Posted by Henry Jacobs on April 21, 1999 at 14:53:34:
In Reply to: POWER WAGON 1999, COST. posted by IGOR MARTINEZ on April 21, 1999 at 10:43:20:
The "2000" Dodge Power Wagon was revealed to the public at the 1999 North American International Auto Show in Chicago, IL in January of 1999. The vehicle presented there was a concept vehicle only and does not necessarily indicate an actual production configuration.
The truck presented showed strong design influences from the WM300 series Power Wagons produced from 1947 to 1968 and included several novel features including:
1) An inline, six cylinder 7.2 liter diesel engine rated at 780 ft-lbs of torque
2) An electronic tailgate which can be raised and lowered automatically.
3) A fancy interior with Art-Deco styling including rare wood, leather, and brushed aluminum.
4) Custom 19" wheels and tires of unknown origin.
CarPoint had this to say:
"Called an icon of the Dodge brand, the Power Wagon concept was the next to take the stage. Combining styling from the original Power Wagon of the 1940s with the current Ram pickup, this concept pickup made a powerful impression. Under the hood was a 7.2-liter turbodiesel engine that produces a whopping 780 lb-ft of torque."
Other recent reporting appeared in Truck Trend Magazine and Peterson's Four Wheel Drive. Photos of the prototype are widely available on the Web.
Analysis
Dodge has been very aggressive with prototype designs in recent years. Some have gone almost directly to production (Prowler - a hot-rod style sports car), while others have languished for years on the cusp of availability (T-Rex - a 6X6 truck). The Power Wagon prototype seems to have been conceived as a testbed for a number of DCC initiatives including:
1) A high-performance 4X4 sports pickup for affluent male buyers.
2) A high-performance, super clean diesel powerplant for light truck applications to replace the Cummins "B" engines.
3) A restyling of the Dodge Ram truck planform.
4) A reintroduction of the Dodge Power Wagon brand name.
The engine is most likely a CAT 3126 derivative. The fuel is said to be a custom natural gas based product being developed in cooperation with Syntroleum of Tulsa, OK. Electronic control is a virtual certainty and very low emissions will be a major design objective. The prototype appears to have been equipped with half-ton running gear. DCC will need to arrive at a workable powertrain design that will accommodate the high output of this powerplant while maintaining some semblance of economy.
There has been extensive speculation as to what this prototype portends for future production Dodge trucks. Initial information was that the Power Wagon was contemplated as a production vehicle in the 2004 model year timeframe, that length of time required to fully develop the powerplant to meet U.S. government regulations. Recently, however, positive public and press reaction to the prototype is said to have pushed DCC to make some of the features demonstrated available in the RAM pickup line in earlier model years. Some Power Wagon features may appear on Ram pickups as early as 2001 including planform changes and the electronic tailgate. Dodge is also under pressure to answer the "luxury pickup" offerings from GM and Ford, so some of the interior concepts may appear as well.
Copyright 1999 Henry Jacobs