SEMA 2007 Preview: Dodge Dakota MX Warrior
Click the Dakota MX Warrior for a high res gallery
Dodge teamed up motocross racer Scott Waraniak to create the Dakota MX Warrior for this year's SEMA show. Scott races KTM bikes and is studying at Detroit's College for Creative Studies. In addition to providing his bike for the back of the Dakota, Scott also did the graphic design adorning its bodywork. Dodge lead designer Mark Surel explained that the recent redesign of the Dakota was intended to separate it from the Ram. Dodge considers the Ram to be more of a work truck, while the Dakota is seen as a personal leisure vehicle.
You can listen to a chat with Mark Surel here, and Scott Waraniak here.
Gallery: SEMA 2007: Dodge Dakota MX Warrior
All live photos ©2007 Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.
Dodge Dakota MX Warrior
Designer: Mark Surel, Designer – Product Design Office
The Dodge Dakota MX Warrior is a design exercise intended for the younger action-sports crowd. This authentic motocross-themed concept is a cooperative effort with Scott Waraniak. Waraniak is a design student at College for Creative Studies in Detroit and AMA District 14 motocross racer #936 who races for KTM North America and Seattle-based Jones Soda.
Motocross is an extreme sport run on closed-course, natural-terrain dirt tracks. Grabbing the holeshot and maneuvering through the ruts, berms, whoops, doubles, 90-foot jumps and 180-degree tight turns demands lightning-fast reflexes, physical conditioning, practice, concentration and speed. Forty racers compete in two 20-minute motos – mixing flying dirt and rocks with intimidation, adrenaline and horsepower. The outdoor motocross season runs from April to September, while the indoor supercross season runs from January through April. The sport continues to grow in popularity particularly with Gen X and Gen Y action-sport athletes in the United States, Europe and Japan.
With his likeness and signature on limited-edition bottles of Jones Soda, Waraniak [a West Bloomfield, Mich.-resident] provided his race-prepped bike for the project. He'll use the 2008 KTM 450 SX-F in 2008 motocross season
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Joshua Cola 12:08PM (2/09/2009)
I really like that dakota. I own one and wish it could look as good as that one. I am wondering though where i can get a suspension lift as seen on that dakota.
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94 taurus owner 4:46PM (10/26/2007)
Now this is awsome.
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Jason 8:30AM (10/24/2007)
It looks like someone opened MS Paint, clicked on the rectangle tool, and drew a truck.
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JB 8:32AM (10/24/2007)
Is it me or does the Dakota look more like the Ridgeline now?
Some orange graphics, orange dials, half an orange steering wheel - better keep racing kid.
You could just drive thru a puddle of orange paint and get the same effect.
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Jason 10:23AM (10/24/2007)
still a fugly truck, but at least now it's a burly fugly truck...
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Ron 12:16PM (10/24/2007)
Getting past the paint and graphics of this one, does anyone else hate the way they redesigned the Dakota grille? It just looks nasty to me. At least the old design had some character.
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jeff 2:02PM (10/24/2007)
Oh neat, a truck that easily carries four adults but only one bike. We can all take turns... I'll go riding first (see you chumps in 3 hours when I run the bike out of gas).
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Bill P. 4:09PM (10/24/2007)
I think this truck looks great! I have already set one of the pictures as a wallpaper on my computer. The bumper with the winch is cool, I like the hood and wheel flares, I also like the lift and tire size, the black accent around the turn signals looks good too. It is one tuff looking truck. I would love to see Dodge offer a package like this or offer a "Power Wagon" type package for the Dakota. I'd like to see a paint scheme similar to the late 70's Power Wagon. To the folks at Dodge, if you build the Dakota with a package like this I will buy it. I am waiting to buy a V8 Colorado 4x4 Z71, but if I knew Dodge would be coming out with a package like this for the Dakota I would buy it instead. I like the interior room of the Dakota better.
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Guenther 12:17PM (10/25/2007)
I dig the bumper on this thing- functional, clean, understated. Not sure who decided to lay that Helen-Keller-weld right on the face like that, but whatever. Truck sits way too tall for my taste- I like about 1-2" lift with mucho wheel travel and just barely oversize tires. I'm hoping they come trough with their promise to put the new Cummins V6 diesel in this thing...
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AZZO 1:27AM (11/02/2007)
I hope this kid is a good MX racer... He got into CCS kinda like how George Bush got into Yale?? That is some of the worst graphic design I've ever seen on a truck.
I'm sure the Chrysler professional added all the nice details this truck has... must be pissed his design is OVERSHADOWED by the crapola exterior graphics supplied by the student intern.
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