New Trucks That Were Not in Detroit: 2018 Ram 1500, 2019 Ford Ranger, and Others… [NAIAS]

2017 ford raptor ram rebel trx concept nissan titan warrior

2017 Detroit Auto Show (North American International Auto Show – NAIAS) press days are now behind us. The show opens to the public very soon (Jan 12th – 22nd, 2017). If you live in the Detroit area, the show is definitely worth a visit. Still, this year’s show is not as loaded with brand new trucks and truck news as we had hoped. Indeed, the refreshed 2018 Ford F-150 are the 2017 Ram Rebel Black edition are there for all to see. All of the latest 2017 pickups are there as well.

Ford confirmed the upcoming 2019 Ford Ranger and the 2020 Ford Bronco, but the company did not release any prototypes, images, sketches, or specifications.

Here is a list of all-new trucks and SUVs that we hoped to see at the show, but they did not roll out.

2018 Ram 1500

Ram has been testing several prototypes for the upcoming half-ton truck update for some time. Many of them have been caught on camera in the wild. The new Ram truck is rumored to be a 2018 year model (i.e. go on sale within the next 12 months). Ram did not have any major unveils at the show. In fact, the entire FCA group did not host an official press conference, like most automakers usually do. Perhaps, the rumors of a 2018 Ram 1500 update are inaccurate, or the refreshed truck will make its debut a little later (2017 Chicago Auto Show in February or 2017 New York Auto Show in April). In either case, we will have to wait and see.

Ram Rebel TRX (Production)

This one is more farfetched. We first saw the Rebel TRX Concept at the 2017 State Fair of Texas. The Concept has received endless praise, and most people who see it what it to be built. Unfortunately, TRX development represents a large investment, and building a business case is not easy and likely cost prohibitive.

2018 Ford Expedition

TFLtruck caught next generation Ford Expedition prototypes in the wild. The full-size SUV will most likely be aluminum-bodied, a variant of the F-150 chassis, and offer some of the powertrain options that are available in the 2018 F-150. However, the new Expedition was not in Detroit this year.

2018 Jeep Wrangler (JL) / Wrangler Pickup (JT)

Jeep has confirmed that the next generation Wrangler (JL) will start production in November of 2017 and go on sale soon after (perhaps early 2018 calendar year). Jeep’s next legendary off-roader has been discussed ad noseaum. We still do not have any official word from Jeep about the highly anticipated Wrangler and the Wrangler pickup. We know even less about the Wrangler pickup truck. We know its codename/designation is JT. It’s based on the Wrangler. We cannot be sure about much else. Is Jeep waiting to unveil the JL and JT at the 2017 Easter Jeep Safari and 2017 New York Auto Show? It is likely, but this is only a rumor.

2018 Nissan Titan King Cab / V6

Nissan has been talking about the extended cab version of their new Titan truck lineup. The company confirmed that it is coming. Nissan also confirmed that a V6 engine option will be available. Perhaps, the 2017 Chicago show will be very fruitful for truck enthusiasts and include the Titan King Cab and Titan V6. Nissan said that they will not debut the next generation of the Frontier until the Titan King Cab and V6 are released.

2019 Ford Ranger

Ford has shown concepts of a new truck approximately two years before they went on sale. For example, the Atlas pickup (aluminum F-150) and the second generation Ford Raptor concepts. Why not show a concept version of the 2019 Ranger at this year’s NAIAS? Perhaps, the 2018 Ford F-150 news has a lot to do with it. Companies usually like to focus on a single vehicle debut at a given major auto show. However, this did not stop Ford from showing the Ford Raptor, Mustang Shelby GT350, and the Ford GT at the 2015 show.

The 2020 Ford Bronco is much farther in the future, so waiting for it makes sense.

What about the rumored 2018 Toyota Tundra update? We are still expecting the refreshed Tundra to show up at the 2017 Chicago Auto Show, that runs (Feb 11th – 20th, 2017).

While we wait for more new truck announcements, here is a closer look at the 2018 Ford F-150 five-engine lineup.