New Dodge Ram Improves Market Share
Despite the gloominess at Chrysler LLC brought on by tanking automotive sales and the uncertainty of its long-term survival past federal emergency loans, the company has received some promising news about one of its most important vehicles. The Dodge Ram, led by the redesigned 2009 Ram 1500, has improved its overall share of the full-size pickup truck market to 20 percent, meaning that one out of every five full-size pickups sold in February was a Dodge Ram. This is the biggest market share the Ram has held in five years and with the all-new, Cummins-powered 2010 Ram Heavy Duty set to debut this fall, the Ram should have no problem gobbling up more of the full-size pickup truck market. The gained share of the market most likely came from a combination of the falling sales of the class-leading Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado and the fact that Dodge now offers a more refined ride and is more cargo-friendly than any of its existing competitors.Excluding the Nissan Titan, all of the Ram's competitors have received major redesigns in the last couple of years. The Ram 1500, however, improved upon the iconic big rig styling made popular by the 1994 Ram truck, while incorporating a more aggressive and aerodynamic design. Another design aspect of the new Ram that helped improve the truck's overall market share are innovative storage compartments such as the RamBox integrated into the cargo bed rails and the built-in floor compartments for Crew Cab models. Improvements to the overall look and feel of the cabin helps the new Ram balance between luxury and usefulness making the truck feel at home whether it's used for a daily commute to the office or to the job site. The addition of a true Crew Cab has also undoubtedly helped the 2009 Ram 1500, but the new Heavy Duty Ram models will retain the exclusive Mega Cab. Chrysler's UConnect® system rivals Ford's SYNC by allowing drivers to conveniently make hands-free phone calls and operate the navigation system among many other features by using the system's voice recognition.
The most distinguishing characteristic about the all-new Ram 1500 is the use of a five-link coil suspension in the rear as opposed to the conventional multi-leaf spring setup used in all of its competitors. Despite the decrease in casual-use pickup trucks, the Ram 1500's unique rear suspension arrangement provides a smoother ride over rough surfaces and a more planted ride in turns and on the highway.
Like the truck itself, even the Ram's potent HEMI® engine received upgrades for the 2009 model year helping it dominate the full-size truck market. The Ram 1500's optional 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 was upgraded and now puts out a class-leading 390 horsepower and 407 lb-ft of torque. In addition to power, the new HEMI® also makes use of Chrysler's Multi Displacement System (MDS) which deactivates certain cylinders during light driving to improve fuel economy. This means that while the 2009 Ram 1500 has the most powerful engine in its class, it also matches its competition for fuel economy. Although the new Ram 1500 isn't available with a manual transmission, its optional five-speed automatic is capable of some of the smoothest shifts among full-size trucks even while hauling cargo or towing a trailer. The new Ram Heavy Duty will continue to use the torque-happy Cummins turbodiesel inline-6 giving the 3500 dually a maximum gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 25,400 - second only to the Ford F-Series Super Duty trucks.