Recently in Dakota Category

by Patrick Rall

On Tuesday, August 23rd, the very last Ram Dakota rolled off of the assembly line at the company's Warren Truck Assembly Plant - bringing an end to the 24 year run of the mid-sized pickup that began its life as the uber popular Dodge Dakota.  Unfortunately, at the end of its days, the Dodge Dakota leaves behind a group of enthusiasts unhappy to see the smaller pickup fall out of the lineup, a consequence of changing too much from what the Dakota began as in 1987. It is for those enthusiasts that we take this opportunity to remember.

by Patrick Rall

We have known for some time now that the Dodge Dakota turned Ram Dakota would be coming to an end as we know it sometime this year, and now it would appear the end of the  Dakota is upon us.  Along the way, as the end of the Dakota was discussed by Chrysler it was regularly implied that a replacement was on the way. This was then bolstered by lots of rumors, the most popular being that the "next Dakota" would be a much smaller truck than the current Dakota, possibly riding on a unibody platform. But according to unnamed sources who spoke with Automotive News, plans for the Dakota replacement have been "shelved".

by Patrick Rall

While speaking with Ram Truck brand CEO Fred Diaz at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show, he confirmed that 2011 would be the final year for the long-running Dodge Dakota but he was unable to confirm what exactly would replace the mid-sized pickup.  He explained that one of the "problems" with the Dakota is that there was not enough differentiation between itself and the top-selling Ram, so when the next generation of the Dakota hits the market it will be vastly different from the Ram.