Chrysler's Publicity Package for the New Dodge Dakota
06/21/96
1997 DODGE DAKOTA -- IT'S FULL OF SURPRISES
AUBURN HILLS, Mich., June 19 -- 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 . "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