American Truck Simulator’s Road Trip module: cars, mods and the future of SCS’s truck series

Since its release in 2016, American Truck Simulator (ATS) has been synonymous with hauling cargo across an ever‑expanding US map. Players take delivery contracts, build freight businesses and enjoy the meditative rhythm of driving large rigs. Over the years SCS Software’s updates have refined physics, graphics and map detail while expanding into new states and industries. Yet a new direction is on the horizon: Road Trip, an upcoming gameplay module that lets drivers leave their tractor‑trailers behind and experience the open road in driveable passenger vehicles. The module will launch through a series of manufacturer‑themed car packs, beginning with the Ford Car Pack and followed by RAM & Dodge and other packs. Unlike a simple cosmetic DLC, Road Trip is a foundational change that introduces new vehicles, career opportunities and exploration mechanics. This article explores what the Road Trip module entails, looks at the first cars announced, surveys the vibrant modding scene and examines where the truck simulator franchise is heading.

The Ford Car Pack: iconic vehicles and a shift in gameplay

2023 Ford F‑150 Lariat

The Ford Car Pack will debut four vehicles. The headliner is the 2023 Ford F‑150 Lariat, an archetypal American pickup truck. The F‑150 has been America’s best‑selling vehicle since 1981, evolving from a V8‑powered workhorse to a modern pickup with refined powertrains and performance variants. SCS notes that the virtual version aims to capture the truck’s recognizable exterior, carefully crafted interior and factory‑inspired colour options like Agate Black Metallic, Iconic Silver Metallic and Atlas Blue Metallic. Because development is ongoing, the studio is still evaluating which engine configurations will best represent the truck in‑game. This transparency gives players an idea of the attention to detail SCS devotes to vehicle accuracy.

2006+ Ford Crown Victoria

Another star of the Ford pack is the Ford Crown Victoria. This full-size sedan, built on Ford’s rear-wheel-drive Panther platform, became a symbol of durability and no-nonsense practicality. For decades it defined what a police car looked like in North America, while also being equally recognizable as the classic city taxi. Its unmistakable silhouette made it a familiar sight not only on the streets, but also across countless movies and TV shows.

In ATS, SCS is bringing the Crown Victoria to Road Trip with authenticity as the priority. As part of their preparation, they reached out to the community to find owners of featured vehicles, so they could capture real reference material and record real-world sounds. A community member named Marcel from Germany offered his help and invited the team to inspect his car in person—an ex-supervisor Ford Crown Victoria P71 Police Interceptor that still carries many of the signature details that made the model so memorable.

Thanks to Marcel’s cooperation, SCS was also able to record audio and capture the unique sound character of the Crown Victoria, which will play an important role as development continues. It’s a great example of how community involvement can directly improve the quality of official content—and why Road Trip feels like more than “just another DLC.”

In the Ford Car Pack, the Crown Victoria will give players a true classic to cruise in. SCS has already hinted they’re excited to see modders turn it into everything from taxis to police cruisers—exactly the kinds of roles this car became famous for.

Other Ford vehicles

The pack also includes the 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback and the 2023 Ford Bronco. According to the Steam product description, the Mustang represents an era‑defining muscle car while the Bronco adds a modern off‑road SUV. The official store page stresses that the pack is an add‑on for the Road Trip module and will unlock personal cars for players to deliver small packages, explore freely and collect postcards by visiting iconic locations. Players can therefore treat these cars as both work tools and leisure vehicles, receiving fresh gameplay loops outside of trucking.

How Road Trip unlocks

SCS clarifies that owning any Road Trip vehicle pack will unlock the module. In the RAM & Dodge Car Pack announcement they state that “with the eventual release of the RAM & Dodge Car Pack, and with any Road Trip vehicle pack, the Road Trip gameplay module will become available to players”. This means players who purchase the Ford pack will gain access to Road Trip and its features, and additional packs will add more cars rather than gating the module itself.

Mods: community creativity and realism enhancements

Car mods broaden the vehicle roster

Long before SCS officially introduced the Road Trip module, the modding community was already expanding American Truck Simulator with driveable car mods. Over the years, this site has built a dedicated Cars category featuring thousands of car mods, ranging from luxury sedans and sports cars to powerful American pickup trucks inspired by real-world models. This extensive selection allows players to experience ATS beyond traditional long-haul trucking and explore the game world from a completely different perspective.

Many car mods include detailed interiors, tuned engines, and custom handling physics, sometimes even supporting manual transmissions with assisted or hybrid shifting behavior. While mod quality naturally varies, the sheer scale and popularity of car mods clearly demonstrate a strong community demand for non-truck vehicles. In many ways, this long-standing modding ecosystem helped prove that personal cars could fit naturally into the ATS experience and likely influenced the direction that the Road Trip module is now taking.

US Car Culture mod: realistic traffic and regional diversity

Many mods focus not on driveable cars but on traffic realism. One of the most comprehensive is US Car Culture, a free mod on SCS’s forum that adjusts AI vehicle spawn rates to reflect real‑world market share. The developer explains that ATS’s default AI spawns different car models at a balanced rate across all regions, whereas in reality some brands dominate specific states (e.g., Ford in Wyoming or Honda/Toyota in California). The mod reworks AI spawn rates and locations to mirror these patterns, reduces the prevalence of classic or antique vehicles and ensures rare variants like the Ford F‑150 Raptor spawn less often. It also includes compatibility patches and load‑order recommendations to work with other traffic or map mods

Beyond spawn rates, US Car Culture offers optional improvements. The Vehicle specs improvement component adjusts engine power, weight ratios and other specifications using real‑world data sources, fixing wrong values from the base game and adding missing tags. The Color expansion adds paint colours based on actual factory offerings, with older vehicles featuring more colourful palettes. The License plate expansion brings more realistic plate designs for every US state, including standard, specialty, veteran and other variants, replicating accurate series formats and font colours. These features collectively deliver a more authentic American road environment.

How SCS updates shape the future of the series

Route 66 rework in update 1.58

The 1.58 update, released in February 2026, illustrates SCS’s commitment to refreshing older content. The update introduces the Route 66 Rework Project, focusing on northern Arizona and parts of New Mexico. The team reworked sections of Interstate 40 and Historic Route 66, along with surrounding cities, depots and landmarks. Cities such as Kingman, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon Village, Page, Kayenta, Camp Verde and Show Low were rebuilt from the ground up, and a new city—Lake Havasu City—was added. Landmarks like the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City (moved from London and rebuilt brick by brick in 1971) are now represented in game. The rework gives these iconic locations modern visual fidelity and brings them in line with current mapping standards, showing that SCS doesn’t simply expand the map but also revisits ageing content.

Driving Academy expansion

Version 1.58 also adds a Double Trailer Handling module to the Driving Academy. This new training module guides players through forward‑driving, manoeuvring and reversing with two trailers. It is split into three chapters and rewards players who complete all scenarios with an in‑game “wiener dog” toy for their truck cabin. By gamifying advanced techniques, SCS encourages players to improve their skills and provides a tangible reward for doing so.

New truck garages and visual refinements

Another highlight of the 1.58 update is a full visual rework of all three in‑game truck garages. The designers refreshed interiors, improved lighting and added atmospheric details so that garages feel more modern and welcoming. Rather than simply updating old models, SCS approached the redesign ambitiously to create spaces players enjoy returning to. Improvements like these enhance immersion and show that the studio pays attention to quality-of-life areas beyond the open road.

Continual state expansions and industry diversity

Outside of car‑related content, SCS continues to expand the ATS map with new DLCs. Recent releases include Iowa, Louisiana and Nordic Horizons, each adding unique industries, landmarks and road networks. The studio also uses annual updates to introduce new cargo types, trailer packs and driving academy lessons. This steady cadence of releases ensures that the simulator remains fresh and provides a foundation for future modules.

What the future may hold

The Road Trip module hints at a broader vision for the truck‑simulation franchise. Rather than remaining a pure trucking game, ATS might evolve into a comprehensive “life on the road” simulator where players can choose different vehicle types and career paths. The RAM & Dodge Car Pack features vehicles like the RAM 1500 pickup, Dodge Charger, Dodge Viper and Dodge Challenger, promising high‑horsepower rides that broaden gameplay. SCS’s mention that any Road Trip pack unlocks the module suggests more manufacturers will follow. Because the Ford pack already contains a pickup, a sedan, an SUV and a muscle car, future packs might introduce electric vehicles (e.g., Ford’s F‑150 Lightning), performance variants or even vintage classics.