Dodge Trucks

Dodge markets the following trucks:

John and Horace Dodge founded Dodge Brothers as a part manufacturing company. They began manufacturing trucks in 1914 and were successful enough that Chysler purchased the company in 1928.

During World War 2 Dodge produced their first diesel truck, joining Mack as one of two truck makers to use their own diesel engines in their production trucks. After World War 2, Dodge bested Ford and General Motors in sales with their B-series truck.

In Dodge history the next big innovation was the introduction of the A-100 compact pick-up. The A-100 pick-up was based on the A-100 van which was popular with consumers, but unfortunately the A-100 pick-up never found a niche in the consumer market.

After the failed A-100 pick-up, Dodge turned to Mitsubishi to bring a mid-size truck to their line-up, this truck was marketed as the D-50. The D-50 was designed and manufactured by Mitsubishi and imported into the United States under the Dodge moniker. This proved to be a wise move, as the D-50 was a success for many years with the truck buying public.

The car-based front wheel drive Rampage was introduced in the early 80's. The Rampage was powered by a 2.2 liter 4 cylinder engine, allowing for better fuel economy. Although the Rampage line of trucks was short lived many can still be seen on the road today.

The popular D-50 was replaced in the early 90's by the mid-sized Dakota. Since its inception the Dakota has risen in popularity and today remains one of the most popular truck in Dodge's line-up.

In 1981 Dodge reformulated its full size truck to produce the lighter, more powerful Dodge Ram. In 1993 the signature look of today's Ram was first introduced.

During the 2004 model year, Dodge started offering a hybrid dodge ram, called the "Contractor's special" the 2500 and 3500 series Ram trucks are considered a mild hybrid. Unlike competitor's vehicles, the Ram is a diesel/electric hybrid.

Also featured in the Ram is the 5.7 liter MDS (Multi Displacement System), an MDS engine is able to cut back from eight to four cylinder operation when less power is needed. The result is better fuel economy during highway use.

Dodge continues to improve on hybrid technology and is also working on cleaner, more efficient diesel engines.