Chrysler holds steady on Ram launch
Though sales of pickups have slowed to a trickle, Chrysler has no plans to pull the reins on the launch of its new Ram pickup.
Pickup sales fell 38 percent in May, according to the Associated Press, as gas prices approached $4 per gallon and buyers of work trucks reeled in spending due to the slow real estate market.
Because of the slow market, Ford said today it would delay launching its redesigned 2009 F-150 pickup by about two months, hoping to reduce inventory of the 2008 model. The vehicle is made in Kansas City and Dearborn, Mich.
Chrysler, however, said it hopes to seize on the slumping market by releasing the company’s “best truck ever,” said Stuart Schoor, a company spokesman.
“(The vehicle) gives us optimism that we’ll have the best ammunition to fight back slowing pickup market sales - a new product with all new features,” Schoor told the Post-Dispatch today.
The pickup, scheduled to launch this fall, will be produced in Fenton and Warren, Mich.
Is it a close copy of the Toyota Tundra? If it’s not, they should even waste their time & money. The Tundra, a Japanese make, won hand-over-fist in the NHTSA safety crash tests vs. all its domestic competition. In fact, it won an award from the agency for its safety performance. Furthermore, Motor Trend named it “Truck of the Year” because of its superior features, quality, and performance compared to its competition. The Japanese have given the American consumer a very strong reason to buy their product. What truck would you trust your life in?
Correction to my post above - the Tundra won an award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), not the NHTSA.