Never say never: Ram still a possibility for Dodge Down Under

Chrysler's international sales head, Mike Manley, says the door is not shut on the maker's full-size Ram truck coming Down Under.

Talking at the recent Detroit motor show, Manley was careful not to rule out the big pick-up from coming Down Under. However, nor did the Executive Vice President -- International Sales, Marketing and Business Development put a definite timeline on the arrival, other than to say such a decision would not need to wait until an entirely new generation Ram arrived.

According to Manley, Ram's future is compounded by the fact Australia's demands do not necessarily align it with major right-hand drive markets like the UK and Japan.

"Australia is, in my opinion… different to some of the other right-hand-drive markets. Because if you take UK as another example (of a big right-hand-drive vehicle market), it doesn't have the consumer demand of Australia once you start getting up in [vehicle] size," Manley opined.

"One of the things we look at for the Australian market is things like our trucks -- particularly with the new Ram we launched yesterday," Manley told the Carsales Network at Detroit last week.

"The issue for us is partly the overall size and scale of the [Australian] market -- you know there is a consumer demand for that but is that demand sufficient for us to be able to do the homologation work required [on the Ram]?

"It is a project we look at fairly regularly", Manley admitted.

"At this moment in time the financials have never made sense... but there have been recent moves with competitors that might make that more attractive for us. When we get closer to the launch of the new truck we'll go through that process again and have a look at it again.

The "new truck" Manley is referring to is the Ram unveiled at Detroit -- not the next generation Ram (also pictured, in disguise), as initially thought. According to Manley, the Ram's future in Australia isn't a question of waiting for an entirely new platform but rather waiting for a defined need to re-engineer the existing platform.

Said Chrysler's international business boss: "The when answer [to Ram coming to Australia] is when the financials make sense. And the what answer is -- there would need to be some changes for homologation."

Questioned on the volumes required to justify the re-engineering Manley agreed current sales projections were "well off".  However he opined that other factors could influence the decision.

"Firstly what are competitors doing in those markets? As you see competitors move in and out [of markets] it changes that. Secondly as you bring on new platforms the overall financials change anyway.

"The other influence in international markets is where we see currency going. If you see big currency movements, that may open up opportunities that weren't there in the past.

"Finally, as you know different generations [of vehicle] take more or less market share. When we bring out this new truck in the US we expect it to gain market share… If the market acceptance is very, very strong than that again could change what the volumes [required to engineer a right-hand drive version] are going to look like."

Manley contends the shape of a brand's model portfolio in the Australian marketplace could also influence the decision.

"If you just looked at it individually on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis you may make a short-term decision regarding a brand. That would take away an opportunity in the long term."

The argument that Dodge needs a Ram as a 'halo' vehicle in markets like Australia doesn't wash with Manley, however.

"Not every brand has a halo vehicle", he countered.

"If we are able to position Dodge as we want it to be, which is about grabbing life regardless of the segment -- which is about edgy styling, which is about utility, which is about value -- then the halo vehicle may not come from one of the big Dodge vehicles.

"In some markets Dodge is known as a truck. But we used Viper when we launched the brand [in Europe]. That was the first real Dodge vehicle that we launched in European markets to give people a sense of what it is and then that was quickly followed up by Caliber.

"In many markets Dodge is know as a Caliber -- a C segment vehicle -- great value for money and because of its size in that segment, its utility comes through.

"We look at our portfolio for each region of the world to try and make the right decisions but then you do [also] have to make sure it makes financial sense. One of the things I want to make sure we don't do is try and be all things for all people.

Says Manley: "One of the things Chrysler is doing -- Germany is probably the first real example -- is trying to keep true to our American heritage but tailoring our vehicles [to the market]. So that [process] could create natural expansion in our product range.

"It's not that we are avoiding putting an iconic Dodge car into the market, but I do think we can communicate what Dodge is about with the vehicles we have chosen for international, focusing on styling (which is important), utility and value."