Dodge and Ram have a long history, often making people think they’re the same brand. For years, pickup trucks proudly wore the “Dodge Ram” badge, blending Dodge’s automotive identity with Ram’s rugged truck image.
Dodge and Ram are separate brands but share the same parent company, Stellantis. While Ram builds trucks, Dodge focuses on cars and SUVs, yet both remain under the same corporate ownership.
In this article, we’ll clear up the confusion between Dodge and Ram, explain their split, and help you understand how they’re connected today.
How It Started: The Shared Roots Of Dodge And Ram
Dodge’s truck story goes back a long way. For decades, Dodge sold full-size pickups and other trucks under the Dodge name; the “Ram” name originally began as a model name and an emblem used on Dodge trucks (remember the ram head hood ornament).
From the late 1970s to the 1980s, the “Ram” name became the face of Dodge’s truck line — but it remained a Dodge product, not a separate company.
Dodge became part of Chrysler in earlier decades, and over time, Dodge, Chrysler, Jeep, and other marques were reorganized many times.
For the trucks, the key fact is that “Ram” began as a Dodge model/nameplate before it ever became a standalone brand.
When And Why The Split Happened (2009–2010)
During the late 2000s, Chrysler (through ownership changes and restructuring under Fiat) reorganized its brands to sharpen each division’s identity.
The company separated the pickup truck line from the Dodge passenger-car/SUV identity in that process.
Ram Trucks was established as its brand in 2009–2010 so that one company could market “real truck customers” with a focused truck identity while Dodge could concentrate on cars, performance, and sport models.
In short, the trucks were successful and different enough in buyer expectations to deserve a dedicated brand.
A practical consequence: Trucks built before the split are often called “Dodge Ram” on older paperwork and owner communities; trucks built since the split are sold as Ram trucks and carry Ram badging rather than Dodge badging.
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Corporate Ownership: Same Family, Different Labels
Although Dodge and Ram are separate brands now, they are owned by the same corporate parent — today that parent is Stellantis (the multinational company formed by the merger of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and PSA Group).
So, Dodge and Ram live beside each other inside the larger company rather than one being a sub-brand of the other. This is why people sometimes get confused: the companies are related, but the brands are distinct.
This corporate structure often means platform sharing, shared factories, and shared engineering, but the marketing, dealer presentations, and target customers are treated separately.
Treating them separately lets the company push different messages (e.g., Ram for hard-working trucks, Dodge for performance cars).
Product Differences Today: What Each Brand Sells
Dodge today focuses on cars and SUVs with a heavy emphasis on performance models (think Charger, Challenger, and tuned variants). Dodge’s identity is muscle and performance.
Ram focuses on pickup trucks, vans, and truck-oriented SUVs. Since the brand has become dedicated to trucks, Ram offers a broader range of truck configurations and trims and has invested in truck-specific technologies and luxury truck interiors (e.g., heavy-duty variants, high-trim “limited” or “longhorn” models, and advanced towing packages).
So if you want a muscle car, go look at Dodge; if you want a pickup (light-duty to heavy-duty) or a commercial van, Ram is the place. The split helped each brand speak directly to its buyer type.
Badging, Names, And What You’ll See On The Road
Before the split, you saw “Dodge Ram” on the tailgate and in marketing. After the split, you see “Ram” badges and the ram-head/ram logo reclaimed as the truck brand identity.
Dodge uses its logos (Dodge wordmark or the split cross/stripe, depending on era) on cars and SUVs, while Ram uses the Ram head or block Ram badge on trucks.
This matters for owners and buyers because service parts, accessories, and online listings may use either legacy names (for older vehicles) or the new brand name (for post-2010 models).
When you talk to dealers or search classifieds, note the model year and look for Ram vs Dodge labeling accordingly.
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Engineering And Manufacturing: Overlap Versus Independence
Even though the brands are separate, Ram and Dodge trucks often share engineering, platforms, and factories with other Stellantis products.
That’s normal in the auto industry — platform and parts sharing reduce costs and allow faster development. But Ram, as a brand, controls truck-specific calibrations, trim levels, towing packages, and aftercare packages aimed squarely at truck buyers.
So: same garage, many times the same hardware lineage — different tuning, trim, and marketing direction.
For example, a heavy-duty Ram pickup will have truck-first engineering and accessories that a Dodge nameplate never needed to worry about once the split happened.
Sales, Marketing, And Target Customers
The brand split allowed for more tailored marketing. Ram’s campaigns explicitly target people who rely on trucks for work, towing, and utility, and they emphasize capability, payload, torque, and real-world durability.
Dodge’s marketing emphasizes performance, excitement, and car culture. The separation allowed each brand to build a more explicit customer promise.
From the dealer side, some dealerships sell multiple brands (Dodge, Jeep, Ram), but the showroom and sales staff often present Ram vehicles within a truck context (showing towing packages, bed accessories, fleet sales). In contrast, Dodge staff focus on performance or passenger-vehicle features.
What This Means For Buyers And Owners (Used Trucks, Parts, Service)
- If you’re shopping for a used truck, the key thing is model year and nameplate:
- Pre-2010 trucks are often listed and known as “Dodge Ram.” Those are Dodge-branded at the time of sale and carry Dodge paperwork and service records that reflect Dodge branding.
- 2010 and later trucks are Ram vehicles and will be badged and serviced as Ram trucks.
Parts compatibility follows the underlying truck model and year much more than the branding.
A Ram from 2008 and a Ram from 2011 that share the same platform may have many interchangeable parts, but trim-level differences, engine options, and model-year updates matter more than the badge when you buy filters, brake parts, or body panels. Always check parts by VIN and model year.
For maintenance and warranty questions, dealerships and manufacturer warranties use the brand under which the vehicle was sold, so that post-split Ram trucks will have Ram documentation.
But because both brands are within the same parent company, tech bulletins and factory service information often reference shared systems across Dodge/Ram/Chrysler, where applicable.
Common Confusions And Urban Myths (Clearing Up The Noise)
People often use “Dodge” and “Ram” interchangeably in casual speech, partly because of the long habit of calling trucks “Dodge Rams.” That’s understandable: cultural memory and old signage linger. But the critical correction is that Ram is its brand today.
Another confusion: “Are Ram and Dodge separate companies?” No — they’re separate brands inside the same corporate family (Stellantis). So they are not independent corporations, but they are marketed and organized as distinct brand units.
A final myth: “Dodge doesn’t make trucks anymore.” Strictly speaking, Dodge no longer markets full-size pickups under the Dodge name — those products moved to the Ram brand. Dodge continues to exist as a passenger car/performance brand.
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The Future: Electrification, Brand Strategy, And What To Watch
The auto industry is moving toward electrification, and Stellantis has been planning EV roadmaps across its brands.
Both Ram and Dodge will face this transition but with different emphases: Ram will need to offer electric truck capability (range, payload, and towing for commercial users), while Dodge will balance performance heritage with electrified muscle (several manufacturers are already previewing electric muscle cars). So the split gives each brand more flexibility to define its EV future and customer promises.
Watch for: Ram’s electric and hybrid truck announcements, Dodge’s performance EV concepts, and Stellantis’s overall messaging about where each brand fits in the EV lineup.
Brand identity matters during transitions; customers care whether EV trucks serve real-world hauling needs or mainly urban commuters.
FAQs
1. What is the difference between Dodge and Ram?
Dodge makes cars and SUVs, while Ram makes trucks and vans. They’re separate brands but owned by the same company under Stellantis.
2. Why are RAM trucks not called Dodge anymore?
In 2009, the company split Dodge cars and Ram trucks into separate brands so that Ram could focus only on building and marketing trucks.
3. Is Ram owned by Dodge?
No. Dodge does not own Ram. Both are separate brands owned by Stellantis, the parent company that controls several car and truck brands.
4. Is a Ram also a Dodge?
Older Ram trucks, before 2010, were sold as Dodge Ram. Now, Ram is its brand, so newer trucks are called Ram.
5. Is Ram basically Dodge?
They share history and some parts, but they’re separate brands. Dodge builds performance cars; Ram builds trucks: same parent company, different focus and identity.
6. Why do Dodge and Ram have the same logo?
They don’t anymore. The Ram head logo now belongs to Ram trucks. Dodge uses a different red-striped logo for its cars and SUVs.
7. Is the Dodge logo a Ram?
Not today. The ram head was Dodge’s truck logo years ago. Since the split, Dodge uses its own unique red-stripe performance logo.
8. Is Dodge RAM better than Ford?
It depends on what you need. Some prefer Ram trucks for comfort and towing; others pick Ford for payload or specific work features.
Conclusion
Dodge and Ram are closely related but not the same. Ram started as Dodge’s truck line and was spun off into its truck-focused brand around 2009–2010. Both brands now live under the same corporate parent (Stellantis) but have different identities: Dodge leans on cars and performance, Ram is truck-first. For practical purposes — buying, servicing, or identifying a vehicle — rely on the model year and VIN rather than the casual name people use in conversation.
