At the end of September 2022, Ram Trucks Australia’ Melbourne Manufacturing Facility (MMF) has produced more than 18,019 remanufactured right-hand drive (RHD) vehicles for the Australian and New Zealand markets.
In Australia, the brand sold 604 units in September 2022 (up 45% on 2021 year to date), and the total number of Ram vehicles sold to Aussie customers since production began is now more than 17,115 units (at Sept 2022).
To celebrate this milestone, Head of Ram International Bob Grazyk, visited MMF to see the expanded facility which now boasts three dedicated lines running 24-hours per day.
“Australia is an important market for us outside of North America, and the growth that we’ve seen here over the last few years has been phenomenal,” Grazyk says.
“With the expansion of our plant this growth will continue. It’s incredible what the team has done at Ram Trucks Australia, Ateco Group and MMF. Outside of the US, we sell more full-size pick-up trucks than Ford and GM combined, and Australia representing a market share of more than 70%, is a big contributor of that.
“It’s a dedicated group here that love Ram and it comes through in everything they do in Australia, so we are very proud of having more than 17,000 people out there driving our trucks.”
Ram Trucks Australia is the world’s only Ram-authorised manufacturer of right-hand drive Ram trucks. The relationship with Ram Trucks in the USA began back in 2013. All Ram Trucks Australia vehicles are international-spec vehicles, uniquely coded for the Australian market and the local build process.
“I was in our Sterling Heights, US, plant a few weeks ago and yesterday I got into a right-hand drive RAM TRX for the first time – the truck that is coming off the line here in Australia is as good as what’s coming out of our main plant,” Grazyk says.
“So, we’re very supportive of the remanufacturing process here – we work very closely with the team and provide whatever they need in terms support, CAD data etc – and have full confidence in the team here to protect our brand, and to protect our truck.”
The new 16,025m2 MMF facility now has two dedicated lines for DS and DT, and a separate line for heavy duty models, all running 24/7 and capable of producing up to 20,000 vehicles per year – it currently produces 10,000 vehicles per annum.
With 641 employees, Ram Trucks Australia is now the biggest vehicle manufacturer in Australia. With 361 new parts on the DS, 402 on the DT and 465 on the heavy-duty models, there are significant local supply chain benefits of this fast-growing vehicle segment.
Australia’s biggest truck range starts with the Ram 1500 Express Crew and Warlock models in the original DS variant, followed by the 1500 Laramie and 1500 Limited in the recently launched DT model range, and the Heavy Duty 2500 Laramie and Heavy Duty 3500 Laramie.
Rounding out the range is the all-new Ram TRX, a powerful new halo model for Ram Trucks Australia.
“All Ram Trucks are built fit for purpose and ideally suited to the Australian way of life. We offer powerful and versatile tow vehicles that appeal to those looking for a durable workhorse, a 4WD off-roader, a premium family touring vehicle, a luxury pickup, a heavy duty hauler, and the world’s quickest, fastest and most powerful performance truck,” Ram Trucks Australia national manager Jeff Barber says.
