well, though i would ramble a bit -- talking about what is a truck designed to do and who is the market...
we have such a diverse climate in n.am.
my pre-able to my ramble ;-) when i worked up north in thompson, manitoba (where they gave me $7.50 cdn northern allowance per day just to live there, salaries are about 30% higher, the windows are mostly triple glazed, the northern lights are coloured, and the weather is often around -40 C or F), you walk if you can because it might be quicker. you don't care what you drive as long as you can get it started, it will warm up, and not leave you stranded -- and rust is not a problem -- the snow is light and dry as styrofoam and so is the air. people leave their cars running when they go to the mall and many are unlocked
my thoughts on dodge's lineup if we're thinking design -- yes i am ready for abuse -- so sling some my way (laughing and grinning)
here is my northern rural female pt-o-view (i also did salesperson support, sales mgt. reports, and photo-sales for auto/truck cheap sales magazines for a while up here in canada eh) -- checked out the dodge site and found lots of link flaws since i last visited
if i were deciding on models i would make less car models and i think the stratus is very boring.i would:
--- buy the challenger -- absolutely beautiful
--- keep the viper
--- the caliber looks interestesing
--- why need a neon with cheaper caliber .. how about even smaller neon -- 2 seater to park where only bikes fit, cheaper -- lawnmower engine, cheap parts, no options
--- the super bee is impressive but i would rather have an original
--- srt4 don't know -- not my type
--- 1500 and 25/3500 keep of course (but decide what they are for) minivans have been on their way out here for a while (i am biased -- i hate minivans and no one here seems to be able to drive one)
--- i always thought the magnum looked too minivan for my liking but it holds up to 8 people maybe it should be a bit taller and take over the minivan model which holds up to 7 -- was it supposed to be a high performance car or a minivan? ???the durango looks way tooooooooooo minivan for an suv -- modify it -- or was it supposed to be a minivan (see marketed at home depot loading a mattress and frame) add 6.1-Liter SRT HEMI® SMPI V8 Engine as in magnum, or are they getting rid of it for the cherokee?
---build an econo 4x4 stable 2pass. with opt. crewcab fold down seats & hatchback -- for the younger croud, those with rough terrain commuting, and cottage country types (like an econo wrangler-liberty but better than a sidekick) and optional soft top/hard top or moon roof/t-roof but not wrangler size. they have no small trucks left -- build a smaller dakota -- more like older models (sorry newer dakota owners) -- i suspect price is the issue here so keep options to a minimum -- but maybe the SRT10 is taking over...(yes keep SRT10)
for us with lots of snow and salt in winter how about making an option an more expensive vehicles and 4x4's for undercarriages, exposed cables, etc., wheel wells, lower sections of body with metal specially fabricated for rust prevention
??? lastly, i can only find dimensional specs on the sprinter -- is it actually a shed?
about 9-10 models?
rach