Dodge: 10:50
I'm waiting on a Detroit Street in the middle of January in front of Cobo Arena, waiting for the new Chrysler management team to introduce a truck that none of them had anything to do with. An entire street is cleared out with secure barriers up to keep people on the outside, but more important, the barriers are meant to contain the longhorn bulls being herded down the street by cowboys and several new 2009 Dodge Ram pickup trucks. However, the problem is, as any good talk-show host will tell you, when the animals upstage the messengers. Several of the bulls seem slightly confused about the exact gender of the bulls in front of them and obligingly mount their friends in full view of an increasingly distracted viewing public, some of which are underage.
Needless to say, much of the message about this exceptionally well-done redesign of the new Dodge Ram, including many of it's segment-first problem-solving innovations, was lost in the bovine "friskiness." I appreciate that Dodge took a risk here and probably made quite a few insiders a little nervous. The front face is different from any other Dodge truck that's ever existed, but does bear a strong resemblance to its cousin Dodge Charger. And that's a good thing. There is some strong attitude there, and that's what Dodge needs to compete against the new Ford and Toyota. The new RamBox will be a huge hit with buyers, providing a huge amount of extra versatility to the truck, as well as providing fantastic neighbor-envy appeal; "Hey, Frank, does your truck have one of these?"
We also think Dodge did a nice job with the all-new crewcab model (something they didn't have before) that will finally address the fact they didn't offer four full-size doors in the half-ton configuration (last year's MegaCab 1500s were really on a 2500 platform). No question the Ford has done well to keep its territory protected, but the Dodge looks like it may have pushed the envelope just a tad further and we're guessing that will likely pay off with a bigger market percentage next year. And when they come out with the Hybrid 2-Mode version later in the first model year, that should bring even more buyers to the dealer lots (Chevy and Dodge will have the same Hybrid 2-Mode systems out at the same time). We'll let you know exactly how the first pickup with a live axle and coil springs drives and tows after we get our first chance to drive one.
General Motors: 11:25
Much of the GM press conference, as in many recent auto shows, was about emphasizing the manufacturer's acknowledgement of and support in alternative fuels to decrease our dependence on foreign oil. In this case, it was all about improving the make of and using of ethanol. Rick Wagoner spoke first, and then Mark LeNave introduced the concept Hummer HX. Some have called it the next Hummer (presumably the H4) designed to bring younger and less affluent buyers to the brand, which is a demographic sorely lacking at Hummer dealerships. The HX is a two-door, short-wheelbase, four-passenger desert runner that has a hint of Jeep Wrangler combined with a Trophy Truck Baja 1000 race truck. The engine is a high-feature V-6 that can run on ethanol or any other flex-fuel. The four-wheel independent chassis has huge ground clearance, tremendous approach and departure angles, and can be configured in a dozen different ways as the roof, fenders, and doors can all be removed, depending on how you want to play. If ever there was a dune buggy ready to scream across the North African desert with four Gen-Y hip-hopsters, this would be the vehicle. Regardless who it's designed for, or even who ends up buying it, it's what Hummer needs if it wants to be a legitimate brand that gives its buyers a full range of choices. Hummer is the Land Rover of GM. And as such, it'll have to do a better job with its image. An eco-friendly, bio-fuel V-6 small-fry just may be the way to do it. Also to that end, Hummer also announced that in less than two years, all its vehicles H2, H3, and presumably this one will all offer a bio-fuel option, which should include a diesel as well. Stay tuned.
Got into a bit of a row at lunch time with another journalist who thought it was stupid that Ford should offer a Platinum level with more luxury appointments than any real truck owner should ever want. To a point I agree, but I still wondered out loud why no one ever gets upset at car companies for offering luxury sedans when they offer base model sedans that serve the same purpose. I suppose comparing a car and truck buyers (as well as how and why they purchase vehicles) doesn't really make sense, but I wasn't sure this particular journalist knew that. Not sure why I decided to poke a stick in there, but it didn't help much for friend-making quota for the day. Why is it that it's okay for cars to be refined, but some people want to keep the stereotypes of the unrefined truck buyer slotted in his cubbyhole? Guess I just wanted to defend that there are a lot of different types of pickup buyers out there; maybe many more kinds than there are car buyers.
Mercedes-Benz: 12:00
Missed this one, but heard the GLK showed up. Suppose to be a small GL, but the proportions seem a bit out of whack. Will have to take a closer look when we get one in-house.
Photos by: Melissa Spiering