Chrysler is apparently still trying to iron out some of the kinks in its new pickup naming structure. The company recently decided to separate its popular line of pickups from the rest of the Dodge fleet by putting them under the Ram banner. The only problem is not every vehicle in the Pentastar pickup family has a history of boasting a billy goat on the hood. Example? Look no further than the successor to the Dakota throne. According to PickupTrucks.com, Chrysler is currently struggling to find a suitable nomenclature for the mid-size pickup.
So far, an early front runner is the Ram 100, though going with that system may mean that the Ram trucks will undergo yet another name change. Chrysler may shift its pickups from the 1500, 2500 and 3500 system it now uses to a 100, 150, 250 and 350 structure. There is some precedent for this tack, as Dodge employed the triple-digit badges for its 1981-1993 trucks.
Name-calling aside, we do know a little about the Dakota successor. Pickuptrucks.com says that the vehicle may be a unibody creation based on the bones of the new Jeep Grand Cherokee. With the death of the Ford Ranger on our shores, Chrysler may be hoping to position itself as the sole company with a genuinely new small-truck offering. Sounds good to us no matter what you call it.
UPDATE: David Eslhoff, head of media relations for the Ram brand, has stepped forward to officially deny that the company is considering changing the naming convention of its trucks. Elshoff tells us,
Yesterday afternoon an automotive blog, citing two unnamed sources, claimed that Chrysler Group was considering a name change for its Ram pickup trucks.
Rest assured, such is not the case.
There have been no discussions whatsoever, nor any consideration given to changing the names of our incredibly successful and award-winning Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks nor our 3500, 4500 and 5500 Ram Chassis Cab trucks.
[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]
Sign in to post
Please sign in to leave a comment.
Continue