Diesel Rams to Be Sourced From Two Plants

Chrysler LLC will Divide Its Diesel-powered light-duty pickup production between two plants, but the auto maker is mum about where it will assemble its 2-mode hybrid pickup.

Production of diesel-powered Dodge Ram pickups, redesigned for '09, will take place at Chrysler's St. Louis North plant in Fenton, MO, and in Warren, MI, at the Dodge City complex.

But the capability exists to “go in either direction” for hybrid pickup production, says Frank Ewasyshyn, executive vice president-manufacturing.

Meanwhile, Chrysler says it is compelled to offer minimal incentives on the new truck because of the competitive climate in the fullsize pickup segment.

Chrysler will follow this year's Ram introduction with the 2009 debut of a diesel model. Vice Chairman and President Jim Press says the Cummins-brand mill will be a “very strong, advanced diesel.”

Sources tell Ward's it will have a displacement of 5.0L.

And in 2010, Chrysler will roll out a Ram that features the auto maker's 2-mode hybrid powertrain, Press says during an event to celebrate the market introduction of the new truck.

Developed with General Motors Corp., BMW AG and Daimler AG, which holds a minority stake in Chrysler, the 2-mode Ram will benefit from a fuel-economy boost of up to 30%, he says.

The system makes its Chrysler debut on hybrid versions of the '09 Dodge Durango and Chrysler Aspen fullsize SUVs. Those vehicles are built at Chrysler's plant in Newark, DE, which is scheduled to close next year, but the auto maker has said production could be accommodated elsewhere.

The same manufacturing flexibility that exists for hybrid Ram production also is true for Rambox, Ewasyshyn adds.

A marquee feature of the redesigned truck, Rambox is a dry, lockable storage space located within the sidewalls of the pickup's cargo bed. To the chagrin of some dealers, it will not be available at launch because it only can be built at St. Louis, which started production after Warren.

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