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 has been all about hauling cargo across an ever-growing map of the United States. Players take delivery jobs, grow their companies, and enjoy the slow, relaxing rhythm of long-distance trucking. Over the years, SCS Software has expanded the game with new states, better visuals, improved physics, and more detailed industries. Now, however, the studio is preparing one of the biggest shifts in the game’s history: Road Trip, a new gameplay module that lets players leave their trucks behind and explore the open road in passenger vehicles.

Road Trip will launch through manufacturer-themed vehicle packs, starting with the Ford Car Pack and followed by the RAM & Dodge Car Pack and likely more in the future. This is not just a cosmetic add-on. It introduces a new way to experience ATS, with personal vehicles, small package deliveries, free exploration, and postcard collection tied to iconic locations. In this article, we look at what the Road Trip module includes, the first Ford vehicles confirmed for it, how mods have already prepared the ground for this idea, and what all of this may mean for the future of the series.

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

2023 Ford F-150 Lariat

The Ford Car Pack will debut four vehicles. One of the main stars is the 2023 Ford F-150 Lariat, a modern version of America’s best-selling pickup. The F-150 has been a huge part of American road culture for decades, and it makes perfect sense as one of the first vehicles in Road Trip. SCS says the in-game version is being built with close attention to its recognizable design, interior details, and factory-inspired paint options such as Agate Black Metallic, Iconic Silver Metallic, and Atlas Blue Metallic.

Because development is still ongoing, the studio has also said it is still deciding which engine configurations will best represent the truck in-game. Even that small detail shows how seriously SCS is treating these vehicles. They are not just background props, but an important part of a new gameplay direction.

2006+ Ford Crown Victoria

Another standout in 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 practicality. For many players, it is one of the most recognizable American cars ever made. It was famous as a police interceptor, city taxi, and fleet vehicle, and its shape became deeply familiar through movies, television, and everyday traffic.

SCS is putting a strong focus on authenticity here as well. During development, the team reached out to the community to find owners of featured vehicles so they could gather real-world reference materials and record authentic sounds. One community member, Marcel from Germany, offered his own ex-supervisor Ford Crown Victoria P71 Police Interceptor for inspection. That gave the team access to many of the details that helped define the model’s identity.

Thanks to that cooperation, SCS was also able to record the unique engine and vehicle sounds of the Crown Victoria, which should help the car feel more believable in-game. It is a good example of how community support can directly improve official content. SCS has already hinted that modders will probably have a lot of fun turning this vehicle into police cars, taxis, and other familiar variants once it arrives.

1967 Ford Mustang Fastback

SCS has now also shared a much closer look at the 1967 Ford Mustang Fastback, and it may end up being one of the most exciting cars in the entire Ford Car Pack. Few vehicles represent classic American motoring better than the Mustang, and the 1967 Fastback is one of the most iconic versions ever built. With its longer body, wider stance, and more aggressive styling, it marked an important evolution for the model and helped establish the Mustang as a true performance machine.

For Road Trip, SCS says it has worked hard to capture the car’s period accuracy and heritage. The team is recreating not only its unmistakable fastback silhouette, but also the smaller details that give the vehicle its classic identity. The car is clearly meant to feel like more than just “an old sports car” dropped into ATS. It is being treated as a piece of automotive history.

Players will be able to choose from a wide range of factory-inspired exterior colours, including Lime Gold, Acapulco Blue, Dark Moss Green, Silver Frost, Burgundy, Candy Apple Red, and more. On the inside, SCS is also preparing several authentic interior trims such as Black, Red, Saddle, Parchment, Ivy Gold, and Dark & Light Aqua. These will be paired with classic seating options like luxury bucket seats or ComfortWeave insert seats, all within a Deluxe interior variant featuring brushed aluminium accents.

SCS has noted that the 1967 Ford Mustang GT Fastback is still a work in progress, so both the exterior and interior are still being refined. Even so, what has been shown so far already suggests that this could become one of the most memorable vehicles in the Road Trip lineup.

SCS also shared some behind-the-scenes details on how the Mustang is being developed. The studio thanked Ford for helping source a classic Mustang during a visit to the United States, while Toman Motors s.r.o. provided access to a real Mustang so the developers could gather detailed reference materials. The team also recorded authentic engine sounds with help from Veteráni na Truc. That kind of real-world access matters a lot for a vehicle like this, because sound, proportions, and interior details are a big part of what makes a classic car feel believable.

Other Ford vehicles

Alongside the F-150, Crown Victoria, and Mustang Fastback, the Ford Car Pack also includes the 2023 Ford Bronco. This gives the pack a very broad mix of vehicle types: a pickup truck, a full-size sedan, a classic muscle car, and a modern off-road SUV. That variety is important because it shows that Road Trip is not being built around just one kind of car. Instead, SCS seems to be aiming for a flexible system where different vehicles suit different moods and styles of play.

According to the Steam product description, these vehicles will allow players to deliver small packages, drive freely across the map, and collect postcards by visiting notable places. In other words, these cars are not just for looking at. They are tied to brand-new gameplay loops that expand ATS beyond freight hauling.

How Road Trip unlocks

SCS has also clarified how access to Road Trip will work. According to the RAM & Dodge Car Pack announcement, owning any Road Trip vehicle pack will unlock the Road Trip gameplay module itself. That means players who buy the Ford Car Pack will not just receive Ford vehicles; they will also gain access to the module and its core features. Future vehicle packs appear to be designed as expansions to the same system, rather than separate paid unlocks for the gameplay.

Mods: community creativity and realism enhancements

Car mods broaden the vehicle roster

Long before SCS officially introduced the Road Trip module, the modding community had already been pushing American Truck Simulator in this direction. Over the years, this site has built a dedicated Cars category featuring thousands of drivable car mods, from luxury sedans and sports cars to American pickups inspired by real-world models. These mods let players experience ATS from a very different angle and showed that there was strong demand for passenger vehicles long before SCS made it official.

Many of these car mods offer detailed interiors, custom sounds, tuned engines, and adjusted handling physics. Some even support manual gearboxes or alternative shifting behavior. Of course, quality varies from mod to mod, but the popularity of these downloads says a lot. The Road Trip module may be official content, but the idea behind it has been tested by the community for years.

US Car Culture mod: realistic traffic and regional diversity

Many mods focus not on drivable cars, but on making traffic feel more realistic. One of the best examples is US Car Culture, a free mod available on the SCS forum. The mod changes AI vehicle spawn rates so that traffic better reflects real-world regional car preferences. In the base game, many vehicle types appear in balanced numbers across the entire map, but in real life some brands and body styles are much more common in certain states than others. This mod tries to mirror that.

It also includes optional upgrades beyond spawn logic. The Vehicle Specs Improvement component adjusts engine outputs, weights, and other values using real-world information. The Color Expansion adds factory-style paint choices, especially for older vehicles. There is also a License Plate Expansion that gives traffic more believable plate designs across all US states, including specialty and veteran variants. Together, these changes create a road environment that feels more local, varied, and believable.

How SCS updates shape the future of the series

Route 66 rework in update 1.58

The 1.58 update, released in February 2026, shows that SCS is not only focused on new DLC, but also on rebuilding older parts of the map. One of the biggest additions is the Route 66 Rework Project, which covers northern Arizona and parts of New Mexico. Sections of Interstate 40 and Historic Route 66 were rebuilt together with nearby cities, landmarks, and depots.

Cities such as Kingman, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon Village, Page, Kayenta, Camp Verde, and Show Low were refreshed, while Lake Havasu City was added as a brand-new city. Famous locations like the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City are now represented in-game as well. This kind of work shows that SCS wants older ATS areas to meet the same visual standard as newer expansions.

Driving Academy expansion

Version 1.58 also expands the Driving Academy with a Double Trailer Handling module. This mode teaches players how to drive, maneuver, and reverse with two trailers through a series of guided lessons. The challenges are divided into three chapters, and players who complete all of them receive a small in-game reward: a “wiener dog” toy for the truck cabin.

This kind of feature may seem smaller than a full vehicle pack, but it is still important. It shows that SCS continues to add training content, skill-based progression, and optional challenges outside of the normal delivery system.

New truck garages and visual refinements

Another part of update 1.58 is a complete visual rework of all three truck garage types. Interiors were refreshed, lighting was improved, and many atmospheric details were added to make these spaces feel less dated. Garages are a basic part of the ATS experience, so modernizing them helps the entire game feel more polished.

These kinds of improvements matter because they show that SCS is not only chasing new map DLC and vehicles. The studio is also paying attention to older systems and presentation details that players interact with every day.

Continual state expansions and industry diversity

Outside of Road Trip content, SCS continues to expand ATS with new states and new industries. Recent releases such as Iowa, Louisiana, and Nordic Horizons show that the company still has a steady long-term plan for both American Truck Simulator and Euro Truck Simulator 2. On top of that, annual updates keep bringing new cargoes, trailers, lessons, and visual upgrades. That steady flow of content gives ATS a strong base for experimenting with bigger additions like Road Trip.

What the future may hold

Road Trip suggests a much broader future for American Truck Simulator. Instead of remaining only a trucking simulator, ATS may gradually become a wider open-road simulation platform where players can choose different vehicle types and different ways to interact with the map. The Ford Car Pack already shows this idea clearly by mixing a pickup, a sedan, a classic muscle car, and an SUV in one package.

The RAM & Dodge Car Pack points in the same direction, with vehicles like the RAM 1500, Dodge Charger, Dodge Viper, and Dodge Challenger. If every Road Trip pack unlocks the same module, then future packs will likely continue expanding the vehicle roster rather than splitting the system into separate pieces. That opens the door to more brands, more classes of vehicle, and possibly even more specialized gameplay.