Ram Trucks->ke4211 has officially announced it will conduct a “product unveiling” at next week’s 2015 Chicago Auto Show.->ke225 Though the short press release (below the jump) doesn’t offer any clues, it’s a sure bet Ram will bring a revised 2016 Ram Heavy Duty->ke4685 sporting a mid-cycle refresh. This falls perfectly in line with Chrysler’s five-year plan that was announced last year.

Currently the Ram HD trucks are modeled after the 2009-2012 Ram 1500. The light duty truck saw a minor refresh for 2013, bringing an updated front fascia, bumper, and rear taillight assembly. These are the changes likely to transfer onto the 2016 Ram 2500 and 3500 trucks. What’s more, the changes will extend to the Ram Commercial side, bringing the refreshed look to Ram 4500 and 5500 series trucks.

According to the five-year plan, 2017 is bringing a major update to the Ram 1500->ke4684 light duty truck. That’s when we can expect a heavily restyled front end, a new interior, and perhaps some powertrain updates. Following the pattern, the Ram HD trucks will get those updates the next year in 2018.

For now, expect to see a sleeker, more modern Ram HD debut at Chicago. Perhaps the debut will include a more powerful version of the venerable 6.7-liter Cummins inline-six turbodiesel. Currently maxing out at 385 horsepower and 865 pound-feet of torque, the Cummins is out gunned by 55 horsepower compared to Ford’s 6.7-liter Power Stroke turbodiesel.

Click past the jump to learn what this new Ram model could be.

Why it matters

The light-duty truck market is a cutthroat environment where one-upping happens all the time. Ram has been doing a fantastic job at staying relevant in the fight, even surpassing the Chevrolet Silverado in sales at one point with the Ram 1500. The heavy-duty market is just as competitive, and keeping fresh designs and class-leading numbers in the product portfolio is critical. It’s nice to see Ram staying competitive.

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