Herd of cattle may herald arrival of 2009 Dodge Ram in Detroit
Chrysler debuts are legendary among the automotive press, particularly the shows that the company puts on at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit every January. In the past, they've driven through plate glass windows and drowned an unsuspecting automotive press in a sea of confetti (for the Aspen, of all vehicles). This January the automaker will be unveiling the 2009 Dodge Ram, its best selling and arguably most profitable vehicle. The stakes are high for grabbing and holding the attention of the automotive press, so Chrysler LLC is reportedly exploring the idea of herding cattle down Jefferson Ave. in downtown Detroit to herald the new Ram's arrival. Though people from Chrysler LLC and the city of Detroit are playing dumb and claiming to know nothing about the idea, the Detroit Free Press says it has on good authority that the spectacle is in the planning stages. Perhaps Chrysler will donate a couple of new Rams to the city of Detroit for the cleanup effort after this stunt. They could show off the Ram's increased payload by filling its bed to the brim with manure, and you know we'd post on that.
[Source: Detroit Free Press via Winding Road]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
pedro 5:15PM (11/26/2007)
Because there is nothing better in the bitter hell that is Michigan in January than to take a bunch of animals on a death march in sub-freezing weather.
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Guenther 10:57PM (11/26/2007)
No kidding- I'm sure the cows would be OK, but it can be downright miserable along the river in Jan. Who wants to go see that?
As for a reason to buy a Ram- Cummins- need I say more.
Otto Ingineer 5:16PM (11/26/2007)
Huh? Isn't a ram a male sheep? (logo/hood ornament with "curly" horns, for example - not a "bull" or "steer").
Oh well, who's gonna know the difference anyhow? Not like the target audience is ranchers or farmers or ...
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far jr 8:24PM (11/26/2007)
I'd guess that the cattle stunt will be an effort to appeal to farmers, ranchers, and cattlemen who were one of the main constituents in the growth of the Ram in sales volume about a decade ago... or perhaps they will introduce a new methane fueled Ram. (sarcasm intended of course)
Either way if a small herd is used it will not be impressive and if a big enough herd is used to make the stunt impressive, the damage to local shop windows, etc. could get expensive... not to mention any strays that break ranks in downtown detroit. Hamburgers anyone?
Jdl 5:22PM (11/26/2007)
Legendary? Perhaps for the schlock factor, the boredom- and wince-inducing "skits" they always run, and the throng of "gimmee, gimmee" media that run for the freebies distributed afterwards.
And, yes, I'm a veteran of a number of Detroit shows. And the hokey to news factor is always waaay over to the hokey side of the meter.
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Mike 5:47PM (11/26/2007)
"They could show off the Ram's increased payload by filling its bed to the brim with manure"
Then the outside could match the inside of that POS. Seriously, who in their right mind buys the Ram over the F-Series or Silverado? Their interiors are awful, quality sucks (blown transmission anyone?), I guess they have their lifetime warranty.....
It will be funny to see when the first "lifetime warranty" vehicles hit the 5 year mark (for the mandatory dealer inspection) and the owners get to see a $5k maintenance bill that either has to be done or their warranty is voided.
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RamSport47 5:57PM (11/26/2007)
what the he** are you talking about. NO ONE has seen the next Ram, so how can you comment on ANYTHING about it? You, sir, are an uninformed idiot with a personal bias against these trucks
Brent 6:05PM (11/26/2007)
So, you've seen and driven the 2009 Rams?
Mike 7:10PM (11/26/2007)
Yes I do have a bias against these trucks.
Dodge trucks are the biggest crap trucks out there. Maybe the '09 will be better but the last two generations were junk.
That being said, I'd still take one over the Toyota or Nissan but that's not saying much.
RamSport47 7:43PM (11/26/2007)
I have had one of each of the last 2 generations, and they wre flawless. My '96 had 125,000 trouble free miles when I traded it in on my 2003, which had 100,00 trouble free miles when I traded it in on my 06 Jeep Liberty, which at 25,000 miles has also been flawless. You can't go by what you hear all the time...you get your facts all skewed.
AZMike 9:17PM (11/26/2007)
Mike,
I'm assuming that you have never owned a Dodge Ram. I've had a few; six to be exact since the new model first bowed in 1994. I had five of the ancient body style before that, all purchased new.
so when is that transmission supposed to blow? my '97 2500 V-10 had 604,000 miles when I sold it, without ANY repairs of any kind, including internal engine OR transmission work, just regular oil AND transmission fluid changes.
my '03 3500 V-10 had only 230,000 miles when I sold it last year; again, no repairs of any kind, with the exception of a fuel return hose ($108 at the dealer, including installation) at 180,000 miles. this truck still had two of the orignal six tires, and all of the original brake pads.
my '06 doesn't have that many miles (a little over 50,000), and again, not one trip back to the dealer. I keep buying the extended Chrysler warranty every time, but have never used it once, and don't expect to.
you've obviously never talked to many Ram owners, as their reliability is legendary. I sell collector car parts for a living, and from the time I shut my door and turn the key here in Arizona, I won't see home until I've driven at least 7,000 miles.
my last trip was a little longer than that; first, from Phoenix to Seattle, and then my next stop was in northern New Jersey, then down to Florida. do you really think I would be driving something remotely unreliable??
and what trucks do you see out there really working, out in the middle of nowhere? it's always a Dodge. I'm not talking about Home Depot half-tonners here, but one ton duallys. Ford may sell more, but there have been nothing but problems with their diesels.
the Cummins diesel Dodge has used since 1989 has had a far better track record by far, with no catastrophic failures, or flame-shooting exhausts.
AZMike
Dan Parmelee 5:56PM (11/26/2007)
Here's an idea...take the money and time devoted to these unnecessary debuts and put it into making better vehicles.
Case in point: the new Skyline GT-R had a low-key launch. Nothing extravagant, just the removal of the sheet and a video.
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SherbornSean 7:08PM (11/26/2007)
If only consumers could be herded into Dodge dealerships so easily.
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tbirdkatz 7:09PM (11/26/2007)
People buy Rams for one reason:budget. A dealer will give you 10 grand off on some 08 Rams, and I would take a $20,000 Ram SLT 4.7 anyday vs. spending 5 grand more on something else.
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Eek 7:20PM (11/26/2007)
Is this a totally new Ram, or a refresh?
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RamSport47 5:58AM (11/27/2007)
totally new from the gorund up
Ted 9:11PM (11/26/2007)
MANURE!!!
I HATE MANURE!
Grain 10:05PM (11/26/2007)
This is pathetic. Couldn't they think of something better and at the same time leave these cattle alone.
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Willem B 7:40AM (11/27/2007)
hahah
they are full of bs.
there's no way they would herd cattle through a city. the cattle would stampede because of the unknown environment, they would crush right through the crowd (if there was one) windows would shatter all over the place, cars would get run over. They'd have to be idiots to do something like that. I've seen a single bull run through 4 consecutive sets of electric barbed wire. There's no way to stop them. unless you park schoolbuses head to tail along the sides of the road, but then you can't see the cows running by anymore.
Besides, RAM is a sheep. Not related to Cows.
that being said......
The reason why Dodge seems like such a piece to some of you, is because you most likely wouldn't use a truck for what it's intended for. You probably live in town/city. Those that work in construction (or farming) that sit in their truck with work boots and coveralls don't want a truck with leather interior and all kinds of fancy breakable things on the dash. The Dodge ram is meant to be a FUNCTIONAL Work-truck, not a soccermom-bring-your-kids-to-practice-truck.
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k.w.a 9:21AM (11/27/2007)
"the cattle would stampede because of the unknown environment, they would crush right through the crowd (if there was one) windows would shatter all over the place, cars would get run over."
...and you DON'T think that would be interesting? haha ok hopefully no one gets crushed or killed, but you have to admit an animal stampede in the middle of Detroit would be pretty damn fun to watch.