Visionary Daimler-Chrysler Unveils 500 HP V-10 Pickup Truck

[hatrack]

Gosh, even more forward-thinking technology from the executive wizards of Stuttgart and Detroit.

CHELSEA, Mich. - "The Chrysler arm of DaimlerChrysler (DCX.N: Quote, Profile, Research) (DCXGn.DE: Quote, Profile, Research) raised the ante in Detroit's horsepower wars on Tuesday by unveiling two new variants of its powerful Dodge Ram pickup truck.


The muscular trucks were rolled out at a ceremony at Chrysler's proving grounds in Chelsea, Michigan, where Chrysler Chief Executive Dieter Zetsche hailed them as part of "a big, bad and incredibly powerful expansion of the Dodge Ram model lineup."
Going on sale this fall the trucks include a four-door version of the Dodge Ram SRT-10 pickup, complete with a 500-horsepower V-10 engine. The regular cab version of the SRT-10 has already given Chrysler bragging rights for brute force. In February it earned a spot in the Guinness Book of World Records as the fastest production pickup truck ever, with a measured top speed of nearly 155 miles per hour.

The other new truck, which Zetsche touted as "a mobile monument to Dodge Ram capability in off-road environments," is a heavy duty model called the Dodge Ram Power Wagon.

Powered by a 345-horsepower Hemi V-8 engine Zetsche said the Power Wagon, a name Chrysler last used 25 years ago, was "the most capable off-road pickup ever built."

EDIT

http://www.planetark.org/dailynewsstory.cfm/newsid/25548/story.htm

[rfranklin]

1. Just what we need, more overpowered trucks racing...

along at 85 mph on the highway. This one will be produced in an SUV model before you can say "gas guzzler."

P.S.--I love speed and horsepower, but not in a petroleum-powered rocket sled riding six feet from my back bumper.

[Wickerman]

2. Cool, another huge trucks for faux cowboys to drive to starbucks

[TreasonousBastard]

3. With oil around 40 bucks a barrel...

we need more 10mpg trucks.

Lots more.

[phantom power]

4. I almost feel pity for these rubes

You can just tell what's in their product pipeline: gas guzzles, gas guzzlers, and... oh yeah, super-gas-guzzlers.

Thanks to their "forward-looking" genius, they're stuck trying to sell these things in a climate of expensive oil and gasoline.

Which would be bad enough, but wait! At this same time, Japan is producing super-efficient cars with good gas mileage!

Of course, the CEOs of these companies will probably award themselves raises and multi-million-dollar bonuses for this strategic brilliance.

[NickB79]

5. Wonder what the accessories will cost

Air to ground refueling jet sold seperately.

Hey, maybe if you put one massive gas tank in the truckbed, you could make it to work and back without stopping at a gas station? What visionaries they are.

[midnight armadillo]

6. More power. <yawn>

Car makers are such SHEEP. They hardly ever do anything particularly innovative or interesting.

It's easy to add power to a car and charge some chump who doesn't have a clue how to drive it out the wazoo for the privilege.

Expect Ford to add more power to its F150 lightning Any Day Now.

I think this Dodge truck gets something like 9 mpg in real driving. It may be fun, but c'mon. Let the handful of really dedicated enthusiasts do their own tuning, and spend corporate resources on something less stupid.

[Maestro]

7. When will they put such "visionary thinking"

into creating more earth friendly vehicles.

[TheFarseer]

8. maybe gas should be $5 a gallon

to get people off of this nonsense. If JK raised the taxes on gas 3 dollars a gallon when he gets in office, everyone would hate that including me, but I would really respect that at the same time. Then he could take off the tax as soon as we get some more sensible vehicles on the road.

[hangar18]

9. Problem with $5 / gallon gas

...is it raises the cost of everything else you buy too to offset transportation cost increases. The solution is to raise the level of the gas guzzler tax to around 12-14 MPG. Most likely the SRT-10 is already subject to it since I believe the Viper is. I own a truck that gets 13 mpg but only put 3-4000 miles a year on it, most while hunting and snowmobiling. I commute on a bike.