Where Are Ram Trucks Built?
When purchasing an American brand such as Ram, drivers expect the vehicles to be made in the United States. Since Ram and Dodge split, where are Ram trucks being built now?
Dodge no longer makes Ram trucks in their production facilities. Stellantis North America builds Ram trucks at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant and the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant in Michigan. 90% of production occurs at the Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant in Mexico.
The fact that most Ram trucks are built outside the United States may surprise you. Keep reading to learn more about where Ram manufactures their trucks.
Ram Truck Assembly Plants
Warren Truck Assembly Plant
The Warren Truck Assembly Plant opened for operation in 1938, producing trucks and other heavy-duty vehicles for various brands. Dodge began producing Dodge Ram trucks between 1981 and 1983. In 2009, the companies split, and Ram continued producing trucks from the Warren plant under their brand.
Production of the Ram 1500 began in 1993. Today, the Warren Truck Assembly Plant produces Ram 1500 Classics and vehicles of other brands.
Learn more about the history of the Warren Truck Assembly Plant here.
Sterling Heights Assembly Plant
Volkswagen converted the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant, located at 38111 Van Dyke, Sterling Heights, Michigan, United States, into an automobile assembly plant in 1980. A few years later, the Chrysler Corporation purchased the plant. In 2019, they began producing the Ram 1500 Classic.
In 2015, the Sterling Heights Assembly plant earned an award for its exceptional environmental standards. They received the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold Green Building System certificate. The Fiat Chrysler Automotive (FCA), under which Ram operates, is focused on making environmental improvements to this plant. They aim to increase sustainability and quality of production while keeping costs down.
Learn more about the history of the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant here.
Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant
Most Ram trucks are produced at the Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant located at Carretera a Derramadero Km 1.5, Aqua Nueva-Saltillo, Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico. Production at the Saltillo plant began in 1995. In 2005 the Ram Mega Cab was produced at the Mexico plant, and in 2008, they produced the 2009 Ram 1500, which won the Truck of the Year and the Car of the Year awards from the Rocky Mountain Automotive Press.
The Saltillo Plant continues to be a reliable manufacturing plant for many Rams today, Producing the Ram 1500 Classic, the Ram 2500, the Ram 3500, the Ram 4500, and the Ram 5500 Heavy Duty; and DX Chassis Cab. About 90% of all Ram trucks are made at this plant.
The Saltillo plant received the bronze award in World Class Manufacturing (WCM). WCM centers on quality by reducing waste materials, improving safety in the work environment, and implementing an organized system that increases productivity. In addition to these goals, the WCM encourages the workforce to offer suggestions for improvement.
Learn more about the Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant‘s history here!
Why Does Ram only Have Three Facilities?
Although Ram only produces vehicles at the three facilities above, the company has kept up with production each year. At the moment, there is no need to build another Ram Truck facility; however, this may change if sales suddenly rise.
While Ram is an American brand, it still outsources most of its production to Mexico. Only 10% are produced in the US. The production price is the main reason Ram produces most of their trucks in Mexico instead of in Michigan. it is cheaper to produce parts and assemble trucks at the Mexico plant.
Outsourcing production has been widely accepted for a long time. However, in recent years, consumers have asked manufacturers to bring vehicle production back to the United States. The Fiat Chrysler Automotive has taken note and tried to follow suit with new plans and investments.
In recent years, the FCA has made moves to bring manufacturing back to the United States. Multiple investments have been made toward converting existing plants in the U.S. into additional manufacturing plants for all of Chrysler’s brands. The FCA committed $4.5 billion to build a new vehicle manufacturing plant in Detroit, according to this press release. While effects of this change are slowly taking place, Chrysler is hoping to bring many jobs to America through these investments.
Ram has significantly increased production at the Saltillo, Mexico plant in the past few years. Originally, the Saltillo Truck Assembly plant only produced 3% of Ram trucks each year. Today, the Saltillo, Mexico Plant is responsible for 90% of Ram truck production.
Overall, Ram trucks are made in a limited number of facilities, even though they are a well-known truck company that many people enjoy purchasing trucks from. It is surprising that Ram only has two assembly plants, and they only have one in America.
If you want to purchase a Ram truck and are worried about getting the vehicle promptly, don’t worry. Both of the Ram assembly plants are efficient and make hundreds of cars a day. Regardless of where the truck is manufactured, you will receive it relatively soon after purchase. However, Ram trucks with extra customizations will take longer to produce.
Check out the Ram Truck website here to purchase a truck of your own. If you want to know where the truck you order is produced, visit your local Ram dealership. They may be able to tell you where they get their vehicle shipments from.
If you are looking for a reliable truck, then you should consider purchasing a Ram truck. All of Ram’s vehicle manufacturing plants are known for quality work. Most have even won awards for excellent production.
Where is Ram Headquarters Located?
While Ram Trucks are produced in Michigan and Mexico, there is only one headquarters building.
Ram headquarters is located in Auburn Hills, Michigan. The Ram headquarters office is only 30 minutes away from the Sterling Heights Assembly Plant.
Because headquarters is near both of the company’s United States’ plants, company officials can stop by frequently to check in on production standards. Workers may even see the CEO Reid Bigland or the head of the company James C. Morrison on a daily to weekly basis!
History of Ram and Dodge
The Graham brothers were the first to start manufacturing Dodge vehicles in 1919, starting with the Truck Builder which is much like a modern-day glider kit. Using their truck builder, you could turn the Ford model T into a truck. A few years later, they started manufacturing their trucks.
In 1921, the president of the Dodge brothers, Frederick J. Heynes, struck a deal with the Graham brothers. The Graham brothers began using Dodge engines and drivetrains and working with Dodge to sell them. By 1926, Dodge entirely bought out the Graham brothers and began producing trucks at two plants in California. A couple of years later, the three Graham brothers left the corporation to join Paige Motor Company
In 1930, Chrysler corporation purchased Dodge Brothers and Graham Brothers Trucks.
In 1981, the first official Dodge Ram was produced. The president and CEO of Chrysler at the time decided the Ram would be a good mascot, perhaps aiming at a throwback to the 1933-1950 symbol of the Ram.
Dodge Rams continued to be produced until 2009 when Ram and Dodge became separate companies under Chrysler. The CEO of Chrysler at the time, Sergio Marchionne, determined that a separation of branding would benefit both sides. Ram continues to produce exceptional trucks, and Dodge can focus more effort on its other vehicles.
Since the split, profits for Chrysler have increased. Although many still refer to Ram trucks as Dodge Rams, the branding has proved successful in terms of profit and brand performance.