[scott cornett]

I thought they was working on a baby ram??

 

[scott cornett]

I think one of the main problems with the Dakota was the fuel mileage wasn't that different than the Ram 1500 with the same motor.
I still wonder what a Dakota 1997-2004 fuel mileage would be with the new 8sp transmission & 2.4L & 3.6L.
The 2006 on newer fat fender edgy look just destroyed a cool truck.

I still wonder what if they rounded the fenders even more on the 2004 to share the PT cruiser headlights and some of the grill at the time. PT pickup. Plus small enough to have the 2.4L but big enough to offer the 4.7L.
It would have been cool too if they offered the VM 2.5L for the 2wd & 2.8L for the 4dr & 4x4. If the 2.5L crd wasn't clean enough for diesel use, what about CNG use?
But that never happened so it's their loss that they killed it.
Would have been nice chassis cab small truck. Replacing Toyota Dolphin motor homes. 1 ton Dakota with VM2.8Lcrd chassis cab.

I don't know why they just don't stick a bed on the new durango and call it a dakota offer reg cab ..3.6 /8 speed!

 

[scott cornett]

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2013/05/spy-photos-us-bound-chevy-colorado.html wow! that looks pretty big!

 

[scott cornett]

Seven-seat Ranger-based SUV caught testing in Melbourne.



http://images.smh.com.au/2013/05/09/4258954/mule_729-620x349.jpg


The dakota needs a reg cab about the size of this!

http://images.trucknsale.com/pictures/71645325.jpg


i always thought that was one of the reasons the 2005+ dakotas did not sell as well because they never offer a reg cab.

 

[scott cornett]

A new report brings grim tidings for midsize pickup fans: Ram doesn’t have any immediate plans to field a successor to the Dakota.

As recently as last summer, Chrysler had suggested that it might seek to lure in younger buyers with an inexpensive, fuel-efficient small pickup marketed under its Ram truck division. The automaker was rumored to be considering a unibody platform as the basis for the new truck.

However, Ram CEO Reid Bigland revealed in a recent interview with Car and Driver that the brand isn’t currently moving to develop a smaller sibling for the Ram 1500.

Though he voiced praise for the “theory” behind mid-size pickups, Bigland stated that the business case for developing a modern example with significantly better mileage than today’s increasingly fuel-thrifty full-size trucks simply doesn’t add up, especially factoring in the necessity of a base price below $22,000.

In the course of the wide-ranging interview, Bigland also touched on several new details pertaining to Ram’s upcoming ProMaster City compact van. Because the brand is currently focusing on several critical product launches – including its full-size ProMaster Van, its HD pickups and the Ram 1500 diesel – the ProMaster City won’t arrive in dealerships for another 18-24 months.

When it does finally make it to these shores, the Fiat Doblo-based van will be offered as a passenger hauler in addition to the previously-announced commercial model – which makes good sense, as all ProMaster City be imported to the U.S. with rear seats to avoid being hit with the “chicken tax.”
Read more at http://www.leftlanenews.com/new-midsize-pickup-not-in-rams-plans.html#6zfrZRjATPKBD7U7.99

 

[scott cornett]

And yet there's one in the product plan.

Really/....i thought that was the Wrangler truck?

 

[scott cornett]

Without directly ruling out a mid-size Ram, the CEO goes on to explain how building a modern mid-size truck, complete with all of the safety gear required and enough of a fuel-economy improvement relative to full-size rigs, and to price it below $22,000, is extremely difficult. Mix in the fact that Ram doesn’t readily have access to a small- or mid-size pickup platform—at least not one that’s U.S.-friendly—and the company won’t be fielding such a vehicle anytime soon.



What the hell?? if toyota can do it i know ram can... hell a reg cab 2wd tacoma starts off at 18k and gets 24-25 mpg