AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Just as the Dodge Ram "changed
the rules" in the full-size pickup market, the all-new 1997 Dodge Dakota is
set to do the same in the compact pickup truck segment when it's introduced
in the fall of 1996. "The all-new Dodge Dakota -- it's full of surprises"
will be the communication theme throughout the launch highlighting the
unexpected combination of bold design, best-in- class power, payload, towing
and interior roominess not usually found in compact pickup trucks.
"Dakota has all the same competitive capability and character of Dodge Ram,
but with a different personality. Dakota is a real truck, but it's also a
fun truck," said Martin R. Levine, General Manager, Dodge Division.
While the Dakota shares in the Dodge Truck lineage -- bold, capable and
powerful -- it will have a unique role in the Dodge family. Ram has
established itself with a balance of work and personal use attributes that
appeal to diverse full-size pickup truck customers demanding heavy- duty
capabilities. Dakota provides affordable real truck attributes for compact
truck buyers, but also offers a unique, fun personality for those who are
primarily interested in fulfilling lifestyle or personal needs.
"Dakota will appeal to active buyers who want the ability to do anything
with their truck," Levine said. "Many will be the first-time buyers and car
owners who desire an affordable, fuel-efficient truck that meets their
everyday transportation needs."
Consumer demands played a major role in the re-design of the '97 Dakota. The
unique qualities of the all-new Dakota meet the customers' demands in the
key areas of power, ride and handling, safety and convenience, packaged
together in a bold design.
"The trend is toward pickups as multi-use vehicles. This trend is right in
line with Dakota's strength," added Levine. "And the new Dakota's bold
styling, crisp handling and thoughtful features will set a new standard that
will provide as strong of an emotional link to the compact buyer that Ram
did for full-size buyers."
The second-generation Dakota follows the success of the original, introduced
in 1987 to meet increasing customer demand for a more capable downsize
truck. In the early '90s, the addition of a Club Cab model and Magnum
engines further strengthened the Dodge Truck franchise. In its last year,
Dakota's success continues, with market share records of nearly 13 percent.
Dodge Gives Bold Design to All-New Dakota
"When you set out to design a pickup truck, you have to create an image that
conveys no-nonsense durability, strength, dependability and quality," said
Dennis Myles, Dodge's Truck Studio Manager, who managed the design of the
1997 Dodge Dakota. "Because consumers can't physically take apart a truck
and inspect every single component, they will rely on your vehicle's design
to communicate its toughness."
After polarizing the large pickup truck market with the award- winning Dodge
Ram, the Dodge design team moved on to aim their sketchpads at the compact
truck segment. The result is an all-new, completely re-designed Dodge Dakota.
"The exterior of the new Dakota bears a strong 'family' resemblance to the
Ram pickup truck yet maintains its own distinctive identity," said Trevor
Creed, Design Director Jeep/Truck, Car Interior and Color & Trim. "We
incorporated and refined many of the design elements of the Dodge Ram while
sculpturing Dakota into its own unique, integrated package ... a package
that will command attention."
Dakota boasts a distinctive bold grille, a smaller but similar version of
the Ram's, which is off-set from the hood and nestles into the depression of
the bumper face bar. The hood is lower than Ram's but features the same
tapered, nostalgic appearance.
"Compared to Ram, Dakota's grille has an elliptical shape while the Ram's
grille has a horizontal horse collar shape," said Myles.
Along with a refined grille, designers gave the all-new Dakota larger tires
(two sizes larger than the 1996 base model) and incorporated the "large
wheel opening look" -- a distinctive Ram characteristic -- by moving the
fenders up closer to hood level. To emphasize the large wheel openings,
full-coverage front wheelhouse liners were used along with rear wheelhouse
blackout paint.
Because of its larger tires, Dakota's body is now 3.5 inches wider than its
predecessor. "The larger tires necessitated a re-design of the vehicle's
wheel flares," said Myles. "We added value to Dakota by integrating mud
flaps, which are usually sold separately, into the design of the wheel
flare. This offers the consumer
added protection from road blast and mud."
With its windshield raked at 55 degrees, Dakota's cab bears strong
resemblance to the Ram. Glass used in Dakota has a compound curvature that
helps integrate it with surrounding body panels. To ensure a rear- view
integration of the truck bed and cab, a spoiler formation in the back edge
of the cab's roof is repeated at the top of the tailgate. Dakota's bed space
remains generous and is still the most spacious in its class.
In addition to the exterior, the same design integration principles were
applied to Dakota' interior. In fact, both the interior and exterior were
designed simultaneously in the same studio. "Designing both the exterior and
interior together within the same proximity afforded us even more seamless
coordination than with past trucks," said Creed. "Because of the interior's
compatibility with the exterior, Dakota appears to have been created by a
single designer."
Attention to detail is evident throughout Dakota's cab, which continues to
offer the most interior room in the compact truck segment. The instrument
panel design, which mimics the shape of the distinctive grille, is a
one-piece cluster bezel. The "eyebrow" of the instrument panel repeats the
shape of the cab and tailgate spoiler lip which further complements the
Dakota's integrated design. The eyebrow is designed to block reflection from
the windshield during the daytime and to prevent cluster reflections in the
windshield at night.
Much of the interior design flows from functional and ergonomic
requirements. Ergonomics for controls were established by using
computer-reach data to assure convenient access to instrument panel and
door-mounted controls. Armrests, inside door handles, window and door lock
switches, power mirror controls, window cranks, HVAC controls and audio
system were all properly positioned before the design surfaces were created.
"The design of our new Dakota is clean and simple," Creed concluded. "It has
an unadorned look that lets the distinctive lines of its unique design
establish its heritage. Like other Dodge designs, people will recognize
Dakota instantly."
All-New 1997 Dakota Shares Looks, Attitude of Dodge Ram
For Dodge, the road back to truck acceptance began ten years ago with the
introduction of the 1987 Dodge Dakota. Bigger and stronger, it signaled the
beginning of a Dodge Truck re-birth. Five years later, the introduction of
its line-up of Magnum engines put Dodge at the top of the list for
power-hungry truck
buyers.
In 1994, the new Dodge Ram stormed into the full-size pickup market with its
bold look, class-leading power and I-don't-care-if-you-like-me attitude.
Three years and hundreds of thousands of truck converts later, the message
was clear: Dodge was, again, a major player in the truck market.
But the renaissance is not over.
The all new 1997 Dodge Dakota carries in its bed all the attributes of a
true Dodge truck: power, capability, style, and posture. Using the Ram as a
template, the Dakota team set out to make a truck that was superior to the
compact truck competition in every visible way.
"The Ram was certainly on our minds when we designed the new Dakota," said
Rich Schaum, General Manager of Truck Engineering for Chrysler Corporation
(NYSE: C). "This is not only evident in the Ram- like-styling, but in the
under-the-skin traits, as well. This is the biggest, roomiest, quietest,
most capable and most powerful truck in the compact segment. Not to mention
the boldest.
"Like the Ram, the best-in-class features had to be attained without passing
the burden on to the customers to pay for it. Strong emphasis was put on
optimization of function and value.
"From the moment we started designing this vehicle, every member of the
Dakota team was charged with making sure every feature delivered value,"
Schaum said. "You will not find anything superfluous on this truck. If it
doesn't meet the functional needs of most every driver, we eliminated it
from the plan.
"The result is a truck that over-delivers in the areas that are most
important to our buyers -- capability, ride, power, comfort, and styling --
without forcing them to pay for needless features."
The new Dakota not only borrowed from its bigger brother the Ram, but from a
corporate mindset as well. Developed in only 30 months and for about $500
million, Dakota represents a corporate culture based on efficient
development time and cost effectiveness.
"Two things allowed us to maximize efficiency while minimizing cost:
customer acceptance of the original Dakota and a strict adherence to our
success with the Ram introduction," Schaum said. "Because we were re- making
a truck based on a concept that customers already liked -- the original
Dakota -- we had a strong base to work from. For example, instead of
introducing new engines, we improved on our already best-in- class line-up.
We made them quieter, more responsive and in the case of the V-8, added
horsepower and torque. This kept program costs down, while delivering what
the customer wanted."
The Ram experience provided the team a road map on what it took to build a
truck that customers not only wanted, but demanded. Essentially, by building
the highest quality truck at an affordable price, the truck world would beat
a path to your door.
"We borrowed ideas from the Ram to make the handling better, to make it more
reliable and to stand out in a crowd," Schaum said.
"We believe this truck has the capability to do for the compact market what
Ram did for full-size trucks. In a word, revolutionize it."
Success Is a Seven Step Process For '97 Dakota Team
If the development process for the 1997 Dodge Dakota were a game, it might
be "Connect the Dots." Follow a set of points until each is connected. If
done correctly, the game is complete and you are a winner. But if you miss a
dot, the real picture never appears.
For the Dakota Team, their game has seven points. Each represents an
aggressive goal of showing competitive superiority in an area identified by
customers as being critically important:
-- Durability and Reliability
-- Overall size and Roominess
-- Powertrain Performance
-- Ride and Handling
-- Vehicle Quietness
-- Safety and Occupant Security
-- Exterior and Interior Styling
"Essentially, our current customers co-wrote our strategy," said Tony
Richards, General Manager Jeep/Truck Product Planning. "They told us we had
to demonstrate competitive superiority in these seven areas in order to
reach them.
"With this as a guideline, the team developed a truck that either met or
exceeded customer expectations in each of these areas."
Durability and Reliability: By borrowing from Rams' frame design concept,
body dimensional integrity was improved, providing higher torsional
stiffness. Electro-coated frames provide better resistance to corrosion,
while full body anti-chip primer gives an additional measure of resistance
to paint chipping.
"We logged more than four million miles of chassis testing and increased our
durability testing by 50 percent over previous launches," Richards said. "We
set a very aggressive internal target to be best-in- class in durability and
reliability."
Overall Size and Roominess: Already the biggest truck in its class, the '97
Dakota was made even bigger. With a width of 72 inches, shoulder, hip and
head room were improved. With a full-facing rear bench seat in the Club Cab,
Dakota provides six-passenger seating.
Powertrain Performance: Dakota boasts the only V-8 engine in the compact
market, and now it carries 10 more horsepower (230) and an additional 10
ft.-lbs. of torque (300). This is in addition to the powerful four- and
six-cylinder engines. These power-plants support the highest hauling
capacity and towing capability
among compact trucks.
"The 5.2-liter Magnum V-8 engine is a true bragging point for this truck,"
said Bart McLellan, Chief of Dodge Truck Product Planning. "And with the
addition of a new air induction system, we were able to make the most
powerful truck in the class even more powerful.
"That is true Dodge Truck style."
Ride and Handling: The Dakota team went back to the basics to create a
chassis that could be tuned. With a solid frame structure, truly optimum
steering and suspension geometry, generously sized wheels and tires and
appropriately sized shock absorbers and bushings, the chassis will respond
to tuning, allowing for best-in-class steering and ride and handling.
"We put our money into getting the basics right," said Dennis Moothart,
Executive Engineer for Truck Chassis Engineering. "We didn't abuse our
purpose by creating a multitude of optional suspension packages. We have one
basic package each for the two- and four-wheel drive models and one optional
handling package with bigger tires, wider wheels and a rear stabilizer bar."
Vehicle Quietness: With compact truck owners relying on their truck for
everyday transportation, the need for a quieter ride is an important one.
Dakota's quietness was developed by viewing the truck as a total unit in
which the frame, body structure, body mounts, powertrain mounts, suspension
bushing and tires are tuned together to maximize quietness.
Safety and Security: For the first time, Dakota will feature standard drive
and passenger air bags. For added safety, adjustable turning loops for the
shoulder belts provide a more accurate and comfortable position for all
types of drivers and passengers. In addition, rear-wheel anti-lock brakes
are standard with optional four- wheel ABS. The largest outside mirrors in
the class offer a better range of viewing for the driver.
Exterior and Interior Styling: It's no accident that the Dakota borrows some
styling cues from Ram. This aggressive look meets the same styling demands
in the compact market that Ram did for fullsize buyers: It sets the owner
apart from the crowd. The signature grille, raked windshield and retro hood
shape are
Ram-like, yet have been altered to give Dakota its own identity.
The biggest interior in the class boats 40-20-40 front bench seats with an
integrated center console, similar to the Ram, along with optional bucket
seats. Seat travel has been improved as has rear access on the Club Cab with
the addition of the tip-and-slide Easy-Entry seating system on the passenger
side. An all-new instrument panel follows the distinctive shape of the grille.
* Fact Sheet
The first Dakota was introduced in 1987, hailed as a real alternative to
traditional compact pickups. With its more powerful line-up of engines,
higher towing and hauling capacity and roomier interior, Dakota proved to be
a popular choice for customers seeking a more utilitarian downsize pickup.
The 1997 Dakota represents the first major overhaul of the product in its
history.
Model year 1997
On sale date Late Fall, 1996
Assembly plant Dodge City/Warren Truck Assembly -- Warren, Mich.
Plant capacity 150,000 units for model year 1996
Dakota sales 1996 model year: 74,928 (through 5/31/96)
1995 model year: 116,396
1994 model year: 105,909
Models Regular Cab 4x2
Regular Cab 4x4
Club Cab 4x2
Club Cab 4x4
Engines/
Transmissions Magnum 2.5-liter I-4 w/manual 5-speed or 4-speed
automatic
Magnum 3.9-liter V-6 w/manual 5-speed or 4-speed
automatic
Magnum 5.2-liter V-8 w/manual 5-speed or 4-speed
automatic
Best-in-class
features Highest trailer towing capacity (6,800 lbs)
Highest payload capacity (2,600 lbs)
Roomiest regular and club cabs
Largest pickup box
Most powerful engine (Magnum 5.2-liter V-8)
Widest range of powertrains
Copyright 1996, PR Newswire
-- Steve
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