Sometimes I wonder what they are thinking....

[Clay]

Uh.....yeah. There's no "why" in that statement.

Yeah, but your statement was wrong. They didn't drop the Dodge name. They made the trucks into their own brand. Pretty big difference.

 

[HoughMade]

Yeah, but your statement was wrong. They didn't drop the Dodge name. They made the trucks into their own brand. Pretty big difference.

I can't figure out why they dropped the Dodge name FROM THE TRUCKS....which is what the thread is about in the first place.

I suppose I should have been more specific....for some reason.

 

[cromus]

I always liked the stockier look to the Dogdge trucks. My F-I-L drove one a couple different ones that had very imposing grills. I'm not quite sure what style they're going for on the one in the OP, but I don't like it. The chromeless areas near the headlights looks really out of place. I prefer the ram logo opposed to the word as well. Was the hope to have it look more sporty like the ford fuzions?

Don't get me started on the Jeeps. I really feel they're trying to soften them up to reach a larger demo. If it's working for them, good. I can't afford one so I'm clearly not their market. I really like the Jeep Loredos (sp). They have a nice strong stance to them and are quite nice on the interior. I don't think I could drive a Wrangler as a daily driver.

 

[devious169]

gotta be one of the ugliest trucks ive seen. cant wait to see if cummins and Nissan actually start to produce the titan for the general public.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Well, that a reason. I wonder if that spawned any litigation from Dodge dealers who now have to compete with Chrysler dealers to sell trucks. Actually, if they were smart (which is probable) they waited to add the Ram to Chrysler dealers in a given area until the local Dodge dealer's franchise agreement was up for renewal and the agreement contained some interesting new clauses.

That, along with marketing were the reasons. Chrysler had been trying to figure something out for years, this was not an out of the blue decision. I don't know if being bought out gave them some legal protections to move forward or if it was just the impetus to finally move.

I doubt Dodge's franchise holders were guaranteed any particular vehicle. You get whatever Dodge makes. Nissan quit making a van when they dropped the Quest, so Nissan dealers no longer had a van to sell. Dodge dealers would be in the same boat unless they bought a Ram franchise. If that's something you can sue for or not is well outside my wheelhouse, but I didn't hear of any lawsuits. I only know a hand full of people that are still in the business, though, so that's far from conclusive.

On the marketing side, Chrysler had an identity crisis, just like GM. They had "badge engineered" their cars to the point there was no differentiation. A Plymouth of a Dodge were the same car, just with different badges, just like Pontiac and Chevy on the GM side. In the early 2000's the only reason to have a Chrysler dealership was for the Town & Country van. They tried to fix it with some one-of cars like the Plymouth Prowler, but that just confused the issue even more. Is Plymouth the luxury brand or the sporty brand? If it's the sporty brand, what's Dodge? Of course Plymouth is dead now, but the goal back then was to end up with Dodge being the sporty car, Chrysler being the luxury car, and Plymouth being the midlevel brand. They've still continued that idea, apparently, positioning Dodge as the performance brand and Chrysler as the upscale brand. A pickup truck doesn't really fit with the image they are pushing for Dodge. So, they get to kill two birds with one stone.

BTW, Viper was going to be its own brand as well for awhile, but that got nixed. Keeping it under the Dodge name plate bolstered Dodge as the performance brand, and I'm guessing such a low volume car didn't interest many dealers in picking up a franchise for the Viper alone.

 

[lovemachine]

I always liked the stockier look to the Dogdge trucks. My F-I-L drove one a couple different ones that had very imposing grills. I'm not quite sure what style they're going for on the one in the OP, but I don't like it. The chromeless areas near the headlights looks really out of place. I prefer the ram logo opposed to the word as well. Was the hope to have it look more sporty like the ford fuzions?

Don't get me started on the Jeeps. I really feel they're trying to soften them up to reach a larger demo. If it's working for them, good. I can't afford one so I'm clearly not their market. I really like the Jeep Loredos (sp). They have a nice strong stance to them and are quite nice on the interior. I don't think I could drive a Wrangler as a daily driver.

Why can't you daily drive a Wrangler? I've been doing so for the last 10 years...

 

[rhino]

Why can't you daily drive a Wrangler? I've been doing so for the last 10 years...

. . . when it's not snowing.

 

[lovemachine]

. . . when it's not snowing.

Quiet you!

 

[actaeon277]

Just had to share this.... I'm not sure what's going on at RAM, but it needs to stop. They took the best looking RAM ever and slapped that crap on the front of it...




Not to mention the rear.... R A M No pic of that, the front broke my camera...

I could be wrong, but isn't that added stuff supposed to be for mpg? To try to meet ever increasing mpg requirements?

 

[tbhausen]

Can't say I mind that front end at all.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I could be wrong, but isn't that added stuff supposed to be for mpg? To try to meet ever increasing mpg requirements?

Nah, just marketing. They are trying to differentiate RAM from Dodge in increments. The "crosshair" grill is Dodge's. I'm really surprise the Ram's Head emblem hasn't been used more liberally on the new pickup trucks. Instead they seem to be concentrating on lettering. The Ram Rebel looks cool, but with the giant R A M across the back tailgate...meh.

I once rode with a guy who had taken one of the old school Ram hood ornaments, had it drilled and tapped, and used it as the "ball" for his manual shift transmission. With the horns on the top it fit the hand really well and looked really cool.

 

[WebSnyper]

Nah, just marketing. They are trying to differentiate RAM from Dodge in increments. The "crosshair" grill is Dodge's. I'm really surprise the Ram's Head emblem hasn't been used more liberally on the new pickup trucks. Instead they seem to be concentrating on lettering. The Ram Rebel looks cool, but with the giant R A M across the back tailgate...meh.

I once rode with a guy who had taken one of the old school Ram hood ornaments, had it drilled and tapped, and used it as the "ball" for his manual shift transmission. With the horns on the top it fit the hand really well and looked really cool.

The Ford Raptors, the Toyota Tundra & 4 Runner TRD Pro's, and others seem to be focusing on lettering and very pronounced front ends. Seems that they are all following a similar script.

 

[IndyDave1776]

Not my cup-o-tea either but it's better than...

Introducing...the 2015 Jeep Fugly!

 

[BehindBlueI's]

Introducing...the 2015 Jeep Fugly!

I don't care for the color, but we looked at a dark gray one and I liked it. The interior is nice and the handling is much better than I expected. We ended up getting a Chrysler 200 Sport, though.

 

[Bfish]

I think the new jeeps are ugly too! But I also thought all Jeeps were Wranglers? Then the rest were well...

 

[IndyDave1776]

I think the new jeeps are ugly too! But I also thought all Jeeps were Wranglers? Then the rest were well...

That's good. We wouldn't want them to be sick!

 

[Ruffnek]

I know I'm just a redneck kid, but I'm seeing a great spot to locate a pair of KC Daylighters in that grille.

 

[BehindBlueI's]

I know I'm just a redneck kid, but I'm seeing a great spot to locate a pair of KC Daylighters in that grille.

I thought about air intakes for turbos...

 

[mikebol]

I see an after market grill in this guys future ... and some de-badging on the tailgate. That thing is awful looking and I drive an 07 Dodge RAM.

 

[zippy23]

i always thought it was funny that a car brand was named "Dodge". Always makes me think of the car's brakes or steering going out and the person driving freaking out honking the horn so people can dodge the runaway car. funny