2010's Motor Trend Truck of the Year!

The 2010 Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty pickups have earned Motor Trend magazine's 2010 Truck of the Year award! This prestigious award really defines how great our Ram Heavy Duty pickups are and how much customers are going to love driving them. The editors of Motor Trend are tough critics, and it is truly an honor to win their approval in this way.

The 2010 Ram Heavy Duty brings increased capability and innovative new features to the heavy-duty segment with an uncompromising attitude that remains the standard for all full-size, heavy-duty pickups. Motor Trend Truck of the Year contenders are evaluated using six criteria, which include design advancement, engineering excellence, intended function, efficiency, safety and value. The new Ram HD nailed all of them - from the attractive exterior styling, to the plush and quiet cabins, to the tough and capable powertrains. Ram HD delivers the capability heavy-duty truck users demand with style and refinement, and we should all feel proud that Ram HD's were recognized as such.

Liberty, Challenger top ‘ideal’ vehicle list

Two Chrysler Group LLC vehicles are on AutoPacific's 2009 Ideal Vehicle list. According to the survey released today, owners of the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Challenger say they are driving a vehicle that meets, or even exceeds, their expectations, meaning those vehicles are perfect just the way they are.

"We are very pleased that the Jeep Liberty and Dodge Challenger have won high praise from their owners," Doug Betts, Senior Vice President - Quality, said. "In fact, this is the second year in a row the Jeep Liberty has earned this honor. This study is confirmation that we understand the needs of our customers, and are designing and building vehicles that they are proud to own. Because of their positive experience, these consumers become promoters for our brands and in this difficult market, their endorsement is priceless."

According to the survey criteria, an "ideal vehicle" is one that meets owner's expectations for the product when they acquired it. AutoPacific asked owners to indicate their desire to change their vehicle in 15 different categories ranging from power and acceleration to safety features and storage after having owned and driven their vehicle for 90 days. The buyers who are happy with their vehicle just the way it is, the ones least likely to desire change, are driving their "ideal" vehicle.

The Jeep Liberty earned top honors in the mid-size sport-utility vehicle category for the second year in a row. It also was recognized as the top-rated vehicle in AutoPacific's 2009 Vehicle Satisfaction Award research last month. The Jeep Liberty has remained a leader in the mid-size SUV market since its introduction in 2002. All-new from the ground up for the 2008 model year, the Jeep Liberty continues to offer legendary Trail Rated Jeep 4×4 capability combined with a new level of on-road refinement and innovative features.

The Dodge Challenger was the top vehicle in the sporty car segment. The Challenger returned in 2009, nearly 40 years after the debut of the original, merging the best American muscle-car characteristics - unmistakable design, world-class handling, powerful engines and cutting-edge technology - to delight driving enthusiasts across several generations.

AutoPacific, an automotive marketing research and product-consulting firm that has provided automotive analysis to carmakers since 1986, based its findings on a just-completed comprehensive survey of more than 25,000 consumers who purchased or leased new cars or light trucks in the period from September to December 2008.

Strategic Vision's 2009 Total Quality Index Ranks Dodge Ram 1500 Top of its Class with Highest Score of any Truck in the 15-year History of the Study

• Innovations designed into the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 score high with owners
• Chrysler Group improves Total Quality score by 15 points

The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 ranks at the top of the full-size truck segment in Strategic Vision Inc.'s (SVI) 2009 Total Quality Index (TQI). According to the survey released today, the Dodge Ram leads the way with the highest Total Quality score of any truck in the 15-year history of the study. Customers specifically noted that the Ram has the best added storage capability along with the best truck interior ever rated by customers.

"Our all-new 2009 Dodge Ram is rated by owners as the best truck ever built," said Doug Betts, Senior Vice President - Quality, Chrysler Group LLC. "It is a game-changing, class-leading truck that is second to none. This award confirms that we are making significant changes and improvements, which enhance the overall ownership experience and are being recognized by our customers."

The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram features the industry's first-and-only RamBox cargo management system that includes versatile, weatherproof, lockable, illuminated, drainable storage bins; pickup bed dividers; a two-foot bed extender and a cargo rail system with sliding adjustable cleats.

The 2009 Ram also includes the first-in-segment coil-spring five-link rear suspension fitted to a solid rear axle that provides ride and handling not found on any other pickup truck. A new 5.7-liter HEMI V-8 engine with fuel-saving MDS technology provides more horsepower (390 hp) and torque (407 lb.-ft.) while its best-in-class aerodynamics (.387 Cd) improve fuel economy and performance.

"For truck buyers, the Dodge Ram has reclaimed its perceived leadership in innovation, a corporate hallmark," said Alexander Edwards, President of SVI. "We have tracked innovation as a critical dimension in success since 1979 and have shown that it has been the single most powerful factor in success across categories, especially among automobiles."

The Total Quality Index asks buyers to rate all aspects of the ownership experience from buying and owning to performance and driving - much more than simply counting issues. Results from studies that measure the number of issues or the overall satisfaction of a vehicle do not measure the customers' commitment to, advocacy for or loyalty to their vehicles accurately, according to Strategic Vision.

In addition, Chrysler Group LLC improved 15 points over 2008.

The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Regular, Quad and Crew Cab models recently earned Five Star ratings for driver- and front-passenger protection in a frontal crash, the highest ratings in the U.S. government's safety crash test program. The U.S. Manufacturer's Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) for the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 is $22,170 (including $900 destination).

In addition to winning Strategic Vision's TQI, the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram has earned 17 key awards since its introduction and was recently chosen by Car and Driver as the best full-size pickup in a head-to-head comparison test in Texas, beating the 2009 Ford F-150. Other key awards include:

• ICOTY - 2009 International Truck of the Year
• Texas Auto Writer's Association (TAWA) - 2009 Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas
• MotorWeek - Best Pickup Truck
• Maxim - Achievement in Party-Enabling Technology (RamBox)
• Edmunds' Inside Line - A 2009 Editor's Most Wanted
• Edmunds' Inside Line - Best Full-size Pickup Truck
• Consumer Guide - Large Pickup - Best Buy for 2009
• Cars.com - Work Truck of the Year
• Truckin' magazine - Truck of the Year
• Autobytel.com - 2009 MyRide/Autobytel Editors' Choice Awards - Truck of the Year
• Ward's AutoWorld - Interior of the Year
• Rocky Mountain Automotive Press Association - Truck of the Year
• New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA) - Best-in-Class Pickup Award
• Ward's AutoWorld - Ward's 10 Best Engines of 2009 (2009 Dodge Ram 5.7-liter HEMI engine)
• Automobile Journalists Association of Canada - Best New Pickup
• AutoPacific's Vehicle Satisfaction Award
• Sobre Ruedas - Sobre Ruedas Best Pickup Truck for '08

The Total Quality Index was calculated from 20,101 buyers who bought 2008 and 2009 models from September to December 2008. Strategic Vision has presented Total Quality awards annually since 1995. Since its foundation in 1972 and incorporation in 1989, Strategic Vision has studied consumer and constituent decision-making for a wide variety of clients, including most auto manufacturers, Coca-Cola, American Airlines, Procter and Gamble, the White House, 10 Downing Street, and many advertising agencies. Its unique expertise is identifying consumers' motivational hierarchies, including the values, emotions, and images that shape perceptions and behavior. The firm's in-depth Discovery Interviews and ValueCentered Surveys provide comprehensive, integrated and actionable outcomes, linking behavior to attributes to consequences to values and emotions to images.

* image provided by http://www.dodge.com/en/2009/ram_1500/gallery/