From VehicleVoice.com "When compared with April 2009, Ford's F-Series share of the full-size pick segment is up...way up! Up from 34.3% of segment last year to 39.1% of segment this year -- an increase of 4.8%. "The Dodge Ram share of segment is down by an equally impressive amount, from 18.8% of segment to 12.6%, a 6.6% loss." See the April pickup truck sales numbers here And Top 10 Year To Date Pickup Sales L
New Ram is a very important key to Chrysler's health. I think many sales are hurt by the bailout of Chrysler and GM. Last Updated: May 04. 2010 2:02AM Daniel Howes GM needs to quickly drop D.C. crutch General Motors Co. is rebounding where it matters most -- in the sales of its cars and trucks. Cadillac and Buick are booming, each up 36 percent over the same time last year and well ahead of the 19.8 percent average industry increase for April. GMC sales are 18 percent higher. And Chevrolet dealers reported a 17 percent increase in sales over April 2009, less than two months before the Detroit automaker spiraled into a federally induced bankruptcy. But here's the question that corporate press releases don't ask: What would the General's sales numbers be if the U.S. Treasury didn't own a 61 percent stake in GM, if the Canadians didn't hold almost 12 percent, and if the United Auto Workers' health care trust fund didn't hold another 17.5 percent? The answer, except to the most delusional, is that sales would be higher because the "Government Motors" rap, a ranking executive told me privately Monday, is "killing us" and keeping GM vehicles off some buyers' shopping lists. And who-paid-what-loan-out-of-which-federal-funds flaps don't help much, either, especially when a predictable media backlash is compounded by the feds pushing behind the scenes to claim credit for GM passing another milestone. Memo to Treasury and the auto task force: If you really want GM's turnaround to succeed so you can bask in the glow of wisdom for rescuing the company, clamor a lot less for credit. Why? Because that means you remind folks less about how closely aligned GM is with the federal government and, secondly, how much it remains fueled by taxpayer dollars. The facts suffice. That may not be feel-good politics when the hunger inside the Obama administration for a credible economic achievement approaches gargantuan proportions. But it's sensible business, which is why GM CEO Ed Whitacre announced the controversial loan repayment (from Troubled Asset Relief Plan funds) at a plant in Kansas and not in some dog-and-pony show at Treasury. "You don't know how many people are staying away, who isn't visiting your showroom because of" the Government Motors stigma, says Paul Stanford, president of Les Stanford Chevrolet-Cadillac in Dearborn. No, you don't. But you can surmise -- based on blog postings, talk radio fulminating, outrage over Whitacre's loan repayment TV ads, congressional dudgeon, my own e-mail traffic -- that it's more than a few principled souls laying plans to attend their next tea party confab or to read Ayn Rand. "There's obviously talk about how to overcome that perception," says a manager familiar with the marketing decision-making at Chevrolet. "What we're focusing on is to move forward. Even if you had the numbers" detailing the scale of the Government Motors penalty, "how are you going to change it? With good products and great marketing campaigns." Those, and with a successful initial public offering later this year that enables Treasury to begin selling its shares in GM, the quicker to recoup taxpayer dollars, to ease the brake slowing sales of more GM cars and trucks, to get preening Washington bureaucrats and members of Congress out of the car business. Yes, Team Obama is the reason GM (and Chrysler Group LLC) are still in business, in part because they amped up the bailouts begun in the waning days of the Bush administration. They forced radical restructuring of GM's hopelessly broken business model and arranged the union of Chrysler and Fiat SpA of Italy. But Washington had nothing to do with developing the Chevy Traverse crossovers that Stanford's dealership can't get enough of. It didn't develop the Buick Regal, the Chevy Volt gas-electric car or the Cruze compact coming in September, not soon enough as gas prices edge higher again. Those came from Detroit, and the sooner GM can extricate itself from Washington, the more of them it's likely to sell. [email protected] (313) 222-2106 Daniel Howes' column runs Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/...eds-to-quickly-drop-D.C.-crutch#ixzz0n04eSyzu I love my 01 Dodge / Cummins dooley but the newer ones are all made in Mexico so i will be on the Ford wagon soon if the new diesel turns out decent or a Chevy. Dodge just upped incentives today with 5 years no interest and some other things.
if for nothing else, the government or the UAW doesn't own them
Ford was close to being in the same boat also except they were in worse shape and mortgaged all they had. They even mortgaged the blue oval trademark. They had money before the credit markets closed up especially to auto makers.
very smart move on their part, huh?
It was there last chance and they knew it. They were losing market share at a rapid rate. Bill Ford knew enough to know it was over his head to save Ford so he went outside the family. The move has paid off well for them. This is there 5th year of their revival and they just post 2 billion in profits for the first quarter. They are moving in the right direction but have a lot more debt than GM which shed a ton in bankruptcy.
I dont understand why Chrysler/Dodge products get the short end of the stick. As my family we've had alot Chrysler products and they all be great cars/vans/trucks, we've had/own Fords and GM products; Chryslers have always been the best to us.
My dealer is so good to me , I'd buy what ever he sold .
I like my 96 dodge v10. it takes a beating and just keeps going. I have been doing some research shopping for a newer heavy pickup, and from what i understand, the cummins is great, older powerstrokes are great, the newest powerstrokes are problematic and a bit fussy. I have been told by many fleet operators to stay far away from the duramax. Not sure why, too many problems i guess. But the consensus is clear on those. As much as i cant stand ford, my father's f150 all leather 4-door sure is a sweet ride. who knew?
Understand your affinity for such a venerable Ram. Not trying to talk you into anything, but depending on how new the Power Strokes were that you've heard reviewed as "finicky," you might take a look at the new Super Duties. The 2011 models have an all-new, Ford-designed and -built Power Stroke in them. Ford's deal with Navistar is kaput, so the 2011 Power Strokes are completely different from anything that was built in 2010 or earlier. L
time will tell on the new Fords hope they are good and have no problems.