Future Dodge Ram Brand Developments

The newly formed Chrysler Group LLC recently spun off the truck lineup from its Dodge division and labeled in the all-new Dodge Ram brand. It seems that the Dodge Car brand will continue to offer crossovers and SUVs, so the Dodge Ram brand would provide work trucks and vans including the Dodge Ram pickups, the Dodge Dakota and the Dodge Sprinter. Fred Diaz, president and CEO of the Dodge Ram brand, confirmed this by indicating that this brand “must focus on truck customers and commercial vehicles.”

Mercedes-Benz has already announced that it will not provide the Dodge Ram brand with the successful Sprinter. Starting next year, the Dodge Ram brand will consist of the Dakota and Ram pickup trucks. A replacement for the Dodge Sprinter won’t be available until 2012 when a pair of commercial vans will be introduced to the Dodge Ram lineup. A larger commercial van, possibly derived from the Fiat Iveco, will slot in above a smaller commercial that will be a captive import from the Fiat Group, possibly the Fiat Fiorino range (shown above) that would be a great competitor to the all-new 2010 Ford Transit Connect.

Other than the loss of the Sprinter and its impending Fiat-based replacement, the biggest news for the Dodge Ram brand will be the discontinuation of the current Dodge Dakota design in 2011 which is set to be replaced by a unibody product using a Chrysler Group platform. Although there is no additional information about this future pickup truck, besides its unibody construction, but it could carry on the brand equity established by the Dodge Dakota since it was introduced 1987.

As for the heart of the Dodge Ram lineup, the Dodge Ram 1500 pickup truck was redesigned for 2009 with the heavy duty model (Dodge Ram 2500 and Dodge Ram 3500) being introduced for 2010. Continuing its entry into the chassis cab market, Dodge Ram will offer the 4500 and 5500 models later in 2010. All three models of the Ram pickup will receive a mid-cycle enhancement for the 2012 model year which is likely to be the year that Dodge Ram will unveil its hybrid electric vehicle (HEV). The fuel-efficient 2012 Dodge Ram 1500 two-mode hybrid will use a system similar to what was previously offered in the Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen SUVs.

Finally, Diaz announced that the Dodge Ram brand is strongly considering an expansion into the heavy truck market including 18-wheelers. This aggressive expansion is enough that the Dodge Ram is expecting to increase its unit sales from an estimated 280,000 in 2010 up to 415,000 in 2014 – an increase of 48 percent.