Dodge Announces 1/2 ton Diesel Pickup

Ooooo goody! Lots of valuable parts!
 
Took them pretty long to figure that one out.

I already hear the whining: Oh how can they use an italian engine on a american truck blablaba.
 
Still no manual transmission though :( I wonder if those will ever make a comeback?
 
Probably not other than sports cars. There are a few companies that still offer manuals in most everything- Subaru is one.

Thing is that it used to be the MPG in a manual was always better than the auto but now that's reversed and the automatics of today are a lot better. I don't know about Dodge, but I know all of Fords new trucks have 6-speed automatics, as does most of the car line up.
 
RotorAndWing said:
Here in South East Asia you can buy diesels in about any car or truck you want. Diesel fuel is also cheaper than gasoline.
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And they have the worlds worst air quality.

The last time I was in Singapore and HongKong they smelled like a diesel exhaust pipe.
 
Tom-D said:
The last time I was in Singapore and HongKong they smelled like a diesel exhaust pipe.
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That's better than India...it smells like a different exhaust pipe.
 
Tom-D said:
And they have the worlds worst air quality.

The last time I was in Singapore and HongKong they smelled like a diesel exhaust pipe.
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You and me both, but that was a while ago. Kaloon side had the best bars. :yes:
 
I want one of the new ProMaster vans. Wonder how it will compare to a Sprinter?
 
That Italian diesel engine isn't the worst thing ever built. As the article says, Chrysler and VM Motori have been working together for a long time, mostly in Chrysler's European products - think Jeep Grand Cherokee turbo diesel that you see many of over there.

Modern diesels are much better on emissions than older diesels, but there's no question that we have better air quality with our gasoline engines. When driving in France with a diesel Focus we did get good mileage, but my throat hurt after spending all day on a highway where everyone else also had diesels.

I'm glad to see someone making this step.
 
I looked at taking on Mahindra at our dealership a few years ago, I saw two major problems:
1. It is a butt ugly truck with absolutely no styling that I thought Americans would buy.
2. The guy that was the distributor in North America has a "colorful" history in the car business. Ethics was not his strong suit, in my personal opinion.
:dunno:
Geico266 said:
After 2013 all 3/4 & 1 ton pick trucks are required to have a urea system to clean the catalytic converters to improve emission qualities.

Anyone remember the VW Rabbit diesel pickup? 40 mpg

Mahendra makes a nice 1/2 ton that is very popular around the world, but cannot be imported here due to politics. They get exceptional mileage and run clean. 35MPH.

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/07/11/mahindra-gives-up-altogether-on-small-diesel-pickup-for-u-s/
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us AAirways said:
Still no manual transmission though :( I wonder if those will ever make a comeback?
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I'd say the days of shifting gears in a truck are pretty much over. :mad2: The popularity of manual transmissions has declined to such a small level even in small cars that they are less than 10% of sales in sub compact cars. The fuel mileage and towing capacity is as good or better with the new automatics that it's not worth producing both transmissions for the manufacturers. :dunno:
 
N747JB said:
I looked at taking on Mahindra at our dealership a few years ago, I saw two major problems:
1. It is a butt ugly truck with absolutely no styling that I thought Americans would buy.
2. The guy that was the distributor in North America has a "colorful" history in the car business. Ethics was not his strong suit, in my personal opinion.
:dunno:
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The article says "Due to the current US regulatory environment....". What regs are they referring to? Any ideas?
 
Probably the California air board certification and urea injection requirements.
 
The decline of manual transmissions is perhaps the saddest thing for me. I haven't found an automatic I like, and love manuals. I guess I'm stuck buying old cars.

Sometimes one can make technological improvements that don't improve visceral qualities.
 
My problem is I tend to rip automatic transmissions to shreds. Plus I don't like the hit in mileage of an automatic.
 
cowman said:
Probably not other than sports cars. There are a few companies that still offer manuals in most everything- Subaru is one.

Thing is that it used to be the MPG in a manual was always better than the auto but now that's reversed and the automatics of today are a lot better. I don't know about Dodge, but I know all of Fords new trucks have 6-speed automatics, as does most of the car line up.
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Not to mention more pulling power with the automatic than manual. I had to go with automatic in my Ranger in order to pull my boat. The manual was rated much lower for the same engine.
 
this might make a nice replacement for ol' blue in a few years. it would be nice to drive into a cut wheat field without concern for lighting it on fire.
 
Tony you need an old F-350 PowerStroke.
 
uh. no. at least 3 reasons:

1: Ford
2: i only need enough power to pull my glider trailer. even the 1/2 ton diesel is more power than i need.
3: Ford
 
Reasons you should buy an old F-350:

1) Ford
2) Will get better mileage than Ol' Blue by a good margin
3) Ford
4) Significantly cheaper than the new truck
5) New truck is a Dodge (not Ford)
6) Ford

I have 6 to your 3.
 
Well here is some good news Ted, its another smaller Diesel engine to look at converting...
 
Skylane81E said:
Well here is some good news Ted, its another smaller Diesel engine to look at converting...
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Yeah, the VM Motori diesels are pretty lightweight relatively speaking. At 240 HP it'd fit that realm of a 182 pretty well, but real gap to be filled is the 300+ HP range.
 
Geico266 said:
The article says "Due to the current US regulatory environment....". What regs are they referring to? Any ideas?
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The importer/distributor made a lot of promises to dealers that the factory couldn't or wouldn't deliver on. I am pretty sure the regulatory issue was EPA and possibly crash test results. It's a third world looking truck, in my experience people don't buy ugly trucks unless they do something extremely well, either low price, fuel economy or towing capacity. I think the biggest issue was the distributor, he was the type that could work the crowd and made a lot of promises. I know of 3 or 4 guys that lost between $150-200K on buying a franchise that never materialized,:mad2: glad I passed. :yes:
 
Ted DuPuis said:
That Italian diesel engine isn't the worst thing ever built. As the article says, Chrysler and VM Motori have been working together for a long time, mostly in Chrysler's European products - think Jeep Grand Cherokee turbo diesel that you see many of over there..
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I believe the jeep liberty CRD and the older grand cherokees (pre mercedes involvement) sold in the US had VM mottori engines.
 
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You can get a 2wd ram with the Hemi for around $25k. A Challenger with the Hemi is $40k. Crazy!
 
Alexb2000 said:
Exactly, how about the proven 4bt, perfect for a 1/2 ton, and people would actually want the truck just for the engine.
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That is exactly why I bought a 99 Dodge 2500 brand new. I still have it, along with my 1500 Ram. The 99 has 300,000 miles on it and runs as good as the day I picked it up. Burns no oil, and gets 21mpg. Try that with a Ferd. ;)

I bought the Cummins engine, and they threw a Dodge truck in so I could move it.

It is nice to see the truck makers going in the opposite direction of building pickups that tow 30,000 pounds and get 15 MPG. I need a light duty truck that gets 30 MPG and can haul 15,000.
 
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Geico266 said:
That is exactly why I bought a 99 Dodge 2500 brand new. I still have it, along with my 1500 Ram. The 99 has 300,000 miles on it and runs as good as the day I picked it up. Burns no oil, and gets 21mpg. Try that with a Ferd. ;)

I bought the Cummins engine, and they threw a Dodge truck in so I could move it.

It is nice to see the truck makers going in the opposite direction of building pickups that tow 30,000 pounds and get 15 MPG. I need a light duty truck that gets 30 MPG and can haul 15,000.
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You'd be surprised at the 300,000 mile 7.3's still on the road, heck my neighbor has a 2004 with a 6.0 that is over 300,000 miles. :D To you point if Dodge had built a decent truck to go with the Cummins engine, they would have owned the market, I'm glad they didn't. ;)
But, mileage is getting better in trucks, gas and diesel, the new Fords, 2015 are supposed to get 4-5 MPG more than current trucks! It's going to be a long time before we see a REAL 30 MPG in a full size truck with great towing capacity, but it's coming.;)
 
Too bad that the premium now on Diesel fuel eats up all the fuel $$$ savings. When you combine that with the purchase and service cost premiums, Diesels are now a loser economically. :(
 
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