Italian-American motor-vehicle maker Fiat Chrysler has a new beefed-up pickup truck to take on Ford's F-150 Raptor. The Ram 1500 TRX has a V8 Hellcat engine capable of generating more than 700 horsepower.
The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is one of Fiat Chrysler's new "halo" vehicles and part of its attempt to enhance its restructured Ram brand. It will be the world's fastest, quickest and most powerful pickup when it goes on sale later in the year, the company's head for Ram in North America Mike Koval said in a statement.
The new Ram is designed to outperform all other pickups, Koval said. The new model is the "apex predator" in the segment, he said.
The higher-end models will come with a 6.2-liter supercharged Hemi V8 engine that produces 702 horsepower and 650 foot-pounds of torque. The engine, better known as the Hellcat, can get the pickup to a top speed of 118 miles an hour and from zero to 60 miles an hour in 4.5 seconds.
The Ram 1500 TRX, which the company calls the T-Rex of the pickup world, is the fourth vehicle to include the Hellcat engine. The first were the company's Dodge Challenger and Charger cars and its high-performance Grand Cherokee variant called the Trackhawk.
The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX has a more aggressive exterior design, too. It has a larger functional hood scoop, decals and exterior LED lighting. Inside, the vehicle is equipped with a 7-inch information cluster and a 12-inch touch screen.
Fiat Chrysler will sell a V6 version starting at $58,000. A limited, top-of-the-line "Launch Edition" will sell for $92,000 and up.
Fiat Chrysler expects the truck to attract new buyers and bolster its profitable pickup segment. Despite the economic effects of the coronavirus pickup sales in the U.S. have remained resilient. Ford and Chevrolet dominate the segment but Fiat Chrysler is aiming to change that.
