Ram will cease production of its Ram 1500 Classic pickup in September. The decision removes one of the most affordable but least advanced work truck models from the full-size pickup market. But Ram has been widely expected to kill the model this year.
The company confirmed the news to multiple media outlets this week, saying, “The Ram 1500 Classic has been a great entry point pickup for Ram, and the Tradesman model has certainly represented the needs of our commercial truck customers. With the introduction of the Tradesman trim on the new Ram 1500 for the 2024 model year, we bid farewell to the previous generation and remind customers that the HEMI-powered Ram 1500 Classic will sell into 2025.”
It will sell into 2025 because dealers still have a heavy supply of the trucks on dealer lots. But factories will stop producing it next month.
Some Name Confusion
Ram sells two Ram 1500 trucks. The Ram 1500 is the showcase model, the one in heavy advertising rotation, and the one most car shoppers are more familiar with. The Ram 1500 Classic is a more bare-bones work model.
It’s called the Classic because it’s literally the older, prior-generation Ram 1500.
Automakers tend to redesign trucks completely about every seven to 10 years. Ram sold the truck as the Ram 1500 beginning in 2009. Then, in 2019 it introduced an all-new Ram 1500. But it didn’t stop selling the old one. It just renamed it the Ram 1500 Classic and sold both trucks side-by-side.
Made Sense for a Time
It made sense. The new Ram 1500 gave the company a more upscale truck that kept pace with rivals. The 1500 Classic gave it an inexpensive model, largely aimed at fleet buyers and those looking for a hard-working truck without many bells and whistles. Ram had long ago paid off the factory tooling to build it so they could sell the Classic relatively cheaply.
But Ram has substantially reworked the 1500 for the 2025 model year (it’s not a complete redesign, but it’s close enough to convince most people that it is). That led many to wonder if Ram would keep the Classic around.
It won’t. Selling a 2009 truck into 2025 proved impractical. Pricing doesn’t help matters – Ram asks $40,700 (including the mandatory $1,995 destination fee) for the base Tradesman edition. A Ford F-150 XL work truck starts lower, at $38,060 after delivery fees, and packs 15 more years’ worth of engineering know-how into its structure.
But the last 1500 Classic models on dealer lots could make sense for some buyers. Dealers are often willing to accept lower offers for a discontinued model. They want to clear lot space for vehicles buyers still see in ads.
And, while the Classic’s age shows, it’s a proven design with demonstrable reliability and a massive pool of repair parts. That has its own appeal.
