Ram 2500 sales surge as Australians move to bigger pickups

The return of the Hemi V8 to the Ram Trucks Australia lineup comes not in the brand’s best-selling Ram 1500 range – where it was previously offered until 2024 – but in the larger, heavy-duty Ram 2500 Warlock .

The 2500 Warlock measures no less than 6066mm long, 2627mm wide and 2043mm high on a 3785mm wheelbase, and rides on 20-inch alloy wheels fitted with all-terrain tyres.

By comparison, the Ram 1500 is a still-large 5916mm long, 2474mm wide and between 1971-2006mm high, depending on the model grade, and rides on a 3672mm wheelbase.

The decision to bring the Hemi V8 back first in the heavy-duty 2500, rather than the light-duty 1500 in which the V8 is now once again also offered in the US, reflects a local shift towards larger-bodied pickups, says Ram Trucks Australia general manager Jeff Barber.

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“The segment is growing all the time, and we've seen phenomenal growth in our heavy-duty sales in the last 12 months. Since we launched the new model in September last year, we’ve seen a 92.1 per cent growth in our sales, which is fantastic.

“It's quite big... bigger caravans, bigger boats. Everyone’s toys are getting bigger, essentially, and we’re finding that a lot of people are now thinking, ‘Okay, I've had a 1500, this time around I'm going to get a 2500’.”

While it’s the first Hemi V8 model available in Australia in nearly two years, the Warlock is the first V8-powered Ram pickup introduced to the local lineup since the Ram 1500 Big Horn in 2015.

The Warlock’s standard braked towing rating of 3500kg can be increased to 4500kg with a larger tow ball, while an optional gooseneck fitting helps unlock a towing capacity of up to 6700kg. Standard payload is 1275kg.

“Some customers want a more affordable or even more capable heavy-duty [pickup],” Mr Barber said. “The Warlock is designed to tick both of these boxes.”

While the Ram 1500 competes with the Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra , only the Chevrolet Silverado HD directly rivals the larger Ram 2500 and 3500 models in Australia.

The Silverado HD has outsold the Ram 2500 and 3500 by some margin so far in 2026, with Ram now adding stock as the Warlock arrives to better cater for growing demand for the larger-bodied models.

“We’ve seen the shift towards heavy-duty in the segment. People coming from 1500 vehicles and stepping up to 2500 models, or coming out of large SUVs, and we’re priming our business to meet that customer demand.”

VFACTS figures from the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries (FCAI) show Ram 2500 sales are up 64.6 per cent so far in 2026, to 591 vehicles, while 3500 sales have risen from seven to 112.