Autoblog

Miraculously, the driver of the '08 Dodge Ram in the video above escaped unharmed, along with his ten-year-old son. Apparently, he had miscalculated his position when pulling past the drive-thru station at his Dallas-area bank. Disaster quickly ensues after his tall camper trailer impacts the awning covering the entire area. Fortunately, no other cars were having transactions processed at the time. While the bank's going to remain open, the drive-thru area's going to be out of commission for a bit...

[Source: NextAutos]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Dodge Ram R/T

While our guys were out autocrossing the 2008 Dodge Challenger SRT8 and Viper ACR last week, Mike Levine (Yes, the same Mike Levine who tried to stuff himself into a RamBox) was doing his pickup thing over in another area of Chrysler's proving grounds in Chelsea, MI. On hand was the new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 R/T, which we haven't had a chance to see until now. The '09 Ram R/T will pull up to the line with a 5.7L HEMI V8 tuned to 390 horsepower and 407 pound-feet of torque and a 5-speed AutoStick transmission, as well as a host of exterior upgrades including a new front bumper, blacked out grille, dual exhaust, chrome 5-spoke wheels and body-color everything. The amazing thing is that the engine will scoot this short-box, two-wheel drive truck to 60 mph in less than six seconds, according to Chrysler. If that sounds a little too good to be true for a pickup with less than 400 horsepower, credit should go to the "loose" torque converter that allows less slip compared to a normal automatic. The shifts are more aggressive than in a normal Ram and the unique torque converter does degrade fuel economy a bit, but that should be none of your concern by nature of the fact that you're interested in a sport truck to begin with. Check out source link for a more detailed explanation of the "loose" torque converter from Mike Levine at Pickuptrucks.com, and view all the visual upgrades worn by the 2009 Ram R/T in our gallery below.


[Source: Pickuptrucks.com, photos courtesy of Ian Merritt, Cars.com]

The 2009 Dodge Ram is still a couple months from hitting the showroom floor, but we got a chance to check it out during a visit to the Chelsea proving grounds at the Chrysler media event. While we can't tell you how the new Dodge Ram drives, we are pleased to give you details of the revolutionary RamBox. We wanted to tell you how much we could fit into the bed mounted storage, but all we had was Mike Levine from Pickuptrucks.com. Follow the jump to view Mike as he tries to jam himself into one very confined space. Mike's a skinny guy, so he comes a lot closer to squeezing into the RamBox than you might think.

Another victim of the downturn in sales of full-size pickup trucks was revealed today as Dodge will be closing its Saltillo plant in northern Mexico for a period of two weeks. The plant produced nearly 170,000 Ram trucks last year. Yesterday, Chrysler CEO Robert Nardelli indicated that Ram production would need to be adjusted to reflect weak customer demand, and this seems to be the adjustment. According to reports, the plant was idled on Monday and its two-thousand workers are set to return to work on June 23. Last month, sales of the Ram fell by an alarming twenty-five percent. We'd imagine that the last thing Chrysler wants is a large stock of unsold 2008 Ram trucks as it readies the 2009 model, which will thankfully get somewhat better fuel mileage.

Dodge is certainly not the only automaker finding it tough to move large pickups off dealer lots. Both Ford and GM have placed large incentives on their pickups and Toyota, Nissan and Honda have or will shift truck production to passenger cars at plants capable of making the switch.

[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]

Click above for high-res gallery of the 2009 Dodge Ram

Dodge announced today that its redesigned 2009 Ram 1500 will be 20% more fuel efficient than the 2008 model it replaces. The new Ram's reduced appetite for fossil fuels can largely be attributed to the truck's new, more aerodynamic styling and a diet that results in 80 lbs. less of truck to haul around. More important, however, is the newly revised 5.7L HEMI V8, which gets a big boost in power from 345 hp to 380 hp and 375 ft-lbs. of torque to 404. Despite the strength training, Dodge engineers still expect up to a 20% gain in highway fuel economy. For instance, the 2008 Ram Quad Cab Laramie with the old 5.7L gets 15 city / 19 highway, while the 2009 model will get 23 mpg on the interstate, so says Dodge. We should point out that these gains will only be achieved while highway cruising, so we expect the 2009 model to remain in the mid-teens around the city where aerodynamics are largely irrelevant and stop-and-go driving leads to low miles per gallon. Still, what gains in fuel economy there are to be had are still impressive considering the HEMI's big bump, which was needed in power to keep the Ram competitive with its Detroit rivals and the Toyota Tundra. With sales of profitable full-size trucks falling fast on account of high gas prices, we bet every truck manufacturer will be touting their own fuel economy improvements, however small, in the coming year.


[Source: The Detroit News]

Click above for a high-res gallery of the 2009 Dodge Journey

Making a step towards a more fuel-efficient vehicle lineup, and reducing the number of overlapping vehicles between its brands, the plug has been pulled on a Chrysler-branded version of the 2009 Dodge Journey. Chrysler LLC will instead focus the resources on a Nissan-manufactured compact car.

While the automaker currently captures the bulk of its sales from light trucks and SUVs, Chrysler is trying to pare down its lineup significantly to cut costs. So far, they have cut four models. Moving forward, the Jeep Commander SUV is expected to be dropped next year, and the company has already said they were canceling the PT Cruiser Convertible. While the 2009 Dodge lineup gains the aforementioned Journey, Dodge Challenger, and a redesigned Dodge Ram pickup, Chrysler's product lineup for the next twelve months looks particularly bleak with nothing significantly new in the pipeline. Company officials are holding their breath for 2010, when the new Nissan-built compact, new Jeep Grand Cherokee, and redesigned Chrysler 300 sedans arrive.

[Source: Bloomberg]

You know those videos that sometimes automatically start playing when you visit automaker websites? You know how you usually click right past them? Sometimes, they're worth paying attention to. If you visit to the 2009 Dodge Ram website, you're treated to a tour of the truck by Ralph Gilles and Mark Allen. Before the design guys give their spiel, however, you get a very brief glimpse of a poster showing '09 Ram body styles and options/accessories. There, clear as day, is a shot of the forthcoming Ram R/T.

When the new Ram was initially unveiled, PickupTrucks.com confirmed that the R/T was indeed on the way. Word at the time was that the R/T would be a standard-cab, 4x2, short-bed truck with a HEMI, 5-speed auto, and a 4.10 rear axle ratio. As you can see in the photo at right, the truck gets a monochrome treatment (a la the Ram Sport), a deep chin spoiler, and a hood reminiscent of the one used on the Challenger R/T and SRT8. As PickupTrucks.com reported, expect the Ram R/T's powertrain combo to deliver a sub-7 second 0-60 time. It'll be interesting to see the R/T's marketplace reception, given that gas prices are likely to continue climbing for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for Chrysler, it's a less-than-perfect environment for welcoming a new performance-oriented truck. Nothing a little cash on the hood and a locked-in gas price can't fix, right? Thanks for the tip, David!

[Source: Dodge]

A tight credit market, slumping construction, an economy on bed rest, an end-of-model year, and high gas prices mean one thing for pickup trucks: lots of brand new trucks waiting for buyers. Dealers trying to shift their 2008 Dodge Rams before the 2009s arrive are taking as much as $13,000 off the bill to try and convince buyers to come forth. That means you can get a Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab SLT 4x2 for $19,995, instead of $32,795.

With consumers being more picky about what and when they buy, it also doesn't help that dealers really don't want trade-in trucks either, since they can't do anything with them. What Dodge dealers hope for now is that Chrysler will manage the build-out of the 2009 models to give them a chance to get rid of the 2008s. Chrysler says it has a plan that will keep it competitive and keep the changeover orderly. For now, the Ram is the most heavily discounted vehicle out there.

For a dealer in Ohio, the matter of 120-day inventories really comes down to gas prices. "Until we get gas under three bucks a gallon," he said, "these pickups are not going to move." We're sure that no one wants that to be true, because if it is, there will be brand new 2008 Rams on showroom lots for a long time.

[Source: Automotive News, sub req'd]

Click above to view more high-res sketches of rejected Rams

Chrysler is in the battle of its life to regain its competitiveness here in North America, and there is perhaps no vehicle more important to becoming profitable again than the 2009 Dodge Ram. The Pentastar put in a lot of elbow grease to get this truck just right, and the end result is improved power and efficiency, more storage, and a more refined look than the current truck. We like the design of the new Ram, but the production truck unveiled in Detroit was just one of many designs sketched by Chrysler artists.

Friend of Autoblog Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com got his hands on many of the designs that led to the Ram we'll see in showrooms this fall, and the sketches range from interesting to bizarre. If you take the photo above, for instance, you can see where Dodge was trying to conceptualize nifty storage solutions. The forward-leaning cross-hair grille and integrated bumper had already taken shape, too. Check out our gallery below that includes some exclusive pictures of rejected Rams, and visit PIckuptruck.com to see even more.


[Source: Pickuptruck]

There is a good reason to pay attention to those "Bridge May Be Icy" signs that are posted at nearly every overpass in the U.S., and the guy in the photo above would likely have died for ignoring the warning if it weren't for his Dodge Ram. The Ram's sturdy frame is the only thing standing between this lucky mother trucker and a 70 foot fall to the riverbed below. And the picture is the best argument we've seen to date against unibody pickups that would have slid right over the edge. Click here to see more pics of the Ram's high-wire balancing act.

[Source: Wrecked Exotics]