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If you watched the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby over the weekend, you saw Super Saver race to victory by two and a half lengths. That's a 20 foot victory to non race fans, or just enough room to wedge a Dodge Ram Quad Cab between Super Saver and the competition.
If you weren't among the NASCAR-sized crowd of 155,000 fans in attendance at Churchill Downs, you likely know that we mention the Ram because it was the official truck of the event, and the Auburn Hills, MI-based automaker got creative with the video to let us know all about it.
Hit the jump to watch Chrysler's rough and rumble pickup as it hangs with the thoroughbreds. The 30-second spot makes good with the deep voice guy, pretty pictures and a mention of its Motor Trend Truck of the Year award – possibly Chrysler's best commercial in a while.
Kent Kroeker is cooking up a bit of evil that is 90 inches wide for the Easter Jeep Safari. The latest details reveal that 90 inches is the width of the front track on the Mopar Ram 1500 being built as a "research project," while that number tapers down to 87 inches in the rear. We're talking about a truck that will be at least 22 inches wider than a normal Ram when you see its grille coming towards you. And that might be from the air, we'll have you know – with 15 inches of travel up front and 14 in the rear, this baby looks like she'll be a true jumper.
This might be the best of the bunch as far as the Moparized concepts go for this Moab event. What we really want to know is this: We have a good idea of where Fiat and Chrysler head Sergio Marchionne stands with little cars and sedans, but how does he feel about taking muddin' – and an OEM version of this truck – to the masses? Can the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor now be put on notice?
Chrysler is dropping more hints about an upcoming unibody pickup that would be positioned below the Dodge Dakota. You may recall that first word of the new small truck came back in November when Fred Diaz, CEO of Chrysler's newly-created Ram brand, dropped tidbits about the company "considering" a Dakota replacement. We speculated that it could be built on a platform derived from the upcoming Jeep Grand CherokeeDodge Durango architecture.
Interviewed at the National Truck Equipment Association's Work Truck Show in St. Louis this month, Joe Veltri, Chrysler Group vice president of product planning, touched on the subject once again. "We're thinking of something that will separate itself from the full-sized truck more than what happens today, both in capability, price and size," said Veltri. While the automaker has reportedly shelved the idea of developing a mid-size truck on a unibody platform (the segment is currently owned by the Honda Ridgeline – its sales plummeted 51 percent between 2008 and 2009), the company feels there is a need for a smaller and more fuel efficient pickup without the unnecessary size or capabilities. According to Veltri, buyers still want pickup trucks but they want better fuel economy. "Everybody has gotten the formula wrong," he adds. Well, everyone except Ford and the ancient-though-still-small Ranger.
We knew Chrysler was up to something when it showed off an all-electric Fiat 500 at this year's Detroit Auto Show. Today, the automaker has officially announced that it will engineer and produce the Fiat 500EV for the United States, starting in 2012.
As of this writing, details about the 500EV are slim. We do know that the powerplant will be comprised of three main systems – an advanced lithium-ion battery, high-power electric powertrain module and an EV control unit to manage overall power flow. The 500EV will be developed and engineered at Chrysler's headquarters in Auburn Hills, Michigan.
In more Chrysler EV news, the automaker will be receiving up to $48 million from the U.S. Department of Energy to build a total of 140 Ram plug-in hybrids. Originally, the automaker had plans to bring a Ram hybrid to market, but due to the slow-selling nature of other gasoline-electric pickups, Chrysler's plans were canned. This new round of electrified trucks will be used in a three-year demonstration project that will aid in expediting the development of vehicle electrification technology. No word on if we'll see a production version of the Ram PHEV anytime soon, however. In the meantime, buyers hoping for a high-mpg Ram can look forward to a light-duty diesel option currently being considered.
Answering the question of whether Mopar's Ram Power Wagon concept is meant to be a competitor to the awe-inspiring Ford SVT Raptor (that'd be a 'no,' it would seem) is a report courtesy of our friends at PickupTrucks.com that Chrysler's go-fast division is also planning to release a long-travel version of the Ram 1500 at the Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah.
Adding credibility to Mopar's off-road-ready Ram "research project" is the presence of veteran Baja racer Kent Kroeker, who's KORE company is already the go-to expert for aftermarket Dodge truck goodies (see photo above of his Ram 2500 racer). Being based on the Ram 1500 means that Chrysler's Raptor-fighter will feature independent suspension at all four corners coil rear springs. We should also expect plenty of suspension travel. Oh, and could this be a hint at the future?
While it's not necessarily expected that the Ram brand will offer such a high-lift, long-travel model in dealerships right off the factory floor, there is a decent chance that the components developed for this concept could end up in a Mopar accessory or KORE catalog (or both?) sometime soon. And you can count us firmly among those looking forward to that.
We just told you that that Chrysler will be launching four new "Moparized" vehicles later this month, and our spies have already caught one of these new vehicles – the Dodge Ram Power Wagon – on the streets of southeast Michigan.
Unlike the Power Wagon that's just now hitting dealers, this is a totally unique package, featuring a single-cab configuration with a short, style-side bed. The huge off-road tires and exaggerated wheel arches lead us to believe that this is Chrysler's answer to the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor (if only in concept form), and our spies tell us that this prototype "made hair-raising sounds" as it drove by, leading us to believe that the 383-horsepower Hemi V8 is underhood.
We can't wait to see the production version on March 27 at the 44th Annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. If these spy shots are anything to go off of, it looks like it'll be serious fun for desert storming.
Chrysler has announced that it will launch four new "Moparized" (their term, not ours) models on March 27 at the 44th Annual Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah: the Jeep Wrangler J7, Jeep Patriot Extreme, Jeep Wrangler Trail Boss and Ram Power Wagon.
First off, there's already a 2010 Dodge Ram Power Wagon, but it appears that this version will sport just two doors instead of the current four-door model. We also note plenty of flat black accents, including the wheels, grille and hood, which are set off by what appears to be a neon green stripe. Out back is a customized bed that includes an external fullsize spare tire rack. Ford SVT Raptor fighter? We'll see.
Moving on to the Jeep Patriot Extreme, we see a bright orange (EXTREME!!!) paint scheme highlighted (or is that lowlighted?) by more flat black accents on the grille and hood along with a two-inch Rocky Road Outfitters suspension lift, TJ 'Moab' 16-inch wheels and BF Goodrich KM2 tires. Lest we forget, there's also an uplevel Kicker stereo system and a roof-mounted snowboard rack.
During last summer's bankruptcy proceedings, New Chrysler chose not to contract Cummins to produce a light-duty diesel engine for the its Ram pickup trucks. At a rumored 5.0 liters of displacement, this diesel engine would have been somewhat less powerful but also less expensive and more fuel efficient than the larger 6.7-liter inline six-cylinder diesel, also supplied by Cummins, in heavy duty Rams.
Now our friends from PickupTrucks.com report that Dodge may be back in the light-duty diesel game. Joe Veltri, Chrysler vice president of product planning, reportedly said at the NTEA Work Truck Show, "We're in discussions with Cummins. There's no contract [with Cummins] but [a light-duty diesel] is in our plan."
As an aside, it seems as if the so-called light-duty engine could also find its way into the Heavy Duty 2500 and 3500 Ram trucks in addition to the expected 1500. "Does every guy need a 6.7-liter diesel? It could certainly package in a heavy duty," Veltri said.
Chrysler, now led by Sergio Marchionne and the rest of the management crew brought in by Italian automaker Fiat, has big plans in place that will replace just about every single vehicle the American automaker currently offers. Judging from the purported list of new vehicle launches secured by the Mopar fanatics at Allpar, it would seem that new Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep vehicles will be hitting the market all through 2010 and well into 2011.
Looking over the list of 2010 production start dates, the first date to get excited about (barring the March 29th Viper production launch, of course – we're talking about for the mainstream market), is May 10th, which is when the thoroughly recreated Jeep Grand Cherokee will begin rolling down the assembly line. In mid-August, the 2011 Wrangler will make its initial appearance, and we're really hoping for a new powertrain combination for the venerable off-roader.
Towards the end of 2010, we should begin seeing the heavily revised Pentastar minivans along with the new Avenger and Sebring replacements, though the Chrysler midsizer seems likely to get a new moniker to erase memories of the current car. Finally, the three LX-based cars – those being the Challenger, Charger and 300 – will go into production in November, followed closely by the North American 2012 Fiat 500. Keep it together, Chrysler.
About the same time Chrysler and Fiat executives were running through a marathon eight -hour look into the future with the world's automotive journalists, Pentastar lawyers were working over the principal at Lake Mary High School in Lake Mary, Florida. You may be asking yourself what Chrysler lawyers would want with principal Michael Kotkin when, just six months earlier, The Pentastar needed billions of taxpayer dollars to exit bankruptcy. Good question, for sure, but the answer appears to be pretty lame.
Moto Bullet reports that Chrysler's legal department has been all up in Kotkin's grill because the school's logo is a near-perfect match for the Dodge Ram logo. Team Pentastar ordered has the school to replace the company's favorite goat head as the school logo or risk having to drive a Sebring head into court. Chrysler lawyers even have several photos of the logo being used at the school in several different spots. The Seminole County School District has decided that the logo isn't worth an expensive legal battle, so the school, ranked in the top 1.4 percent nationally for academics, reportedly has until June 15 to remove it from the premises. But while avoiding court will likely save the district plenty of money, the school won't get out of this mess scot-free. Removing the horned-head from the school's gym floor alone will reportedly cost the school (read: local taxpayers) $15,000, or roughly the cost of a new science book for about 300 kids.
