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July 30, 2026Short & citedBlog
Civic Viewpoint.
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Money & Work • Automobiles

Dodge Ram

The Dodge Ram is a line of full-size pickup trucks originally sold under the Dodge brand beginning in 1981.

Updated July 30, 20261 min readCited sources

The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck line introduced in 1981 under the Dodge brand. In 2010, it was spun off into a separate brand called Ram Trucks.

What it is

The Dodge Ram is a full-size pickup truck originally sold by Dodge, starting with a redesigned model in 1981. It replaced the earlier Dodge D Series and used the Ram name, featuring a ram's head logo. The line includes light-duty and heavy-duty models.

Why it matters

The Ram name became a standalone brand in 2010, separating from Dodge. This shift changed how the trucks were marketed, with the pickup line now sold as Ram Trucks. The Ram 1500, 2500, and 3500 are key models in the full-size truck market, popular in Canada.

Key details

The modern lineup uses model numbers like 1500, 2500, and 3500 to denote payload and duty classes. Manufactured by Chrysler (now Stellantis North America), the trucks are primarily sold in the United States and Canada. The brand separation means no new Dodge Ram models are sold under the original name.

In short

  • Introduced in 1981 as a Dodge model.
  • Became a separate Ram Trucks brand in 2010.
  • Key models: Ram 1500, 2500, 3500.
  • Popular full-size pickup in Canada.
Canadian angle

The Dodge Ram and later Ram Trucks have been sold in Canada and are among the better-known full-size pickup lines in the Canadian market.[3]

Quick questions

What is the Dodge Ram?
It is a full-size pickup truck line originally sold by Dodge and later continued under the Ram Trucks brand.
When did the Dodge Ram name first appear?
The Ram name was first used in 1981 on redesigned Dodge trucks.
Why did the name change from Dodge Ram to Ram?
In 2010, Ram Trucks was spun off from Dodge as a separate brand, so the pickups were marketed under the Ram name.

Sources

  1. Simple English Wikipedia — https://simple.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Ram
    Supports: States that the Ram Pickup was previously called Dodge Ram, is a full-size pickup truck, and that the Ram name was first used in 1981.
  2. German Wikipedia — https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dodge_Ram
    Supports: States that the Dodge Ram was sold primarily in the United States and Canada and first appeared in 1981.
  3. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_Trucks
    Supports: Explains that Ram Trucks is a separate brand spun off from Dodge in 2009/2010 using the Ram pickup line name.
  4. Wikipedia — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ram_pickup
    Supports: States that the Ram pickup was marketed as the Dodge Ram until 2010 and later sold under the Ram Trucks brand.
  5. Wikimedia Commons — https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Dodge_Ram
    Supports: Identifies Dodge Ram as an American full-size pickup built by FCA and notes its origin in the United States.