We’ve seen the innovative features and levels of refinement Dodge is bringing to the 2009 Ram 1500, but company executives have said little about the brand’s other pickup offerings - until now. During our recent drive of the new 2009 Ram 1500, we sat down with a number of engineers and planners and gleaned some surprising insight into what Dodge has in store for the heavy-duty Rams and the ailing Dakota.

Heavy Duty

While factories tool up for the 2009 Ram 1500, Chrysler engineers are already toiling away on the next series of heavy-duty - or 2500 and 3500 - Ram models. We’re told that for the first time, the larger trucks will sport a unique front fascia, but we’re happy to hear that the large Rams will make use of the same interior as the 2009 Ram 1500.

Historically, Dodge received a lot of complaints about its truck interiors, and that’s an issue Ralph Gilles, vice president of Jeep, truck, and advanced interior design, took to heart. The new interior is exponentially nicer than that of the outgoing Ram, and it is the first product of Chrysler’s new interior design effort.

Expect to see the output from signature Cummins diesel engines remain about even with today’s engine (350 hp and 650 lb-ft of torque), or even drop slightly in order to improve fuel economy. Scott Kunselman, vice president of truck product development, believes fuel economy is more important to truck buyers than the ability to pull the largest possible trailer up huge hills at 85 mph. Beefing up the transmission, chassis, and other related components to handle much more power would add weight and cost to the truck and only a handful of buyers would ever make use of it. Most of these heavy-duty trucks are used in fleets, and fleet managers are more interested in reducing fuel cost than seeing outrageous power levels.

Dodge will likely stick with the Ram HD’s current absorber NOx catalyst system, for future 2500 and 3500 heavy-duty trucks instead of the urea treatment most diesel passenger cars use to meet EPA regulations. However, Dodge will use urea for its class 4 and 5 cab and chassis Rams because the emissions certification process is different for the larger trucks. Storing enough urea to last between oil changes is one problem for trucks with factory-installed beds, plus the urea can freeze and thus be rendered useless in northern climates. If the price of the catalyst system - which uses plenty of exotic materials - continues to rise, Dodge may have to re-evaluate this approach.

Though the Ram 1500’s multi-link coil suspension makes a lot of sense for light-duty trucks, it doesn’t in the heavy-duty segment. Virtually all three-quarter and one-ton trucks use a main leaf spring pack and a set of helper leaves to handle overload situations. There isn’t any way to add helper springs to coil springs. Dodge’s current strategy gears the 2500/3500 trucks for maximum towing and hauling, so the traditional leaf springs will remain on these models.

Though Ford has received lots of press surrounding the introduction of a consumer-oriented F-450, Dodge has no plans to play in that space. The market is simply too small for consumer pickups above the one-ton range. Dodge will continue to play in the class 4 and 5 truck segment, an area where it performs well, but these trucks will strictly be cab-chassis vehicles for commercial users.

Dakota

The Dodge Dakota is clearly in trouble. A revised truck debuted at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, but sales have slowed down significantly in recent months. For the first five months of 2008, Dodge sold 14,936 Dakotas, compared with 24,343 during the same period in 2007. The Dakota is even being outsold by the Honda Ridgeline - a unibody sport utility pickup criticized by traditional truck buyers as not being a “real truck.”

Rumors of a future unibody Dakota swirled just as the curtain dropped at the current truck’s 2007 Chicago auto show reveal. Those rumors have escalated to a virtual confirmation of the fact that the next Dakota won’t be built as a body-on-frame pickup. Jim Press, vice chairman and president of Chrysler LLC, has gone on the record stating he thinks the demand for smaller, more fuel-efficient trucks will continue to rise as fuel costs soar.

Just a year before the new Dakota was introduced, Dodge showed off the Rampage concept, clearly aimed at the Ridgeline, but packing the ubiquitous Hemi V-8 engine. Designers, engineers, and product planners are all talking about Rampage now. Kunselman wouldn’t say much about the Dakota - but he did tell us that the “Dakota is one we’re in the process of re-evaluating.”

If the Ram 1500 moved to coil springs at all four corners, a unibody structure isn’t that blasphemous for a smaller truck. Once the Ram proves the new suspension is just as capable as the outgoing 1500, Dodge buyers will likely be more accepting of new and different solutions to the modern pickup.

Crossover vehicles with unibody construction are starting to replace many body-on-frame SUVs, so it makes sense for the smaller trucks to adopt this same strategy.

One of the main challenges with a unibody Dakota is making sure it would handle the stress that pickup owners regularly dish out. Potential buyers are interested in increased fuel economy, but switching to unibody construction will not dramatically change fuel economy by itself. If the research shows most owners aren’t using Dakota to the 95th percentile of its abilities, the duty cycle of the truck isn’t as much of a concern and other measures can be taken to reduce weight and improve fuel economy as well.

A New Firecracker?

Dodge is also considering a truck that would slot in below Dakota’s replacement. The M80 name came up just as often as Rampage did during our conversations with Dodge officials this week. M80 is a concept truck that debuted at the 2002 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. The truck was conceived to slide in under the Dakota in terms of size and price, but looked like a miniature revival of the legendary Power Wagon.

Those looks would have to change if the M80, or some variation on its theme, makes it to production. Gilles thinks the unibody trucks would need to look different from the body-on-frame Rams. Gilles says buyers know the trucks have vastly different uses, and it would be insulting to the buyers to lump all trucks together with a common look. With a different look, and an emphasis on efficiency, for the new Dakota and small truck, there is suddenly an opening for a third new truck in the Chrysler family.

Jeep’s Wrangler-based JT concept could be the next body-on-frame product to come to a Jeep dealer. Some people will continue to need the capability of a body-on-frame truck, and Jeep is the perfect brand for such a vehicle. Many Jeep owners wish for a small truck with excellent off-road capability, and have been drooling over the JT since it appeared at the 2007 Easter Jeep Safari in Moab, Utah. Such a vehicle could also bring back credibility to the brand, something many purists find lacking after the introduction of the car-based Compass and Patriot.

Back to the 1500

While the development teams at Chrysler have their hands full, there are still plans to improve the new Ram 1500 in the immediate future. The first upgrade we’ll see is the integrated trailer brake controller that Dodge is sorely lacking. Both Ford and GM have factory installed units available, and each works flawlessly. Expect to see Dodge’s version offered within a few months of the truck’s launch this fall.

Improving fuel economy is a major focus for the Ram team. Dodge has already announced plans for a two-mode hybrid truck and a light-duty diesel. Expect to see the hybrid as a 2010 model, with the Cummins-powered 1500 appearing shortly thereafter as a 2010 or 2011 model.

It makes most sense for the Cummins to be tuned for fuel economy, not outright power. We weren’t able to get much in the way of fuel economy figures, but when we suggested a minimum of 22 mpg, Kunselman told us, “I think we’ll blow away 22 mpg.”

Hopefully such a truck could return 25 mpg, or better, on the highway and cost substantially less than a diesel heavy-duty truck.

Photo Gallery: 2010 Dodge Ram - Latest News, Features, and Reviews - Automobile Magazine

If it seems that all the trendy parts of town are overrun with Ducatis these days, it’s probably because of the Monster. The Italian motorcycle maker was barely visible on the U.S. motorcycle scene back in 1992 when the Monster was introduced. Today, Ducati sells more than 10,000 bikes a year here. Sure, a good many are the superbikes and the retro-cool Sport Classics, but the Monster still comprises the bulk of Ducati sales.

For 2009, the Monster has been treated to its first real redesign, which makes it more rider-friendly with a more upright riding position, closer handlebars, and a narrower waist. The new chassis preserves the signature exposed-framework (”naked”) design, but the bike’s look is updated with a reshaped tank, an oblong headlamp, and LED taillights. Ducati also offers various accessories that allow owners to customize the design.

The 696, which replaces last year’s 695, is the base model (MSRP $8775), and is the first of the redesigned Monsters to arrive. Its 696-cc, L-twin engine sports new cylinder heads, which yield more power: 80 hp at 9000 rpm and 51 lb-ft of torque at 7750 rpm, all sent through a six-speed gearbox. New brakes, by Brembo, help reign in overexuberance.

Having driven the new Monster 696 for my first-ever motorcycle lesson, I can tell you that I thought it was cool, though I obviously have no point of reference for comparison with other bikes. I also can tell you that I barely tapped its performance capabilities (less than 3 seconds from 0 to 60 mph, and a top speed estimated at 135 mph). It was kind of like taking Drivers’ Ed in a Ferrari.

Base price: $8775
Engine: 696-cc, 4-valve, L-2
Horsepower: 80 hp @ 9000 rpm
Torque: 51 lb-ft @ 7750 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Drive: Rear-wheel
Curb Weight: 355 lbs
Fuel economy (estimated): 45 mpg

Photo Gallery: 2009 Ducati Monster 696 - Latest News, Features, and Reviews - Automobile Magazine

No automobile company has a longer history with diesel engines than Mercedes-Benz. At the launch of the brand’s new 50-state BlueTEC diesel SUVs, Mercedes-Benz had a display of several of its significant diesel-powered cars through the years.

1939 260 D

Mercedes-Benz claims that the 260 D, introduced in 1936, was the first diesel-engine passenger car. This 1939 model was slightly reworked compared to the first-year cars, with a four-speed transmission, and was one of four body styles offered: Six-seat Pullman sedan and Landaulet, 4- or 5-seat sedan, and 4- or 5-seat Cabriolet B.

1955 180 D

Mercedes-Benz began fitting a diesel engine to its “pontoon” sedan one year after the model’s introduction in 1953. For ‘55, power increased from 40 hp all the way to 43 hp. This is the car with which Mercedes-Benz initiated diesel sales in the USA, in 1960.

1968 200 D

The 1968 200 D is a classic example of the “fintail” Mercedes sedan, which first appeared in 1961. By the time this 1968 model arrived, Mercedes had sold 360,000 diesel-powered fintail sedans, a number bolstered, no doubt, by the availability of an automatic transmission, which was first paired with the diesel engine in the 1963 model year. The 200 D and the 220 D were the two diesel offerings for 1968. The four-cylinder 200 D cranked out all of 55 hp, giving the car a 0-to-62-mph time of 28 seconds and a top speed of 81 mph.

1978 C 111-III

The C111-IID and the C111-III streamliners helped the diesel engine shed its reputation for pokiness. Both used the five-cylinder engine configuration, which first appeared in production cars in 1974. In this C111-III, the turbocharged 3.0-liter boasted an output of 230 hp. During a series of speed record runs on a racetrack in Nardo, Italy, the C111-III reached speeds just shy of 200 mph. That same year (1978) saw the introduction of the turbocharged diesel engine in the U.S. market, making 115 hp from five cylinders.

1980 300 SD

The turbo-diesel engine first appeared in the U.S. S-Class in 1978. Interestingly, a turbocharged diesel wouldn’t appear in Europe until 1980 (in the 300 TD station wagon) and a diesel S-Class wouldn’t be offered in Germany until 1992. Diesels had become very important to Mercedes’ U.S. market, so much so that in the following year, 1981, four out of five Mercedes sold in America were diesels.

2000 C220 CDI

Direct injection technology came to the diesel engine in the 2000 C220 CDI. Direct injection ushered in the modern diesel era, paying benefits in fuel economy, smoothness, power, and, especially, torque. (The 221 lb-ft of torque in this C-Class doubled the torque output of the previous diesel.) In the USA, however, interest in diesel engines had waned, and Mercedes-Benz did not, and still does not, offer a C-Class diesel in the U.S. market.

2005 E320 CDI

Mercedes’ U.S. diesel engine had grown to six cylinders, and a V configuration, by the time this 2005 E320 CDI took part in a 100,000-mile, high-speed endurance drive. Teams of six drivers drove each of the cars 20,000 laps over a track in Laredo, Texas, running 24 hours a day and averaging more than 136 mph.

2006 E320 BlueTEC

The arrival of ultra-low-sulfur diesel fuel to the U.S. market in October 2006 set the stage for the introduction of the cleaner-burning E320 BlueTEC. The new diesel engine also provided Mercedes-Benz with the excuse to undertake another high-profile endurance drive, as three E320 BlueTECs joined a fleet of E320 CDIs trekking from Paris to Peking. Automobile Magazine’s own Joe DeMatio, sharing wheel time with Denise McCluggage, drove one of the U.S. cars on the last leg of the trip.

Vision GLK BlueTEC hybrid

The Mercedes GLK BlueTEC diesel hybrid concept points to a possible future that merges clean-burning diesels and hybrid technology for even bigger fuel economy and lower emissions. The compact SUV pairs a 2.2-liter diesel with an electric motor for a combined output of 224 hp and 413 lb-ft of torque, with an estimated average fuel consumption of 40 mpg. No word yet on when this next chapter in the diesel story will see production.

Photo Gallery: Mercedes Benz Diesel History - Latest News, Features, and Reviews - Automobile Magazine

GM may have a host of activities planned in the U.S. to celebrate its centennial, but we like how the company is marking the milestone in Japan: with the special-edition 2009 Chevrolet Corvette S-Limited.

Essentially nothing more than a trim package, the S-Limited adds a few unique touches for the Japanese market, including split five-spoke alloy wheels clad in an aluminum gray finish, a rear decklid spoiler evocative of that on the ZR1, and chromed mesh inserts for the front grille, rear exhaust port, and side vents. Color choices for the S-Limited are, appropriately enough, limited; customers can choose either an arctic white or black exterior. Arctic white cars come with a white-on-black two-tone interior, while the black cars sport interior highlights in sienna.

Also limited are the S-Limited’s production figures. Only 30 examples are slated for assembly - 15 in each color combination. Buyers interested in purchasing an S-Limited will have to plunk down ¥7,980,000 ($75,240). Considering basic Corvettes sticker at ¥7,130,000 ($67,226) in Japan, style and exclusivity apparently don’t come cheap.

Photo Gallery: 2009 Chevrolet Corvette S-Limited is Limited to Japan

Here are the stories from the July 2008 issue of Automobile Magazine. Some stories do not appear online until after the magazine has gone on sale at the newsstand. Go pick up the latest issue to read the entire magazine.