Dodge Rams the Crisis, Improves Market Share

Even if market share is not the same with high sales volume, to know that you own a bigger piece of the smaller pie that is the automotive industry is reason enough for celebration. Dodge Ram's total market share increased (or did the market shrink?) to 20 percent in February, the highest for the full size pick-up in more than five years.

Add to that the fact that the 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 received the New England Motor Press Association's (NEMPA) 2009 Winter Best-In-Class Pickup Award and now opening a bottle of champagne does not seem so far fetched anymore.

"It's an honor to have the New England Motor Press Association recognize our all-new 2009 Dodge Ram with this award. This award is a testament to the design, capability and unmatched ride and handling of our all-new Dodge Ram," Scott Kunselman Chrysler product teem vice president said in a press release.

The 2009 Ram features an industry first, a cargo management system Chrysler calls RamBox. The system is made up of weatherproof storage bins, pickup bed dividers, a two-foot bed extender and a cargo rail system with sliding adjustable cleats.

And there is, of course, the Hemi. A new 5.7l V-8 engine with fuel-saving MDS technology that provides 390 horsepower 470 lb.-ft of torque, at the same time reducing fuel consumption and CO2 emissions.

The Ram's 35 safety features, which include side-curtain air bags, ESP, hill-start assist and your everyday ABS system helped the 2009 model achieve a five star rating for driver and front passenger protection in a crash.

MSRP for a 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 is $22,170, a price that includes the $900 destination tax.