Happy anniversary, Auto Trends!
Most of all, thank you to all of my readers who have found this site and continue to follow my many updates.
I launched Auto Trends about a year ago, wanting to do something for it that I wasn’t doing on my flagship The Auto Writer site: concentrate on the many concept vehicles being considered for production as well as to follow the changing trends in this industry.
When I set out in April 2008, gas prices were rising but I had no idea that they would soon top four dollars a gallon and stay there for several months. That move had a devastating effect on the auto industry as car buyers largely abandoned big pickup trucks and sport/utility vehicles, deciding that cars like the Ford Focus, Smart Fortwo, Toyota Prius and Chevy Cobalt XFE were more to their liking.
In September the stock market collapsed, sending a tsunami like shockwave through the auto industry that sent sales plummeting and hastened the financial collapse of General Motors and Chrysler. By the end of 2008, both automakers were recipients of government aid while the Ford Motor Company managed to avoid needing help.
Today, General Motors and Chrysler are still struggling for their lives with additional federal funding coming. Chrysler may yet hook up with Fiat while GM will probably cede dominance in the US market to Ford and Toyota. Brands such as Saab, Hummer, Saturn and Pontiac may soon vanish while Chinese manufacturer Brilliance and Indian manufacturer Mahindra begin to sell their first passenger vehicles later this year.
Going forward, it is difficult to say what the future holds but of note are the many new hybrid and pure electric cars coming to market. Tesla Motors is a tiny player in the mix as will be Fisker Automotive, but Nissan, Honda, Toyota, Ford and a handful of other companies will be behind the biggest shift in production that most of us will have seen in our lifetime: energy efficient and environmentally vehicles are here.
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Above all, thank you once again for your support and I look forward to following the many auto trends unfolding over the next twelve months with you.
“This is the continuation of the reinvention of our Dodge Ram lineup,” said Mike Accavitti, Director – Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep Brands. “Over the past five years, Dodge has gained market share in the heavy-duty pickup segment, and to stay on that track, Dodge keeps innovating. Our new 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups will continue to build on our momentum.”
If you’re in Chicago this week and have a chance to stop in at the Chicago Auto Show, then check out Dodge’s new fleet of crew sized heavy duty pickup trucks. For the first time ever, Dodge is offering a line of ultimate duty pickup trucks for crews, six passenger vehicles which can haul people while carrying a lot of stuff in its bed.
“Our new 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 pickups continue to build on Dodge Ram’s leadership in the Heavy-Duty pickup segment,” said Scott Kunselman, Vice President – Jeep®/Truck Product Team, Chrysler LLC. “Our Ram Heavy-Duty pickups reinforce Dodge Ram’s bold and powerful reputation, and provide improved capability in critical areas of the segment.”
The new 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 are designed to deliver a total package:
- Increased Gross Vehicle Weight Rating (GVWR) on 2500 4×4 crew cab diesel models to 9,600 lbs. from 9,000 lbs.
- Increased Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) on 3500 dually models with diesel, auto transmission and 4.10 rear axle to 25,400 lbs. from 24,000 lbs.
- Increased Gross Combined Weight Ratings (GCWR) on 3500 4×2 models to 24,000 lbs. from 23,000 lbs.
- Increased front Gross Axle Weight Ratings (GAWR) on several models:
- To 5,500 lbs. from 5,200 lbs. on diesel 4×4 pickups
- To 5,000 lbs. from 4,700 lbs. on diesel 4×2 pickups
Suspension upgrades and larger front axle U-joints, combined with increased front GAWR, result in increased front-weight carrying capability – a must for larger snowplows.
“We brought some of the best design cues from our Dodge Ram 1500 to the new 2010 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty, yet we set the 2500 and 3500 pickups apart from our light-duty trucks,” said Ralph Gilles, Vice President – Design. “The ‘big-rig’ styling is even more pronounced, with the classic Dodge look that conveys bold, powerful and capable.”
Following are more than 25 safety and security features available on new 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy-Duty pickups:
- Anti-lock Brake System (ABS): Senses and prevents wheel lockup, offering improved steering control under extreme braking and/or slippery conditions
- Advanced multi-stage air bags: Uses either an Occupant Classification System or a Low-risk Deployment Air Bag for the front passenger
- BeltAlert: Periodically activates a chime and illuminates an icon in the instrument cluster to remind the driver and front passenger to buckle up if a vehicle is driven without the driver being properly belted
- Brake/Park interlock: Prevents an automatic transmission or transaxle from being shifted out of Park unless the brake pedal is applied
- Child-protection rear door locks: Disables the rear doors’ inside-release handle via a small lever on the door-shut face
- Constant-Force Retractors (CFR): Distribute force or load exerted on a seat belt, and then gradually releases the seat-belt webbing in a controlled manner
- Crumple zones: Designed to compress during an accident in order to absorb energy from an impact, decreasing transfer of that energy to occupants
- Electronic brake force distribution: Adjusts braking pressure front to rear, based on weight distribution of passengers and cargo, to minimize brake dive during hard braking
- Energy-absorbing steering column: The manual-adjust steering column utilizes two hydro-formed coaxial tubes that move relative to each other in order to allow the column to move forward for enhanced energy absorption during a crash. The power-adjust steering column employs a calibrated bending element that deforms during column stroke for optimal energy management
- Enhanced Accident Response System (EARS): Makes it easier for emergency personnel to see and reach occupants in the event of an accident by turning on the interior lighting and unlocking doors after air bag deployment. Also shuts off the flow of fuel to the engine
- Height-adjustable seat belts: Allows occupants to raise and lower the shoulder belt. Encourages seat-belt usage by offering a more comfortable fit
- HomeLink universal home security system transceiver: Stores three separate transmitter radio-frequency codes to operate garage-door openers, security gates, security lighting or other radio-controlled devices
- Interior head-impact protection: Interior pillars above the beltline and instrument panel, including areas around windshield and rear window headers, roof and side-rail structures, and shoulder-belt turning loops specifically designed to limit head-impact force
- Knee bolsters: The lower instrument panel and the glove box door are designed to properly position the occupant, enabling air bags to work effectively
- Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren (LATCH) Child Seat Anchor System: Designed to ease installation of compatible aftermarket child seats
- Low-risk deployment air bag: Front-passenger air bag that uses unique shape, venting, folding patterns, advanced inflators or a combination of these four technologies to position and inflate the restraint properly for a belted passenger, while also meeting federal safety requirements for out-of-position, small occupants and rear-facing infant seats. Occupants are advised to always sit properly in their seats with the seat belt fastened. Children 12 years old and younger should always be seated in the back seat correctly using an infant or child restraint system, or have the seat belt positioned correctly for their age and weight
- Parksense® Rear Park Assist System: Assists at low speeds in Reverse to detect stationary objects. Consists of visible (interior lights seen with rearview mirror) and audible warnings for the driver
- Power-adjustable pedals: Allows brake, accelerator and clutch (if equipped) pedals to move toward or away from the driver in order to achieve a safe and comfortable seating position for improved vehicle control
- Remote Keyless Entry: Locks and unlocks doors, and turns on interior lamps. If the vehicle is equipped with a vehicle-theft security alarm, the remote also arms and disarms that system
- Seat-belt pretensioners: During a collision, the impact sensors initiate front seat-belt pretensioners to immediately remove slack, thereby reducing the forward movement of the occupants’ heads and torsos
- Sentry Key® engine immobilizer: Utilizes an engine key that has an embedded transponder with a pre-programmed security code to discourage vehicle theft. When the key is inserted into the ignition, the controller sends a random number to the transponder and the engine is allowed to start. If an incorrect key is used, the engine will shut off after a few seconds
- Standard side-curtain air bags: Extends protection to all outboard front- and rear-seat passengers. Each side air bag has its own impact sensor in order to autonomously trigger the air bag on the side where an impact occurs
- Supplemental side air bags: Provide enhanced protection to the driver and front outboard passenger in certain impacts. Each side air bag has its own impact sensor which autonomously triggers the air bag on the side where the impact occurs. Supplemental side air bags are housed within the outboard side of each front seat
- Three-point seat belts: Front outboard seating positions and all rear seating positions in the Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy-Duty pickups have lap and shoulder belts
- Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPM): Informs driver when tire pressure is too low. SLT and Laramie systems display actual tire pressure at each wheel. Pressure-sensor modules within the valve stems of all four road wheels send continuous radio-frequency signals to a receiver and the system (2500 only)
- uconnect phone: Uses Bluetooth technology to provide voice-controlled wireless communication between the occupants’ compatible mobile phone and the vehicle’s onboard receiver. The hands-free option promotes safety, freedom, value and flexibility
Source: Chrysler LLC
Commentary | Matt, 4 Apr 09 | 
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