Dodge Ram Poised to Topple F-150



By F. Carlton Peeples
Automotive News
Tell Us Detroit



The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram made its debut in a most impressive way at this year’s North American International Auto Show. The redesigned full-size pickup led a cattle drive amid cowboys, horses and street full of media, industry-goers and competitors.

Chrysler LLC Vice Chairman and President Jim Press talked up the automaker's latest addition to the hyper-competitive U.S. pickup truck market

As Chrysler’s No. 1-selling vehicle, the Ram makes up 20% of new-vehicle sales. That said, the revamp will prove to be crucial to the overall sales-goals of Chrysler, including increasing sales in its segment as well as retaining buyers and establishing a connection with younger consumers. Chrysler put one of its top designers – Ralph Gilles – on the job. Just five-months after Cerberus’ majority acquisition of the ailing automaker, its unveiling would have to go off without a hitch.

Boasting over 57 full-size pickup firsts Ram’s radical redesign implements a first-in-class coil spring, multilink rear suspension that’s fitted to a solid rear axle. Chrysler engineers say the design will drastically improve ride and handling capabilities. A new 5.7-liter Hemi V8 will allow an increase in horsepower, torque and fuel economy and reportedly has a commanding 0-60mph performance at 6.1seconds

Also a first ever crew-size cab for Ram is indicative of the brands stanch competitiveness.

“We put a truck out that tripled our market share,” said Ralph Gilles, Vice President – Jeep®/Truck Design Studio, Chrysler LLC. “Our design was polarizing – people loved it or hated. But the people who loved it, bout it. They still do, because Dodge Ram continues to stand out from the herd of ‘me-too’ trucks.”

Under former leadership the brand found itself lagging behind class front-runner Ford-F150. The crew-size cab accounts for nearly 50 percent of the market. Not to be undone the ’09 Dodge Ram also offers a regular cab, Quad Cab along with three box lengths, five trim levels each with a unique appearance: ST, SLT, TRX, Sport and the top-of-the-line Laramie.

Ford Motor Co., whose F-series pickups are the top-selling vehicles in the nation, unveiled its new F-150 at the show Sunday.

Both will debut as 2009 models in the fall, and each was designed after extensive research to fix flaws in the old models, make them more efficient and build in features that people may not even know they wanted.

"This is a product-driven company," Chrysler Chairman and CEO Bob Nardelli told reporters after the event.

Both automakers hope the enhancements will fuel pickup sales, which took a dive in 2007 as the national housing market all but collapsed and Michigan’s economy has been in the midst of a localized recession.