Jeep has traditionally been the heavyweight in Stellantis’ American portfolio, with everything from the Wrangler to the Grand Cherokee giving it enormous reach. During the third quarter of 2026, however, another Stellantis brand sailed past it.
That brand was Ram, which delivered 134,072 vehicles in the U.S. between July and September. Jeep finished the quarter at 128,542, leaving Ram ahead by 5,530 vehicles, as reported by The Detroit News.
The change at the top wasn’t caused by a strong quarter across Stellantis. The automaker sold 324,277 vehicles overall, virtually unchanged from the 324,825 it delivered during the same period last year.
Instead, Ram moved in the opposite direction from much of the company. Its U.S. sales jumped 29% year over year during the quarter, powered by a remarkable resurgence for the Ram 1500.
The Ram 1500 Is Doing The Heavy Lifting
Ram 1500 sales surged 73% during the third quarter, reaching 76,650 units compared with 44,328 a year earlier. That single model accounted for well over half of Ram’s quarterly U.S. volume.
The turnaround follows a significant change in strategy at Ram, including the return of the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 to the 1500 lineup. Former Ram CEO Tim Kuniskis pushed the brand toward giving truck buyers additional powertrain choices after returning to Stellantis, while Matt VanDyke subsequently took over Ram’s day-to-day leadership.
Performance is becoming a bigger part of the formula as well. Ram has revived SRT and is preparing trucks, including the returning 1500 TRX SRT and several Rumble Bee variants, giving the brand a growing collection of enthusiast-focused models.
Jeep Went The Other Direction
Ram’s rise becomes even more striking when compared with Jeep’s quarter. Jeep sales fell 20% year over year to 128,542 vehicles, while its year-to-date volume is down 8%.
There were still bright spots within Jeep’s lineup. The Cherokee Hybrid recorded its strongest retail month yet in September with 10,344 sales, although that wasn’t enough to overcome declines elsewhere in the brand.
The rest of Stellantis’ U.S. portfolio was mixed. Dodge grew 2% during the quarter, and Chrysler increased 6%, while Alfa Romeo and Fiat dropped approximately 65% and 83%, respectively.
Ram Is Carrying A Lot Of Weight For Stellantis
The result gives Stellantis a welcome success story during a difficult turnaround. Despite Ram’s 29% increase, the company’s total third-quarter U.S. sales still slipped slightly, illustrating how much ground was lost elsewhere.
Stellantis CEO Antonio Filosa has already outlined a wider U.S. product push, with 11 new vehicles planned over the next five years. Seven are expected to cost less than $40,000, including two below $30,000, as the company tries to rebuild volume with more affordable choices.
Ram has accomplished something that would have looked unlikely not long ago. A pickup-focused brand has overtaken Jeep to become Stellantis’ biggest seller in America for the quarter, and the Ram 1500 is largely to thank for it.