Spy Shot: 2011 Ram 1500 Hybrid uncloaked
08-29-10, 01:22 AM
#1
Spy Shot: 2011 Ram 1500 Hybrid uncloaked
Spy Shot: 2011 Ram 1500 Hybrid uncloaked
While recently shooting some cloaked Chrysler and Hyundai prototypes, Automotive Traveler's Rich Truesdell came across several completely undisguised Ram 1500 pickups the other day. As Rich tells it:
Upon closer examination, I figured out why: They are near-production-ready versions of the rumored 2-Mode Hybrid version. Judging by the complete lack of cloaking, I'd assume they are undergoing final validation, possibly to establish their published tow ratings. Don't be surprised if the Ram is an early-introduction 2012 model to reach showrooms in the spring.
We've talked about these hybrid pickups before, and if a schedule posted at Allpar is to be believed, Chrysler will kick off production of this new Ram 1500 Hybrid on November 16, so they may be badged as MY2011 Ram 1500 Hemi Hybrids and not MY2012 as Rich supposes. Either way, the hybrid Ram is expected to employ the same 5.7-liter Hemi V8, two-mode hybrid powertrain that was used in the short-lived Dodge Durango/Chrysler Aspen hybrids in 2008, backed by a transmission supplied to Chrysler by General Motors. Expected mileage ratings should be similar to GM's hybrid trucks, with a city number of about 21 to 22 mpg.
http://www.autoblog.com/2010/08/28/s...ybrid-spotted/
02-14-11, 08:17 PM
#4
Lead Lap
Join Date: Jun 2006
Location: MD
Posts: 4,511
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Cancelled. And maybe for good reason given Ecoboost is about the same.
http://green.autoblog.com/2011/02/11...-to-consumers/
Have you been waiting patiently for that long-promised hybrid Ram truck that Chrysler has supposedly been working on for the last several years? We have bad news for you: Speaking to PluginCars.com, Ram CEO Fred Diaz firmly put that notion on ice when he bluntly said, "Truckers don't want to buy hybrids."
We're not so sure truckers are anti hybrid more than they are not willing to cough up the necessary funds to bring meaningful hybrid technology to their pickups. Either way, General Motors' fullsize hybrid trucks have failed to set the market on fire, and there's little indication Chrysler's would either... unless the automaker was prepared to offer them at an extremely favorable price point, which seems unlikely.
At least for now, it seems that the only hybrid pickups Ram will be offering are the recently announced plug-in models that were developed using funds from a $48 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and a separate $5 million grant from the Canadian government. A total of 140 PHEV Rams will be offered to fleet customers within the next several months.
The good news for mileage-conscious buyers is that Diaz suggested other technologies from Fiat are likely to make their way to the Ram division at some point. Multiair and light-duty diesels sound like a good starting point...
We're not so sure truckers are anti hybrid more than they are not willing to cough up the necessary funds to bring meaningful hybrid technology to their pickups. Either way, General Motors' fullsize hybrid trucks have failed to set the market on fire, and there's little indication Chrysler's would either... unless the automaker was prepared to offer them at an extremely favorable price point, which seems unlikely.
At least for now, it seems that the only hybrid pickups Ram will be offering are the recently announced plug-in models that were developed using funds from a $48 million grant from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and a separate $5 million grant from the Canadian government. A total of 140 PHEV Rams will be offered to fleet customers within the next several months.
The good news for mileage-conscious buyers is that Diaz suggested other technologies from Fiat are likely to make their way to the Ram division at some point. Multiair and light-duty diesels sound like a good starting point...
Thread
Thread Starter
Forum
Replies
Last Post