A new Ram TRX truck was spotted on Tesla’s test track at Fremont factory. The automaker is potentially benchmarking the vehicle for the Cybertruck electric pickup truck.
When automakers bring new vehicles to market, they often try to benchmark them against other top vehicles in the segment to make sure the performance and capabilities are comparable or better than the competition.
We have often reported on legacy automakers using Tesla vehicles for benchmarking, which was an encouraging sign for Tesla as a startup in the industry.
It also works the other way around, and especially now that Tesla is entering a brand-new segment: pickup trucks.
YouTuber Gabeincal often does drone flyovers of the Fremont factory, and their latest one, a Dodge Ram TRX, was spotted on the test track:
When the video was posted, several commenters on YouTube spotted the pickup truck, which appears to be equipped with many sensors all around the vehicle.
It leads us to believe that Tesla might be benchmarking it for the Cybertruck program, which is heading to production relatively soon.
The 2021 Ram TRX was unveiled last year as Dodge’s performance pickup truck to compete with the Ford F150 Raptor, which itself has been regarded as a top competitor for the Cybertruck due to the announced performance.
It has over 700 hp coming from a supercharged Hellcat engine and it comes in a Crew Cab body with a 5-foot, 7-inch box.
Ram says that it accelerates from 0 to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds.That’s the same as Tesla’s dual-motor Cybertruck, but the automaker is also talking about a tri-motor Cybertruck that can accelerate to 60 mph in less than 2.9 seconds.
It’s basically equipped with the same powertrain that will be in the new Model S Plaid+.
According to the specs, the TRX has 11.8 inches of ground clearance, an approach angle of 30.2 degrees, and a departure angle of 23.5 degrees.
It can have a max payload of 1,310 lbs and can tow 8,100 lbs.
The Cybertruck beats the truck on all those specs, and if Tesla can stick to its previously announced prices, it could crush the TRX, which starts at $72,000.
The base version of the Cybertruck starts at $40,000 and the top-of-the-line tri-motor version starts at $70,000 before incentives.
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Author: Fred Lambert
Source: Electrek
