler Magneto 3.0 would likely be the ones he is hinting at.
He went on to say that each brand needs a manifesto piece to set a new direction. The Ram 1500 Revolution BEV Concept was created for this reason. And while many people wanted a pickup that closely resembles the Revolution Concept to go into production, we got an evolution of the current Ram 1500 (DT) pickup at the unveiling in New York.
Gilles stated that the front end of the 2025 Ram 1500 REV wasn’t originally supposed to look like the concept, but the team decided to use many elements from the idea anyway. “The front end wasn’t going to look like that. So when we all looked at the Ram [Revolution] Concept, we stopped and went back and embodied the production one with many of those elements: the front, the rear,” he said.
One of these elements is the “tuning fork” front-end lighting signature that draws attention to the new R-A-M logo on the grille. The production model will also have a sizable front trunk, giving it even more utility and demonstrating that the brand is focused on performance and beyond what people anticipate.
Because it won’t be available until the latter half of 2024, it is currently unknown how well the Ram 1500 REV will do against its internal combustion engine (ICE) counterpart in terms of sales. However, Gilles is pleased with the design and path the brand is heading in, using the Revolution as a benchmark for the future.
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