Ram 1500 officially virus proof as jumbo truck piles on sales – even as Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux plummet

The Ram 1500 appears utterly virus proof, with the American jumbo truck defying the coronavirus downturn, even as its rivals shed sales in April.

The American truck brand, reengineered right here in Australia by Ateco, managed a total 178 sales in April (105 of the 1500 Express, and another 73 of the 1500 Laramie), compared to 156 in April of 2019. 

The jump was enough to push the brand’s month-to-month total up by 14.1 per cent, and perhaps more importantly, push its year-to-date tally to 790, up a significant 27.2 per cent on the 621 vehicles it had sold to this point last year. 

The result sits in stark contrast to the rest of the industry, including the dual-cab space. The Toyota HiLux, for example, dropped 50 per cent (4X2) and 30 per cent (4X4) in April, while the Ford Ranger fell 55.8 per cent (4X2) and 48.2 per cent (4X4). Its most obvious competitor, the Chevrolet Silverado 1500, is yet to publicly announce its sales figures. 

Ask Ram, however, and they chalk it up to two simple factors: strong product, and the strength of its local manufacturing facility in Victoria.

“There’s no doubt these are unprecedented times, which every industry is currently trying their best to navigate,” a spokesperson told CarsGuide. “Our April result is testament to our customers recognising the strength of our product, and of our local manufacturing process in Australia.”