2023 Ram 1500 TRX a step closer to Australian showrooms, local production about to ramp up

The most powerful pick-up in the world is just around the corner. Ram Truck dealers in Australia have been advised local production is about to ramp-up ahead of the first customer deliveries from next month.

The 2023 Ram 1500 TRX – the world’s most powerful pick-up – is weeks away from arriving in local showrooms via official factory-backed importer Ram Trucks Australia.

Powered by an epic supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi V8 (523kW/881Nm) and matched to an eight-speed auto, Ram claims the TRX does the 0-60mph (97km/h) dash in 4.5 seconds and the quarter mile (402m) run in 12.9 seconds at 108mph (174km/h) – despite the vehicle weighing close to 2.7 tonnes.

Ram Trucks Australia dealers canvassed by Drive say local remanufacturing of right-hand-drive examples of the 2023 Ram 1500 TRX is about to ramp up after an 18-month engineering program.

Price is yet to be announced, but customers have been provided with estimates of “about $220,000”, though this is yet to be confirmed by Ram Trucks Australia.

Although it seems a straightforward process, the Ram 1500 TRX had to undergo extensive engineering and validation tests to be cleared for take-off.

It has since been approved for sale by federal regulators and meets strict Australian Design Rules requirements for motor vehicles, including body clearances and noise limits.

Drive has been told the first batch of Ram 1500 TRX editions have sold out and there are reportedly already more than 300 customers in the queue.

Dealers are now quoting wait times of up to two years for the Ram 1500 TRX – before the first vehicle has been delivered and before the price is known.

As previously reported, while independent converters shortcut key elements of the right-hand-drive process – and lack the financial resources to access original equipment suppliers – the Ram 1500 TRX sold by Ram Trucks Australia (the only local distributor endorsed by the US factory) must meet the manufacturer’s safety, quality and engineering standards.

Vehicles remanufactured to right-hand-drive by Ram Trucks Australia are equipped with more than 500 specially-engineered components.

Unlike independent converters, engineering work by Ram Trucks Australia is validated by local crash lab tests of a completed vehicle.

Ram Trucks Australia declined to comment on timing, pricing, or exact plans for the arrival of the US factory-backed Ram 1500 TRX.

However, Ram Trucks Australia dealers canvassed by Drive say it is “weeks away” from local showrooms.

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