Hi, My Name Is: Ram
Ram is brand. According to the new Ram CEO Frank Diaz, the Ram was “overshadowing” Dodge’s non-truck products… never mind that Dodge’s truck-cued car styling made that phenomenon unavoidable. There’s not much to say about the new Ram brand, except that it will include pickups, heavy-duty trucks and commercial vehicles (read: no SUVs), marketed with the usual John Wayne, hard-working, never quit attitude. Think of any truck ad you’ve ever seen, and you’ll understand everything there is to know about Ram’s branding.
There are a few interesting developments on the product plan front though. Though a Ram hybrid is set to debut next year, that appears to no longer be a done deal. Over lunch, Diaz explained that more work has to be done to determine demand and price point. But he did confirm that a diesel will be offered in the Ram 1500 at some point, and that several competing firms are still in the running to supply this engine.
Despite all this uncertainty regarding efficiency improvements in the Ram line, the Dakota will be cut in 2011. Or, as Diaz puts it, it won’t be replaced. A unibody midsized pickup (presumably along the lines of a Honda Ridgeline) is being considered for a 2011 rollout, but Diaz wouldn’t hint at a platform donor. More tellingly, he admitted that it would be difficult to engineer such a vehicle to the point where it could maintain the new Ram brand image.
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- Zerofoo No, I won't miss this Chevrolet Malibu. It's a completely forgettable car. Who in their right mind would choose this over a V8 powered charger at the rental counter? Even the V6 charger is a far better drive.
- Offbeat Oddity Nope, I won't miss it. I loved the 2008-2012 Malibu, but the subsequent generations couldn't hold a candle to it. I think the Impala was much more compelling at the end.
- Zerofoo An almost 5000 pound hot hatch that fell out of the ugly tree and hit every branch on the way down? No thanks.
- Tassos Jong-iL This would still be a very nice car in North Korea.
- Jeff One less option will be available for an affordable midsize sedan. Not much can be done about GM discontinuing the Malibu. GM, Ford, and Stellantis have been discontinuing cars for the most part to focus on pickups, crossovers, and suvs. Many buyers that don't want trucks or truck like vehicles have moved onto Japanese and South Korean brands. Meanwhile large pickups and suvs continue to pile up on dealer lots with some dealers still adding market adjustments to the stickers. Even Toyota dealers have growing inventories of Tundras and Tacomas.
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Commanderfish... Cherokee, G.C and Commander have more in common than being just unibody. The great majority of people never actually use the vehicle as intended.. so having a body / design thats a body on frame against a unibody.. has no real advantage. But the biggest.. and I do mean BIGGEST problem with EVEN having the Cherokee, Grand Cherokee AND Commander.. in the same showroom.. IS DIRECT competion! What exactly is the difference between the three vehicles? They all have 5 doors. They all have "awd" They all have the same "jeepness". They all have the same intended audience. SO.. what if they have the same frame.... everything else is the same about them too.