With a host of new mid-sized trucks hitting the market this year and next, DaimlerChrysler AG’s Chrysler Group unit will try to set apart its 2005 Dodge Dakota pickup on power and price.
The Auburn Hills automaker will offer the all-new Dakota, landing in dealerships this fall, with the only V-8 engine in its class and will price some models below $20,000.
Chrysler is rolling out new nine new vehicles this year and is pricing them lower than competitors as part of an effort to move away from profit-eroding rebates.
The strategy has helped lift Chrysler to a 2.8 percent sales gain this year and outpace hometown rivals General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.
Company officials hope the Dakota continues the momentum even as competition in the mid-size truck market increases.
“If you look at the overall segment, there has been virtually no activity in the last five years,” said Bob Hegbloom, senior manager of Dodge truck marketing. But new entries will soon account for about 65 percent of the category’s sales, he said.
GM introduced the new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon in December. New versions of the Nissan Frontier pickup and Toyota Tacoma arrive later this year, and Mitsubishi and Honda roll out new mid-sized trucks next year.
“It’s a very competitive segment, and it’s only going to get hotter in the coming months,” said Joseph Barker, an automotive analyst with CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills.
Full Story HERE
The Auburn Hills automaker will offer the all-new Dakota, landing in dealerships this fall, with the only V-8 engine in its class and will price some models below $20,000.
Chrysler is rolling out new nine new vehicles this year and is pricing them lower than competitors as part of an effort to move away from profit-eroding rebates.
The strategy has helped lift Chrysler to a 2.8 percent sales gain this year and outpace hometown rivals General Motors Corp. and Ford Motor Co.
Company officials hope the Dakota continues the momentum even as competition in the mid-size truck market increases.
“If you look at the overall segment, there has been virtually no activity in the last five years,” said Bob Hegbloom, senior manager of Dodge truck marketing. But new entries will soon account for about 65 percent of the category’s sales, he said.
GM introduced the new Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon in December. New versions of the Nissan Frontier pickup and Toyota Tacoma arrive later this year, and Mitsubishi and Honda roll out new mid-sized trucks next year.
“It’s a very competitive segment, and it’s only going to get hotter in the coming months,” said Joseph Barker, an automotive analyst with CSM Worldwide in Farmington Hills.
Full Story HERE
