Dodge's redesigned Ram pickup is on its way to dealers, facing a tough market that has seen a sharp reduction in truck sales since gasoline prices began climbing earlier this year.
But there still is a demand for pickups, which account for 11 percent of new-vehicle sales, the automaker says.
Mostly gone from the market, though, are the "casual truckers," Dodge brand manager Mike Accavitti said.
"Those are the buyers who are the greatest risk in troubled times because they have no need for a pickup," he said.
But there are four other groups of consumers who still buy pickups, and it's primarily to those people that Dodge will market the 2009 Ram, Accavitti said.
They include "new-fabric families" who can afford only one new vehicle and find a pickup to be the best choice for their everyday needs; "recreational riders," who use their trucks to pull horse or boat trailers, or to haul recreational equipment; "traditional truckers," the people who have always owned pickups for personal use, "the Marlboro men of trucks"; and the "work-first" buyers, who use their pickups almost exclusively to earn their incomes, Accavitti said.
To keep Dodge competitive, the new Ram is "the most well-crafted vehicle we've ever produced," said Accavitti, who visited Nashville recently to show off the vehicle.
"This truck is a game-changer," he said. "We've re-invented the pickup truck segment again.
"Are these tough times? Yes, but the truck market is still alive and well, and we want to compete."
Launch stays on targetAccavitti said Dodge is going ahead with the Ram launch even though Ford Motor Co. has delayed until November the rollout of its redesigned F-150, which was scheduled for a September debut.
Ford decided to hold off until it could clear some of the large backlog of unsold 2008
F-150s from inventory.
Other Ram competitors are having problems, as well.
Toyota has shut down its two Tundra pickup plants, in Indiana and Texas for three months because of a backlog of inventory.
Nissan North America has said that it will end production of its Titan pickup in Canton, Miss., in 2010, and replace it with a rebadged version of the Ram that will be built in a Chrysler plant.
The new Ram starts at $22,170 for the base single-cab ST work truck. Other models include the SLT, which Accavitti calls the "value truck"; the Laramie, which comes with "all the bells and whistles"; the Sport, designed for on-road driving; the TRX, accessorized for off-road use; and the performance-oriented R/T regular cab, which can accelerate from zero to 60 miles per hour in 6.1 seconds.
For 2009, the Ram also comes in its first crew-cab model, which will have more backseat space than the Quad Cab version.
The Quad Cab, with four doors and a back seat, isn't as roomy and functional as other manufacturers' crew-cab models but is comparable to the extended-cab version of the Chevrolet Silverado.
The Quad Cab's doors, however, open to the rear from the outside.
The new Ram crew cab has full-size rear doors and a back seat that is designed for three full-size adults.
"The crew cab pickup was virtually non-existent seven years ago but now is 50 percent of the market," Accavitti said.
Choice of three enginesThree engines are available in the new Ram, including a 3.7-liter V-6. Standard on the two-wheel-drive regular and Quad Cab models, this engine is rated at 210 horsepower and 235 foot-pounds of torque.
With the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the V-6 has EPA ratings of 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway; with the optional four-speed automatic, the mileage is 14 in city and 20 on the highway.
Next is a 4.7-liter V-8, with 310 horsepower and 330 foot-pounds of torque. With a five-speed automatic, this engine is EPA rated at 13 mpg in the city/19 highway with two-wheel drive, and 13/18 with four-wheel drive.
The top engine is the 5.7-liter Hemi V-8, with 380 horsepower and 404 foot-pounds of torque. Also connected to the five-speed automatic, this engine has the same EPA ratings as the 4.7-liter.
That's in part because it has a cylinder-deactivation system that cuts out four of the cylinders during level cruising to increase highway mileage. An indicator on the dash shows the driver when the engine is operating in four-cylinder mode.
A new feature is the optional Ram Box, built into each side of the cargo bed. These built-in storage compartments have locking, flip-up tops, and are designed to securely hold tools, supplies, golf bags, and even beverages in a place with quick, convenient access. They are waterproof, so they can even double as coolers, filled with ice.
Although the boxes take away some of the width of the truck's bed, it still can accommodate standard sheets of plywood, Accavitti said. Inside the bed, a cargo-management system has adjustable tie-downs.
Dodge kept the signature Ram grille, but it now leans forward at the top to give it an in-your-face "drill sergeant" look, similar to that of the new Challenger coupe, Accavitti said.
Unlike the current generation of the Ram, the grille remains in place when the hood is lifted. This makes the hood lighter and easier to handle.
The Ram's-head logo is larger and more prominent in the center of the grille. Chrome is featured prominently on the exterior. Standard are 17-inch wheels, but 20-inch chrome wheels are optional.
While only the three gasoline engines will be offered initially, the Ram will be available with a gasoline-electric hybrid drive system and a Cummins clean-diesel engine next year.
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