Dodge Establishes Presence in Commercial Vehicle Market

  • New commercial standard set with aggressive barrage of new commercial vehicles including Dodge Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs and all-new Dodge Sprinter 
  • Brand leverages resources and leadership of world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles 
  • Commercial vehicle market is white space for brand 
  • U.S. now second largest global market for Sprinter 
  • Since 2003 introduction, Dodge Sprinter sales have increased tenfold to 21,961 units in 2006
February 13, 2007 , Toronto -  Conquering new territory and setting new commercial standards, Dodge continues to extend its bold, tough, hard working  heritage to the commercial vehicle market.

Led by three recently introduced class-leading trucks, the 2007 Dodge Ram 3500 Chassis Cab and the all-new 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs — which will compete in the Class 3-5 medium-duty segments — the brand’s commercial program continues to grow with the introduction of the all-new 2007 Dodge Sprinter, the market’s top-performing full-size van.

“The commercial vehicle market is essentially a white space opportunity for the Dodge brand,” said George Murphy, Senior Vice President – Global Brand Marketing, Chrysler Group. “We will fill this space with bold, powerful and capable commercial-grade vehicles.”

As part of DaimlerChrysler, Dodge continues to successfully leverage the resources, synergies and leadership of the world’s largest manufacturer of commercial vehicles. Twice the size of its closest competitor, DaimlerChrysler has a 17.5 percent market share of mid-size trucks and commercial vans selling more than 800,000 commercial vehicles in 2006. Its Truck Group sold more than 537,000 units in 2006, a new sales record, with combined North American sales (Freightliner, Sterling, Western Star, Dodge and Thomas Built Buses) increasing to 208,300 units from 202,600 units in 2005.

Ram Leadership Extends to Class 5 Commercial Trucks
With the introduction of the all-new 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs at the Chicago Auto Show last week, Dodge’s Ram-tough heritage and legacy extends all the way to the Class 5 medium-duty segment.

Delivering maximum uptime while showcasing dominant commercial capability, durability and dependability, the 2008 Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs feature numerous class-leading attributes and are the ultimate chassis cabs for commercial customers looking for dynamic, capable work trucks.

“With the addition of these two all-new vehicles, Dodge now offers a full line of Class 2-5 commercial trucks,” said Murphy. “This enhances out our commercial strategy while offering our customers one-stop shopping for all their passenger vehicle and commercial transport needs.”

The Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs will compete in the Class 4 and 5 segments with a gross vehicle weight range of 14,000 to 19,500 lbs. Overall industry forecasts for this range of chassis cab vehicles were 140,000 units in 2006 with growth expectations to 156,000 units by 2012. The Class 4-5 chassis cab segment is expecting further growth to 18 percent by 2015.

U.S. sales of Class 3-5 trucks grew 42 percent in 2005 to 261,627. Class 3-5 vehicles have a gross vehicle weight range between 10,001 lbs. to 19,500 lbs.

Targeted at small-business tradesmen, fleet customers and traditional chassis cab users, the new Dodge Ram 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs enhance Dodge’s commercial vehicle lineup that includes the Dodge Ram 3500 Chassis Cab, all-new Dodge Sprinter, Dodge Ram pickup, and Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan cargo vans.

U.S. Is Second-largest Market for Sprinter
With its 2003 introduction, Dodge Sprinter marked the return of the Dodge brand to the commercial vehicle market. Domestic sales in the U.S. have increased tenfold to 21,961 units in 2006 and the United States now ranks as the world’s second-largest market for Sprinter vans, second only to Germany.

Since 2005, Sprinter sales have exceeded target projections every month with an overall increase of 9 percent in 2006 versus 2005. For Canada, 2006 sales increased 27 percent from 2005.

Setting new commercial standards while conquering new territory for the Dodge brand, the all-new 2007 Dodge Sprinter offers the segment’s longest list of best-in-class advantages. In addition, it provides  world-class quality, design and performance, comfort and safety, and builds on Dodge’s rich commercial heritage, successfully bolstering the company’s position as a competitive player in the commercial vehicle market.

Dodge Sprinter competes in the 2500 and 3500 series large van segments along with Class 3 low-cab-over-engine (LCOE) trucks. Sprinter’s addressable market is identified by 50 percent of all 2500 series vans and 100 percent of all 3500 series vans and Class 3 LCOE trucks. Relevant segment volume forecasts for 2006 were 212,300 units with expected growth to 216,300 units by 2010. The Sprinter dominates the Class B segment in the recreational vehicle market.

Firmly established in the Class 2-3 commercial van market, the all-new 2007 Dodge Sprinter will appeal to a range of customers in traditional vocations including construction, plumbing, carpentry, flooring, painting, roofing, electrical, heating, ventilation and air-conditioning, as well as a host of niche markets including dry cleaning; contractors and landscaping; delivery operators and passenger transport. Dodge Sprinter has also quickly become a popular vehicle embraced by the market’s major courier companies including FedEx, UPS and DHL.

Dodge Commercial Vehicles
As part of DaimlerChrysler, the world’s leading manufacturer of commercial vehicles, Dodge continues to increase the breadth of its commercial products and offers a comprehensive array of vehicles and services designed with business customers in mind. Along with the Dodge Ram 2500/3500 Box-Off models and the Dodge Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cabs — the Class 3-5 segments’ most powerful, capable and upfit-friendly work trucks — Dodge Caravan and Grand Caravan cargo vans complement a growing Dodge commercial lineup that includes the class-leading Dodge Sprinter, which continues its legacy and leadership as the top-performing commercial van in the marketplace.

Dodge BusinessLink
Launched in 1999 and offering no-cost enrollment, Dodge BusinessLink is a full-service commercial program comprised of a select network of Dodge dealers who know and understand the unique vehicle needs of small businesses, fleet managers and other commercial vehicle customers. Providing exclusive benefits, BusinessLink dealers offer unprecedented business assistance including dedicated commercial account managers and sales teams, dealer inventories representing a higher mix of work-truck and other commercial vehicles, next-day service and technicians, extended hours to minimize downtime, free loaner vehicles and more. BusinessLink also includes our “On The Job” program which offers discounts on upfits and direct cash incentives and savings on almost all Dodge commercial vehicles.

Dodge Brand
With a U.S. market share of 6 percent, Dodge is the Chrysler Group’s best-selling brand and the fifth largest nameplate in the U.S. automotive market. In 2006, Dodge sold more than 1.3 million vehicles in the global market. Dodge continues to lead the minivan market with a 20 percent market share in the U.S. In the highly competitive truck market, Dodge has a 15 percent market share. Dodge is also entering key European volume segments with Nitro, Caliber and Avenger.


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