Dodge swung through Big D today showing off their newest Ram pickup (set to go on sale this fall) and a new Crossover Utility Vehicle, Journey.
Texas is Dodge’s No. 1 truck market and Dallas leads the way in Ram sales (with the “Rocket-heads” bringing up second). The folks at Dodge brought a preview of the 2009 Ram 1500 Crew Cab model for the automotive media March 12 at the Dallas Contemporary Museum of Art. As “video art” ran continuously on the adjoining walls, the Dodge truck team members on hand gave us a rundown of the significant changes being made to their half-ton pickup model.
Highlights include the all-new Crew Cab configuration, restyled front fascia taking design cues from the Charger line, new bed and tailgate design with Ram Box (lockable dry storage compartments in the bed rails), new rear suspension design utilizing multi-link coil spring design and outboard shock mounting along with a completely madeover interior.
And that great HEMI engine will boast more power than ever while bumping fuel economy up nearly 5 percent.
The Dodge Journey is arriving now in showrooms and is the first true CUV offered by the automaker. Journey is designed for the crowd that desires the functionality of a minivan but wants the driving experience of a sedan. Target customers include the “empty-nester” crowd (whose children have gotten married and started families of their own) and the 25-35 young family segment who need a vehicle to reflect their active lifestyles and growing family size.
Highlights of this new model include rear side doors that swing open 90 degrees, a third-row seat option for seating up to seven, available all-wheel-drive, standard three-row side curtain airbags and all of the latest electronic goodies including navigation and rear seat DVD.
Pricing starts at just under 20 grand and choice of four- or six-cylinder engine is offered.
AutoworldToday 