Truck of the year is Ford F-150 or Dodge Ram?

Ford F-150: North American Truck of the Year

* The all-new Ford F-150 is named North American Truck of the Year at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS)
* Since its launch in October, 2008, the all-new F-150 has earned many awards and accolades, including 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year™
* The 2009 F-150 also America’s safest full-size pickup

DETROIT, Jan. 11, 2009 – The all-new 2009 Ford F-150, America’s best-selling vehicle, was named North American Truck of the Year today at the North American International Auto Show (NAIAS) in Detroit.

The prestigious award comes hot on the heels of the 2009 F-150 being named 2009 Motor Trend Truck of the Year™ and the “Truck of Texas” by the Texas Auto Writers Association in addition to a number of other awards and accolades.

“Winning 2009 North America Truck of the Year honors is a special distinction because it acknowledges the team’s efforts to push harder and deliver even more for customers – including quality, safety leadership, unsurpassed fuel economy and smart features aimed at further improving their productivity,” said Mark Fields, Ford’s president of The Americas. “Ultimately, though, this award is a nod to true truck customers, who have inspired us to deliver America’s favorite pickup for 32 straight years.”

The North American Truck of the Year award recognizes vehicles based on factors including innovation, design, safety, handling, driver satisfaction and value for the dollar. Fifty automotive journalists in the United States and Canada vote for the vehicles, which must be “all-new” or “substantially changed” from the previous model to qualify for the award.

The 2009 F-150 is new inside and out. The Ford truck team adopted a holistic, 360-degree approach to revamping the vehicle – from its segment-first features to the tough new exterior highlighted by a dramatic three-bar grille and more spacious, flexible and refined interior, to the unparalleled choice of cab styles and trim levels.

The improvements are just as dramatic beneath the sheet metal. They include a new high-strength, lighter-weight chassis that delivers even more horsepower, unsurpassed fuel economy and class-leading towing and payload capacity.

“We know how important the F-150 is to our customers and their livelihood,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president of Global Product Development. “That’s why our team has been working so hard to deliver the most capability, improve fuel economy and ensure that this F-150 lives up to the durability and reliability expected of a ‘Built Ford Tough’ truck.

“Ford has spent years listening to our truck customers, and as the truck leader, we take our responsibility to deliver the right tools for them very seriously – and winning North American Truck of the Year is yet another assurance that the team absolutely delivered the best full-size pickup in America,” Kuzak continued.

For the 32nd year in a row, Ford’s award-winning F-Series is America’s best-selling truck with 2008 sales of 515,513.

For the 27th year in a row, F-Series is once again America’s best-selling vehicle of any type – car, crossover, SUV, truck or van.

Last week, the F-150 earned the title of America’s safest full-size pickup when it received 5-star frontal- and 5-star side-impact crash test ratings, the highest possible scores from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Earlier last fall, the truck received the “Top Safety Pick” award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The new 2009 F-150 also sports an array of smart technologies – from industry-first SYNC to Ford Work Solutions. SYNC provides hands-free, in-car communication. Ford Work Solutions is an innovative suite of options, including an in-dash computer with Internet access, Tool Link to track tools, Crew Chief technology to dispatch workers and reduce vehicle operating costs and Cable Lock to improve security of tools and equipment.

The new F-150 delivers class-leading towing capability of 11,300 pounds and hauling capacity of 3,030 pounds – a combination no other competitor can match.

For 2009, F-150 also has improved its fuel economy by an average of 8 percent across the entire lineup, thanks to a wide range engineering enhancements. The fuel economy gains reach as high as 12 percent versus the prior model year on F-150 models equipped with the high-volume, three-valve, 5.4-liter V-8 engine. Plus, the F-150’s SFE package – which is available on highest-volume XL and XLT series – delivers unsurpassed fuel economy of 15 mpg city and 21 mpg highway.

The new 2009 F-150, which is built at Ford’s Dearborn (Mich.) Truck Plant and Kansas City Assembly Plant, has also won the following awards and accolades:

* America’s safest full-size pickup with 5-star frontal and 5-star side-impact crash-test ratings, the highest possible scores, in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) tests.
* Motor Trend 2009 Truck of the Year Award™
* Top honors as “Truck of Texas” as well as “Best Luxury Pickup” for the 2009 F-150 King Ranch from Texas Auto Writers Association
* Finalist 2009 North American Truck of the Year (with 2009 Ford Flex for Car of the Year)
* Playboy’s 2009 Best Pickup
* 2009 Best Redesigned Vehicle from Kelley Blue Book’s kbb.com
* “Best Overall Half-Ton Pickup” from PickupTrucks.com
* “Automotive Excellence” award in the Workhorse Category from Popular Mechanics
* Detroit Free Press Truck of the Year
* Detroit News Truck of the Year
* “Top Safety Pick” from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety for its standard safety technology: Safety Canopy side curtain air bags and AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control
* “Residual Value” award from Automotive Leasing Guide (ALG) for retaining the highest percentage of its original price among 2009 full-size light duty pickups at the end of a conventional three-year lease, based on ALG projections
* Motor Trend’s Truck Trend Top 5 Trucks from Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) for 2009 Ford F-150 Heavy Duty DeWalt Contractor Concept
* “Accessory-Friendly Truck” Design Award from SEMA
* F-Series is best selling vehicle in America for 27 consecutive years; best-selling truck for 32 consecutive years

Detroit, Jan 10, 2009 - This evening, the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram earned the 2009 International Truck of the Year, awarded by International Car of the Year (ICOTY) jurors. The Dodge Ram beat the new 2009 Ford F-150 and Subaru Forester for top honors.
The ICOTY board consists of nationally renowned automotive editors and journalists from a variety of respected publications and broadcast outlets.

“Our all-new 2009 Dodge Ram continues to haul in awards,” said Scott Kunselman, Vice President – Jeep®/Truck Product Team, Chrysler LLC. “We’re glad third-party organizations, including ICOTY, recognize Dodge Ram’s game-changing innovations, functionality, safety and value.”

The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram includes the first-in-segment RamBox™ cargo management system that includes versatile, weatherproof, lockable, illuminated, drainable storage bins, pickup bed dividers, a two-foot bed extender, and a cargo rail system with sliding adjustable cleats. The 2009 Ram also includes the first-in-segment coil-spring, five-link rear suspension fitted to a solid rear axle providing ride and handling not found on any other pickup truck. A new 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 engine with fuel-saving MDS technology provides more horsepower (390 hp) and torque (407 lb.-ft.) and its best-in-class aerodynamics – .387 Cd – helps improve fuel economy and performance.

In addition, the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram includes first-in-segment, factory-installed four-inch dual exhaust styled dramatically into the rear bumper, first-in-segment store-in-the-floor storage bins with nearly twice as many bins (42) than the previous model (26) and 35 safety and security technologies. Standard features include side-curtain air bags and Electronic Stability Program (ESP), which includes all-speed traction control, trailer sway control, hill start assist and anti-lock brake system (ABS). Significantly upgraded interiors with segment-first surround-sound audio system and live SIRIUS Backseat TV™ round out the interior.

The all-new 2009 Dodge Ram 1500 Crew Cab recently earned 5-star ratings for driver and front-passenger protection in a frontal crash, the highest ratings in the U.S. government’s safety crash test program.

In addition to winning the 2009 International Truck of the Year award, the all-new Dodge Ram has picked up several key awards since its introduction:

Truckin’ magazine’s Truck of the Year
Texas Auto Writer’s Association (TAWA) – 2009 Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas
Edmunds.com – Inside Line Editors Most Wanted 2009
Autobytel.com – 2009 MyRide/Autobytel Editor’s Choice Awards - Truck of the Year
Maxim – Achievement in Party-Enabling Technology (RamBox)
Ward’s AutoWorld – Ward’s 10 Best Engines of 2009 (2009 Dodge Ram 5.7 HEMI engine)
Automobile Journalists Association of Canada – Best New Pickup
Sobre Ruedas – Sobre Ruedas Best Pickup Truck for ‘08
Dodge Brand
With a work-hard, play-hard attitude, the Dodge brand continues to offer a full line of cars, trucks, SUVs, commercial vehicles and sales-leading, fifth generation minivan in 2009. This year, Dodge will add to the award-winning Ram lineup with the introduction of the all-new 2010 Dodge Ram 2500 Heavy Duty and 3500 Chassis Cab.

Dodge introduced several new vehicles in 2008, including the all-new 2009 Dodge Journey, the 2009 Dodge Challenger and the 2009 Dodge Ram. Dodge also celebrated the 25th anniversary of the minivan during the 2009 model year. With more than 65 minivan-firsts introduced since 1983 and more than 12 million Dodge and Chrysler minivans sold, Chrysler LLC has solidified its leadership in the segment. The 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan continues to set the mark in minivan value with more than 40 new or improved features from the previous generation, including unsurpassed 17 city / 25 highway mpg fuel economy. The 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan is also the first minivan in the segment to feature the all-new Blind Spot Monitoring and Rear Cross Path advance safety systems.

Also in 2008, the Dodge Journey entered key volume markets outside North America, joining the Dodge Avenger, Nitro and Caliber. Dodge Caliber was the highest sales volume vehicle for the company outside North America in 2008.