Um... I work there and yes we start on the 5th and then we are down for 3-6 weeks. I should know for sure how many at the end of this week. We are still working next week.

 

Why would they shut down for so long immediately after '07 production starts? When were you told the down time starts, right after the week of the 5th?

 

My guess is that because they have a 125 day supply of 06 rams and daks. So we are starting the 07 build on the 5th to fill about 4000 orders for 07's. And yes we go down the weeks of the 10th through the 24th. That is for certain. But the rumor mill says that we will bee down for two to three more weeks as well.

Joe

 

I ordered 1 2007 Ram for our dealership. We currently have over 50 Ram LD and HD's in stock right now. We have sold 2 Rams in June so far. I keep telling our Dodge rep that there needs to be another lease program like in April and May of 2005 to get rid of these trucks. If they don't...expect that your Ram plant will be shut down a lot more this coming model year. Sorry but DCX isn't reacting to the truck sales slowdown at all. I feel even more sorry for the guys that build Durangos.

 

I have to correct myself a bit. We are ahead of build schedule, as we were building 07 models as of 12 noon today! So for 2 hours 1st shift built 07's and all of second built 07's. The only three colors we built were Inferno red, flame red, and silver.

 

Only '07 year model Rams are in the parking lots at the St. Louis plant. There's a few Electric Blue Rams out there also...they look similar to the PT Cruiser/Neon Blue except they sort of have a purplish hint to it.

 

The reason for the increase in displacement without any realized increase in HP and torque is because of stringent new emissions restrictions on 2007 model and later diesels (and this is across the board for all diesel engines). It's bigger engine with more potential that's been detuned to be street legal.

For example: VW will actually be skipping the 2007 model year for their TDI models in the US because they don't have a diesel that can meet the new requirements. Their plan is to build up a huge inventory of 2006 models before the cutoff date, and see them throughout 2007. Then they will bring out a 2008 model late next year that meets the requirements.

 

Cummins has had to go from 5.9L to 6.7L because under the new pollution regs for NOx gases they have to use a lot of recirculated & cooled exhaust gas that cuts peak power output.

That same extra EGR is going to make Cummins owners have to change their engine lube oil much more often, because the EGR puts a lot of soot into the blowby gases.

MPG is going to be either slightly worse (Cummins press release)
or 15% worse (DCx subsidary Thomas Industries Cummins School Bus testing in North Carolina)