Hi, My Name Is: Ram

by Edward Niedermeyer

Published: November 4th, 2009

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.

Edward Niedermeyer

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86er on Nov 06, 2009
@86er Not so fast. While you are correct on the frontal impact rating of the current gen, the same vehicle gets a “marginal” side impact rating from the IIHS. Granted, the overall picture for the Dakota is a hell of a lot better than, say, a Ranger. Never said anything about side impact, merely correcting some misinformation I was reading above. You know how these threads always devolve towards the end. The NHTSA claims 5 star for side impact; I suppose it depends on who you believe.

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Accs on Nov 28, 2009

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.

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