SANTA BARBARA, CA – The redesigned 2009 Dodge Ram is now on its way to dealers in a market that’s not as robust as it was even a year ago, thanks to the recent record-high gasoline prices. However, even with the drop-off in pickup sales this year, the numbers show that there still is a lucrative truck market, Chrysler LLC officials said. Trucks account for 11 percent of new-vehicle sales, according to www.star-telegram.com.

Mostly gone from the market, though, are the “casual truckers,” Dodge Brand Manager Mike Accavitti said during a recent media ride-and-drive event for the new Ram. “Those are the buyers who are the greatest risk in troubled times because they have no need for a pickup,” he said in the Star Telegram.

However, there are four other groups of consumers who still need and buy pickups, and it’s primarily to those people that Dodge will market the new Ram. They include “new-fabric families” who can afford only one new vehicle and find a pickup to be the best choice for their everyday needs; “recreational riders,” who use their trucks to pull horse or boat trailers, or to haul recreational equipment (a big market in Texas); “traditional truckers,” the people who have always owned pickups for personal use, “the Marlboro men of trucks”; and the “work first” buyers, who use their pickups almost exclusively to earn their incomes.

To keep Dodge competitive, the new Ram is “the most well-crafted vehicle we’ve ever produced. This truck is a game-changer,” Accavitti said. “We’ve reinvented the pickup truck segment again.”

The new Ram features a single-cab ST work truck, which has a starting price of $22,170. Other trim levels include the SLT, the Laramie, the Sport, the TRX, and the performance-oriented R/T regular cab, which goes from zero to 60 mpg in 6.1 seconds. For 2009, the Ram also comes in its first true Crew-Cab model, which expands the space of the Quad Cab version (which carries over to the new lineup as well).

Three engines are available in the new Ram, including a 3.7L V-6. Standard on the two-wheel-drive regular and Quad Cab models, this engine is rated at 210 hp and 235 ft.-lbs. of torque.

With the standard six-speed manual gearbox, the V-6 has EPA ratings of 15 miles per gallon in the city and 20 on the highway; with the optional four-speed automatic, the mileage is 14 city/20 highway.

Next is a 4.7L V-8, with 310 hp and 330 ft-lbs. of torque. With a five-speed automatic, this engine is EPA rated at 13 city/19 highway with two-wheel drive, and 13/18 with four-wheel drive.

The top engine is the 5.7L Hemi V-8, with 380 hp and 404 ft-lbs. of torque. Also connected to the five-speed automatic, this engine has the same EPA ratings as the 4.7L.

The new Ram has a maximum payload of 1,850 pounds, and a 9,100-pound towing capacity.

The new Ram has an optional center console between the driver and front passenger that has a side slot that can hold file folders. Its center storage area is large enough to keep a laptop computer out of sight. Another new feature is the optional Ram Box, built into each side of the cargo bed.

Available amenities include automatic climate control, GPS navigation, rear-seat DVD/satellite TV entertainment center, leather seats, a surround-sound audio system with rear-seat subwoofer, and automatic headlights. Other options include a rearview camera mounted in the top of the tailgate that looks down upon the trailer hitch so the driver can back the truck up to a trailer without having to be guided from outside. A rear parking-assist option also is offered.

While only the three gasoline engines will be offered initially, the Ram will be available with a gasoline-electric hybrid drive system and a Cummins clean-diesel engine next year.