![]() ![]() The Dakota was the first pickup truck with rack and pinion steering (2WD only, and early years were available without power steering). The first generation of the Dakota was produced from 1986 through 1996 (for the 1987-1996 model years). The Dakota platform spawned several variants such as the Club and Quad Cabs, as well as the Dodge Durango/Chrysler Aspen SUV. Key individuals involved in making this product a reality included Glenn Gardner, Glen House, Robert Burnham, Don Sebert, Jim Hackstedde, and Clark Ewing. The resulting highly investment-efficient program enabled Chrysler to create an all-new market segment at a low cost. Sperlich challenged the N-Body team to search for all opportunities to reuse existing components to create the Dakota. In the late-1970s, Chrysler was still recovering from its near-bankruptcy and resources were in short supply. During that time the available Japanese-inspired compact pickups of the time lacked the size and features necessary to meet the demands of American buyers. Sperlich, who was in charge of Chrysler's product planning in the early 1980s. The N-body platform was the result of operational efforts by Harold K. To keep investment low, many components were shared with existing Chrysler products and the manufacturing plant was shared with the full-sized Dodge D and W Models. The Dodge Dakota was developed by Chrysler as a mid-sized pickup. ![]() The Dakota was the first mid-size pickup with an optional V8 engine. It is a conventional design with body-on-frame construction and a leaf spring/ live axle rear end. The Dakota was sized above the compact Ford Ranger and Chevrolet S-10, but below the full-sized pickups such as Dodge's own Ram. From its introduction through 2009, it was marketed under the Dodge brand, and for the final two years under the Ram brand. The first Dakota was introduced in late 1986 as a 1987 model. The Dodge Dakota, known as the Ram Dakota for the final two years of production, is a mid-size pickup truck from Chrysler's Ram (formerly Dodge Truck) division. Warren, Michigan, United States (Warren Stamping Plant)Ĭampo Largo, Paraná, Brazil (Fiat Powertrain Technologies, Campo Largo Plant 1998-2001)įront engine, rear-wheel drive / four-wheel drive ![]()
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