If you look at the latest reports, this comeback seems pretty much like a certain thing. Even though the official confirmation is still missing, car experts truly believe that the well-known mid-size pickup is on its way back. Moreover, most believe that the new truck could come in a concept form already this year, as the 2021 Dodge Dakota Concept. This would be an overture for the production version, which would arrive soon after, probably as the 2022 model years.
At this point, we can only speculate about the design characteristics of this truck. As we already mentioned, the officials are still quiet about this model. So, the best we can do is to check the rumors and speculate. Even that doesn’t sound too bad, considering that some of the model’s design characteristics are quite easy to predict. In any case, the 2021 Dodge Dakota Concept could have a premiere already in the second half of the year.
2021 Dodge Dakota Concept Design
Despite that we are talking about a concept, this aspect seems quite important, considering that the production version definitely won’t be significantly different. At this point, we can talk about two possible ways for the 2021 Dodge Dakota Concept and in both cases, Dodge seems ready to start production pretty soon.
The first option would be to see the same mechanics as in the Gladiator. The Wrangler-based pickup truck debuted a few years ago and it is the only mid-size pickup in FCA’s lineup, so an addition of the new Dakota would definitely be a good move. This particularly refers to the fact that Dakota would come with a more conventional design, and more focused on utility, compared to lifestyle-oriented Gladiator. Of course, the two models would be produced in the same assembly in Ohio.
The other, also quite probable option is to see a notably downsized RAM 1500. This would mean a significantly shorter wheelbase and smaller dimension, though the architecture would somehow remain the same. In this case, the new Dakota would be produced in Mexico.
Exterior Design
In any of these two cases, the 2021 Dodge Dakota Concept would feature a styling that goes pretty close to the full-size RAM 1500. Of course, the concept would be notably smaller, but we would definitely expect to see the same or very similar front end, based on RAM’s latest design language, which came without the famous crosshair grille after so many years.
The rest of the truck should be heavily based on the full-size sibling as well. Moreover, we count on the pretty much same overall shape, just in a smaller package. Also, we are pretty sure that the 2021 Dodge Dakota Concept won’t feature too many exclusive details, which would eventually be changed for the serial production. The concept version would probably come in a crew cab layout. However, we have no doubt that the production version would be offered with a single row of seats as well.
Interior
At this point, it is still way early to talk about any more precise details in terms of interior design. Still, we can speculate about the most general design solutions and one of the first things that come to mind is the dashboard, which should pick a little bit of 1500’s flavor, which is by far the most luxurious pickup on the market. Of course, we probably won’t see such impressive quality, but things shouldn’t be too far away from that either.
In any case, we count on a similar design approach, while the list of tech goodies should be pretty long as well. As we already mentioned, the 2021 Dodge Dakota Concept will probably come in a crew cab layout, while the production version would probably include a single cab model in the offer too.
2021 Dodge Dakota Concept Engines
We presume that the concept version would stick to the most obvious choice. Of course, we are talking about a familiar 3.6-liter V6, which powers the Gladiator as well. It puts out around 285 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque. This seems like a proper amount of power for a pickup like this.
On the other side, the production version could easily come with a couple more options in the offer. For example, one of the possibilities is to see a well-known 3.0-liter turbodiesel, with around 260 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque. A 2.0-liter turbo-four seems like a possible option as well, as a more efficient alternative to the standard V6 engine.
2021 Dodge Dakota Concept Premiere and Production
As we already mentioned, the 2021 Dodge Dakota Concept is still just a rumor. Still, many believe we could see it already in the second half of the next year. On the other side, serial production would probably start in the next year. Interestingly, another comeback of familiar Dodge pickup has been rumored, the comeback of Rampage.