Ram Dakota: The First Unibody Truck

Sergio Marchionne, head of Fiat/Chrysler, has confirmed plans for a new Dakota pickup. According to Insideline, he’s also noted that there’s a “better than 50% chance” that the truck will be unibody. A unibody chassis translates to a smoother ride, decreased weight, and better fuel economy at the expense of towing capacity. Does America need a uni-body pickup? Follow the jump to see why we think so.

Even with rising gas prices, America still loves its trucks. In 2011, Ford nabbed the sales crown with the F-150 selling over 580,000 trucks. Chevy follows at a distant, but still impressive 415,000 2nd place with its Silverado. To put these numbers into perspective, one of these trucks is sold about every half a minute. **Ding!** There goes another one. Within the top 10 best selling vehicles, there are 3 trucks (#1 Ford F150, #2 Chevrolet Silverado, #8 Ram Pickup).

Honda Ridgeline. Don't be fooled, this unibody truck will never go offroading

Trucks offer great utility, towing capabilities, and a macho image. But these benefits come at the expense of weight, a choppy ride, and mediocre fuel economy. What’s more, many of these trucks make their way home to the suburbs and become “lifestyle vehicles” that’ll never see a hard day’s work. The other unibody pickup that comes to mind is the Honda Ridgeline, a truck that had it’s fans, but was never a volume seller. SUV’s gave way to the CUV for the exact same downsides. Will pickups follow a similar trend?

sources:
InsideLine, The Examiner, Allpar