How would you like a free Chrysler PT Cruiser with your 2008 Dodge Ram 1500 Quad Cab SLT 4x2? Or maybe you'd prefer more than four years of free gas with your Ram? With the Dodge Ram now in its last four months before the new truck takes its place, slow sales mean dealers now have a 109-day supply of the trucks, which have also been impacted by the rapidly shrinking pickup market.
Dealerships in Sacramento, Calif., are offering some $13,000 in discounts off a Ram 1500 Quad Cab SLT 4x2; anyone who regularly browses the Sunday classifieds in other areas is likely to see similar but possibly less extreme rebates on the Ram. To avoid the excessive inventories with which Chrysler struggled last year, it is imperative that most or all of these Rams get sold before the new models arrive.
"We think our incentive plan will support an orderly run-out," Steven Landry, Chrysler LLC executive vice president for North American sales, told Automotive News. "It is absolutely tough out there for pickup trucks, both in terms of the competition and some buyers waiting on the sidelines."
Ford's F-150 also debuts about the same time as the new Ram. Both models will compete with the relatively fresh Toyota Tundra and GM pickups, and all of them will likely face lower trade-in values than those offered a couple years ago. With high fuel prices beginning to affect consumer buying habits, we wonder how big of a sales bump Dodge will get from the 2009 Ram.
Source: Automotive News (Subscription required)