The new diesel -- available early next year as a $2,850 option -- will be competing against new entries from General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. Not to mention, Ford Motor Co. is expected to debut its next-generation F-150 – the best-selling pickup truck for decades.
LOS ANGELES, CA- In the highly-competitive U.S. pickup truck market, Chrysler Group LLC is looking to its new Ram 1500 EcoDiesel to be a differentiator in 2014.
“I think it is going to grow sales incrementally for those pickup truck customers that are looking for a diesel because it will be the only diesel engine in a half-ton pickup truck on the road,” said Reid Bigland, Ram Truck president and CEO, during an interview with MLive during the 2013 LA Auto Show.
The new diesel -- available early next year -- will be competing against new entries from General Motors Co. and Toyota Motor Corp. Not to mention, Ford Motor Co. is expected to debut its next-generation F-150 – the best-selling pickup truck for decades.
But the competition has already had to take notice of the 2014 Ram 1500 diesel, which has been named the “Truck of Texas,” a “2014 Motor Trend Truck of the Year Contender” and a candidate for Ward’s “10 Best Engines.”
The vehicle’s engine is a new, 3.0-liter EcoDiesel engine, mated with the eight-speed automatic transmission. It is manufactured by VM Motori, an Italian diesel engine supplier for Chrysler since 1992.
Bigland, who became head of Ram in April, said the market will ultimately decide how much of an impact the Ram 1500 diesel has in the U.S., but the Auburn Hills-based automaker anticipates it could represent 10-15 percent of the pickup truck’s sales.
“There’s a lot of loyalty in the pickup truck segment -- a lot of GM loyalty, a lot of Ford loyalty,” he said. “We’re hopeful that by offering this differentiator, we’ll get some of those loyalists to come and check out Ram.”
Reid Bigland during the 2013 New York International Auto Show in March.Thanks to a "strong" supply of engines, Bigland said there's really no limit or supply constraints on how many Ram 1500 diesels that Chrysler can produce.
Diesels currently represents less than 3 percent of all U.S. sales. However, some companies expect that percentage to grow to 10 percent by 2020.
Diesel-powered vehicles have remained a niche market in the U.S. for decades due to consumer perception, pricing and the fuel being more expensive than standard gasoline, according to analysts. They generally do provide 15-25 percent better fuel economy and substantially more low-end torque.
The Ram 1500 diesel will eventually have more diesel competition. GM recently announced a diesel engine for its 2016 Chevy Colorado midsize pickup and Nissan Motor Co. said it is testing a Cummins 5.0-liter V8 turbo diesel engine for its next-generation Titan pickup truck.
Through October, the Ram brand and Ram pickup truck sales are both up 23 percent compared to the same time a year ago. The brand has had 42-consecutive months of year-over-year sales gains.
The Ram 1500 diesel -- able to tow up to 9,200 pounds in a two-wheel-drive, two-door, long bed configuration -- will be available in most trim levels. Pricing for the 2014 Ram 1500 starts at $24,200, plus $1,095 destination. The diesel with eight-speed automatic transmission is priced at $2,850 greater than a similarly equipped Ram 1500 with a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with eight-speed transmission.
The 2014 Ram 1500 is built at Chrysler's Warren Truck Assembly Plant. Regular Cab models of the 2014 Ram 1500 are built at the Saltillo Truck Assembly Plant in Saltillo, Mexico.
Michael Wayland covers the automotive industry for MLive. Email him at MWayland@mlive.com & follow him on Twitter @MikeWayland or Google+.