PickupTrucks: News

Mahindra Introduces the Gio - the Nano of Pickup Trucks

Mike Levine — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 10:28:50 -0600

India’s Mahindra & Mahindra is only a few months away from launching its TR20 and TR40 compact diesel pickups in the U.S. The trucks have captured our attention because they promise payload ratings of up to 2,765 pounds, as high as 30 mpg highway fuel economy and a starting price of around $22,000.

But maybe you’ve wondered what passes for a small pickup in India? Mahindra has an answer for that too – the new Mahindra Gio. It’s billed as India’s first compact truck. To our eyes, it looks like the Tata Nano of pickups.

The diminutive Gio carves out a niche that’s a notch above India’s prevalent three-wheeled runabouts but uses a conventional four-wheel layout.

The Gio is powered by a two-cylinder, .44-liter diesel engine that’s rated at only 9.1 horsepower and 16 pounds-feet of torque. Yet, Mahindra says it’s capable of hauling up to a 1,000-pound load in its 5-foot cargo box and returning up to an astounding 67 mpg.

Mahindra’s engine supplier for the Gio is Kohler Engines, an American company that makes diesel and gas motors for lawn mowers, garden tractors, concrete construction equipment, pressure washers and other products. It’s four-speed transmission is built by Mahindra.

Perhaps even more astonishing than the Gio’s tiny footprint, high mpg and cargo carrying capability is its price tag, which starts at 1.65 lakh, or only $3,525 U.S. dollars.

TV Commerical Announces Arrival of the Ram Brand

Mike Levine — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 14:32:17 -0600

The first commercial for the new Ram brand debuted during the last game of the World Series on Wednesday night. Chrysler is moving its pickup trucks and commercial vans under the new mark, which is expected to focus on commercial and traditional truck buyers. Passenger cars, SUVs and crossovers will remain under the longstanding Dodge brand.

Fred Diaz, president and CEO of Ram, unveiled the spot during Chrysler’s 2010-14 business plan presentation at Chrysler’s headquarters earlier Wednesday.

2010 Hummer H3T Gets New Colors and Flex Fuel Engine

Mike Levine — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 09:19:04 -0600

Hummer has announced that the 2010 H3T Alpha pickup truck will come equipped for the new model year with an ethanol-capable eight cylinder engine and three new colors.

"In 2007, HUMMER committed to offer a biofuel powertrain in every vehicle by 2010 and follows through on that promise with the addition of a new 300-horsepower, E85 Flex-Fuel capable 5.3L V8," said James Taylor, Hummer CEO, in a press release.

Hummer is also introducing three new colors for 2010, which include Red Rock Metallic, Silver Stone Metallic, and Canyon Metallic.

H3T pricing will start at $30,915, a slight $165 increase from 2009. Hummer has lowered the 2010 H3T Alpha price $335, with a new MSRP of $35,680. All 2010 models also include destination charges of $780.

The 2010 Hummer H3T is scheduled to arrive in dealerships in December 2009.

General Motors and China's Sichuan Tengzhong Heavy Industrial Machinery are waiting for regulatory approval from the U.S. and Chinese governments to complete the sale of Hummer to Tengzhong.

5 Reasons Why It’s Wrong To Divorce Ram From Dodge

Mike Levine — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 21:42:00 -0600

It’s the toughest recession in decades. Many companies find themselves consolidating or shrinking to save money, but Chrysler is trying to grow by splitting Dodge cars from trucks to create the new Ram brand just for pickups and commercial vans. Here are five reasons why it’s wrong to divorce Ram trucks from the Dodge brand:

1.) Dodge Ram pickup truck owners say they drive a “Dodge Ram.”

Most of the owners we talk to automatically say they drive a Dodge Ram when we ask them what they drive. Isn’t the customer always right? How long is it going to take Dodge Ram owners to drop the Dodge from their vocabulary, especially if they’ve owned two or more Dodge Ram pickups? And what about the Dodge Dakota? It’s scheduled to end production by 2011. Will it be called the Ram Dakota for the rest of its short life? Ten years from now, will Ram trucks be able to connect with new customers by recalling their historic Dodge ancestors from the 20th century? Dropping the Dodge name leaves a huge void in front of Ram trucks.

2.) A high-mileage, unibody Dakota replacement could weaken the new Ram brand

Fred Diaz, the new Ram brand president and CEO, says that Chrysler is exploring building a unibody pickup, possibly based on a Fiat platform. If the Ram brand is going to emphasize tough trucks for tough truckers, how will a unibody pickup that’s focused on high MPG instead of hauling high lbs. fit within the Ram brand’s hard-working image? The Honda Ridgeline has already proven – painfully -- that traditional truck buyers are highly unlikely to purchase a less-capable pickup. The “image” small-pickup buyers from the 1990s and early 2000s seem to be gone for good.

3.) Ram pickups are the best-selling Chrysler vehicle

Ram pickups are the best-selling vehicles in Chrysler’s portfolio and pickup trucks and commercial vans make up just under 40 percent of 2009 year-to-date Dodge car and truck sales. Why force the best-performing vehicle to undergo such a dramatic change to its identity? Diaz says it’s to get the cars out from underneath the Dodge Ram’s shadow, so they can start to grow. Wouldn’t it be smarter to do this the other way around?

4.) Dodge cars and Ram trucks will still be sold under one roof

After all of the effort to create a distinct new identity for Ram trucks, you’ll still need to go to a consolidated Dodge-Ram-Jeep-Chrysler dealer to buy a Ram truck. If you’re going to the same place to buy, then don’t change the name. Good luck to those Ram dealers who are going to have to start marketing 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickups. Boy, those names stir the soul, don’t they?

5.) Dodge truck owners are more passionate than Dodge car owners

Dodge Ram truck owners are passionate about their pickups. They’ll defend their pickup to other truck owners. Aside from the few Challenger and Viper owners, would a Caravan or Caliber owner do the same? It’s unlikely. If Ram owners are passionate sales people for the truck, why let the less loyal Dodge owners drive away with the brand?

Bottom line: We like the new Ram trucks -- particularly the 2010 Heavy Duty pickups -- and having just heard Chrysler’s 2010-14 business plan presentation, we know Chrysler’s executives still love these hard working rigs too. But divorcing Ram from Dodge could end up angering many of Chrysler’s most loyal customers. What’s the benefit in that?

Ram Pickups To Get Major Modifications in 2012

Mike Levine — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 16:19:28 -0600

The Ram Light and Heavy Duty pickups are scheduled to receive "major modifications" in 2012, according to Chrysler's 2010-14 Product Plan presented today at Chrysler's Headquarters in Michigan.

"Our objective is to emphasize our commitment to the commercial market," said Joe Veltri, Chrysler's head of product planning. "To make sure we keep Ram at the top of its game, each truck will receive a major modification in 2012, including powertrain and technology changes. There's also the possibility of a light-duty diesel."

A diesel for the Light Duty Ram pickup would be sourced from Fiat.

In May, Chrysler canceled a planned contract with Cummins to supply a V-8 diesel. Cummins is still expected to supply diesel engines for Ram Heavy Duty pickups.

Earlier today, Fred Diaz, president and CEO of the Ram brand, confirmed Ram Heavy Duty pickups will receive a new 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 gas engine rated at approximately 450-horsepower.

Veltri is also in charge of selling the idea to Chrysler management for a unibody midsize pickup to replace the Dakota, which is scheduled to end production in 2011.

Update 1: 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 Gas Engine Is Official

Mike Levine — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 11:31:11 -0600

Update #1 November-4-2009 02:19 EDT:
Fred Diaz, president and CEO of the new Ram brand, says Ram Heavy Duty pickups will receive Chrysler's new 6.4-liter Hemi V-8 gasoline engine.

"We anticipate the 6.4-liter engine will go into the Heavy Duty Ram," Diaz said. "It's an appropriate engine for our trucks."

Diaz wasn't specific about which model year a 6.4-liter V-8 Hemi-equipped HD Ram would become available in but Chrysler's 2010-14 business plan appears to indicate 2012.

Will the 6.4-liter large displacement Hemi find its way into other Chrysler vehicles, like Dodge or Jeep?

"I don't know if it's going to go into more than Heavy Duty," Diaz said.

----

Paolo Ferrero, Chrysler's senior vice president of Chrysler powertrain, showed off a slide at today's 2010-14 Chrysler business plan presentation that shows the rumored 6.4-liter V-8 Hemi is official. It's output will be approximately 450-horsepower.

Update 1: Dakota Body-On-Frame Pickup Production Ends After 2011

Mike Levine — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:50:00 -0600

Update #1 November-4-2009 01:59 EDT:
Fred Diaz, president and CEO of the new Ram brand, says Dakota pickup production will end by 2011.

"It's the natural end of the Dakota's lifecycle," Diaz said. "It competes in a shrinking segment. We need to figure out if we can build a smaller, more efficient vehicle that people can use for play and light-duty work. It also has to be more affordable than the current Dakota."

Diaz said many Dakota buyers find themselves in the dilemma of buying either a Dakota or a Ram 1500 half-ton because both trucks cross into the other's price range but the half-ton Ram is more capable.

What might replace Dakota? It would likely be a unibody truck that could ride on a Fiat platform.

"The merger with Fiat has put us in the perfect position to evaluate Fiat's offerings," said Diaz. "We could [replace the Dakota] with something in-house but we're also examining what Fiat has - every model, including Iveco. We're going to pick the one that makes the most sense to us."

The mention of a unibody pickup and the newly-separated-from-Dodge Ram brand seem to conflict. The Ram brand is going to emphasize tough trucks aimed at tough truckers. The concept of a unibody pickup, like the Honda Ridgeline, has not been well received by this group because of such vehicles' relatively weak work capabilities.

"The Dakota replacement can't be a light paperweight replacement that can't do anything," said Diaz. "It has to be fairly capable of doing some work. But it also has to have really good MPG."

Dakota production might still continue after 2011 for markets outside the U.S., like South America.

"I'm going to be honest," said Diaz. "That's not off the table. We just don't know yet."

---

We've just taken a quick run through Chrysler's 2010-14 business plan and one item we noticed is that the Dakota body-on-frame pickup is scheduled to end after 2011. An unnamed midsize unibody pickup is under consideration to take its place.

The Dodge Dakota first went on sale in 1987, creating the midsize truck segment as an alternative to compact and full-size pickups. The current Dakota is the third-generation of the pickup.

The Dakota's sales performance has rapidly declined during the past few years. Last month, only 515 units were sold and year-to-date sales are down by 58%.

Update 1: Ram Trucks To Be Separated From Dodge Brand

Mike Levine — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 10:28:16 -0600

Update #1 November-4-2009 03:30 EDT:
Chrysler's newly separated Ram truck brand will make its national debut on TV this evening when it kicks off a new ad campaign called "My Name Is Ram."

The campaign will feature iconic photos of Ram pickups working hard and famous people, like Albert Einstein and Muhammad Ali, that are meant to reflect the strength, individuality and determination of Ram truck owners.

Fred Diaz, president and CEO of Ram vehicles, says the brand could also grow into new areas, like over-the-road semi trucks and tractor trailers.

---

As expected, Ralph Gillies, president and CEO of the Dodge brand, has officially announced that Ram branded trucks will be separated from the Dodge brand, which will be focused on lifestyles.

The Ram brand will oversee the development, marketing and sales of pickups and commercial vans. Ram trucks will still be sold at Dodge dealers.

For a thorough look back at the long, strong history of Dodge trucks, please see our historic chronicle of these vehicles.

What Does The Future Hold For Dodge Ram Trucks?

Mike Levine — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 09:05:52 -0600

We're in Detroit today to hear about Chrysler's five year plan and the future of the new Dodge Ram truck brand. Follow us on twitter or check back throughout the day for breaking truck news from Chrysler's HQ.

News Items:

Dakota Body-On-Frame Pickup Production Set To End After 2011

Ram Trucks To Be Separated From Dodge Brand

Ram Heavy Duty Trucks To Receive New 6.4-liter Hemi V-8

October 2009 Top 10 Year-to-Date Pickup Truck Sales

Mike Levine — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 15:49:56 -0600

Top 10 Pickup Truck Sales, Year-to-Date, October 2009

No. 1: Ford F-Series
334,922 -23.2% YTD
October 2009: 39,496
October 2008: 43,324

No. 2: Chevrolet Silverado
261,142 -35.1% YTD
October 2009: 31,754
October 2008: 31,689

No. 3: Dodge Ram
155,467 -27.0% YTD
October 2009: 12,262
October 2008: 17,626

No. 4: Toyota Tacoma
94,694 -25.6% YTD
October 2009: 8,921
October 2008: 10,001

No. 5: GMC Sierra
91,327 -37.0% YTD
October 2009: 11,894
October 2008: 11,256

No. 6: Toyota Tundra
64,136 -47.2% YTD
October 2009: 7,537
October 2008: 6,425

No. 7: Ford Ranger
47,826 -18.5% YTD
October 2009: 3,910
October 2008: 3,891

No. 8: Chevrolet Colorado
29,298 -38.2% YTD
October 2009: 1,732
October 2008: 2,552

No. 9: Nissan Frontier
23,420 -63.1% YTD
October 2009: 2,295
October 2008: 1,551

No. 10: Nissan Titan
15,393 -50.2% YTD
October 2009: 1,688
October 2008: 1,007