Autoblog

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]

Media days of the Detroit Auto Show have come and gone, and we've done our best to provide you with plenty of pics and updates of all the significant debuts during North America's biggest auto show. We scoured through all the new concepts and world debuts to give you our five most significant new products at NAIAS. Click on the video above to view the Autoblog Five, and be sure to give us your top five all-new concepts and world debuts after the jump.

The Dodge Ram is a game changer for Chrysler, with lots of new storage options, a heavily upgraded interior, available coil-sprung rear suspension and up to four more MPG than the outgoing model. We've already detailed the excitement of Chrysler's unique introduction of the new Ram, but we figured you'd like to see video of the action, as well. Only Chrysler would march 115 head of cattle up a street in downtown Detroit to welcome its new pickup. They appear on screen with about 2:00 left. Keep your eye on the herd in the background too, they get ornery and a couple can be seen crowd surfing. Check out Jim Press in his first big press conference on the Chrysler payroll, as well. He looks like a Pentastar lifer.

Click image for a hi-res gallery of the Ram reveal preparations

The official introduction of the 2009 Dodge Ram is still almost a half-hour away, but preparations for the cattle stampede that will herald the truck's arrival appear to be going exactly as planned. Tucked out of sight in a downtown Detroit parking lot-turned-corral are 115 head of longhorn cattle that came all the way from Oklahoma for the event. As you can see, they're fine-looking critters, and according to the wranglers babysitting them, they're also as friendly as can be. They just don't smell too great. But hey, get 100-plus steer in one place and there'll be no shortage of BS.

Also on hand with our animal friends are a trio of 2009 Rams. They're disguised, but we managed to get peeks of different elements as the trucks were readied for their big moment. We'll have photos and video of the reveal and press conference a little later, but until then, we've got these pregame pics to tide you over.

click above for 83 high-res images of the 2009 Dodge Ram

Since both The New York Times and AllPar.com have already broken the embargo, we don't mind telling you all you need to know about the 2009 Dodge Ram. The look is as aggressive as a Ram should be, but slippier through the air than past models. Instead of upping the ante with an even larger grille, Dodge designers instead tipped the angle of the grille forward to impart the face of their truck with a solid presence. Another interesting styling touch is molding the rear bumper around the two chrome tipped tailpipes instead of having the pipes just poke out beneath.

Mechanically speaking, the '09 Ram comes ready to play with a new 5.7L HEMI V8 with 380 HP and 404 ft.-lb. of torque (the Toyota Tundra's 5.7L V8 produces 381 HP and 401 ft.-lb. of torque for comparison's sake). There's also a 4.7L V8 available with 310 HP and 330 ft.-lb. of torque and a 3.7L V6 making 215 HP and 235 ft.-lb. of torque. Transmissions include a six-speed manual and four- and five-speed automatics, and gear ratios run from 3.21 to 3.55 to 3.92 to 4.10. When optimally configured, the new Ram can sprint to 60 MPH in a mere 7 seconds. Snappy for a full-size truck, wouldn't you say?

More after the jump, including the 2009 Dodge Ram's official rap sheet and 83 high-res images in our gallery below.

While the big news story surrounding 2007 sales is that Toyota passed Ford as the No. 2 best-selling automaker in the U.S. last year, there were plenty of interesting battles happening between individual models, as well. The truck segment, though shrinking, is still the most competitive in the U.S. market, and 2007 saw the most serious challenge yet to the domestics' market dominance with the introduction of the 2007 Toyota Tundra.

While the F-Series pickup retained its title of Best-Selling Truck for the 31st year in a row (also the Best-Selling Vehicle in the U.S. for the 26th year in a row), its sales fell 13.2% to 690,589. And to think, the F-Series' best-selling year ever was just three years ago in 2004 when it sold 939,511 units. Give the F-Series credit, however, for retaining its No. 1 position despite a brand new Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra on the market. GM's new GMT900 trucks did help the automaker mitigate a similar sales slide, with sales falling only 2.8% to 618,257 for the Silverado and 1.2% to 208,243 for the Sierra in 2007. The Dodge Ram also did well despite the shrinking market, with sales off just 2% at 358,295.

The Toyota Tundra, however, is the story the year...

Follow the jump for more analysis and the raw sales numbers for trucks sold in the U.S. last year.

[Sources: Ford, GM, Chrysler LLC, Toyota, Nissan]