Ram CEO Says Dakota Pickup Needs to be a ‘Real Truck’ at $40,000 (w/ proper towing and payload)

[Administrator]

https://www.thedrive.com/news/ram-ceo-says-new-dakota-needs-to-be-a-real-truck-at-40000

Important quotes from the article:

Kuniskis explained to The Drive in a recent interview, it needs to be a “proper truck” that punches above its weight at $40,000. That price point is important to Kuniskis.​

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“It needs to be a credible truck, in case you gotta walk from that to a light-duty truck, and there can’t be a disconnect. So it’s gotta be a real truck, gotta have real capability, just a little smaller and a little bit more accessible.”​

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“Powertrain-wise, we haven’t said anything about what we’re going to do,” Kuniskis said. “Obviously, hybrid is becoming, pretty much, a really important sweet spot in the industry.”​

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He took pains to say he was not confirming that electrification is in the cards, but he added, “[T]hat’s why I’ve been watching the Cherokee, the biggest segment in the world with a dedicated [hybrid] powertrain. You know, we made that choice on purpose. So, do we need one in the midsize truck? 
I don’t know, TBD, we’ll see.​

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“But back to capability. It needs to be a proper truck. 
It needs to have the towing capabilities, needs to have the payload. It needs to have everything that a truck buyer is looking for. It can’t be, you know, a car that you put a bed on.”​

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When asked about a V8, Kuniskis shut that down pretty quickly. “I don’t know that it needs a V8,” he responded. “And, I mean, look, go back 15 years. A midsize truck today is the size of what a full-size truck used to be, right? Not that far away. 
So, is the midsize segment in the next couple of years gonna act any different than the light duty segment? I don’t think so.”​