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November 3, 2011 , Windsor, Ontario – The 2012 Ram 1500 today was named the “Best Half-Ton Pickup Truck” by the Canadian Truck King Challenge team. The announcement follows a few days of intensive real world truck evaluations with the focus on fuel consumption and capabilities. The testing included 8,000 lb (3,629 kg) of towing; 1,800 lb (817 kg) of heavy payload and some off-roading performed by the Truck King Challenge judges in Central, Ontario.

“The testing performed by the Truck King Challenge is a great third party evaluation of the highly competitive half-ton truck segment and we are thrilled that our Ram 1500 took top honours,” said Reid Bigland, President and CEO, Chrysler Canada. “The Ram 1500 is the most awarded Ram truck ever and has the longest lasting line of pickups in Canada. It’s no coincidence that more Canadian pickup buyers are switching to Ram 1500 than to any other truck.”

“The fifth Canadian Truck King Challenge concentrated on testing the most popular half-ton pickups in the Canadian market this year. These included the Ram 1500, Ford F150, Toyota Tundra, GMC Sierra 1500 and the Nissan Titan”, said Howard Elmer, Truck King Media Group. “Over two days, five judges cycled through the trucks while towing 8,000 lb travel trailers and 1,800 lb of payload. The trucks were also run empty and off-road for a total of just over 3,000 km of real world testing. The Canadian Truck King Challenge congratulates Chrysler on its first place win and awards it bragging rights for 2012.”

Ram pickup truck sales in October continue their torrid pace with sales of 5,282, representing an October sales record, as well as an increase of 53 per cent over 2010. Ram truck remains the second best-selling vehicle in Canada and more than 10 million trucks have been sold worldwide. Ram truck continues to experience the greatest gains in market share for 2011 and was recently recognized as a Consumer Digest ‘Best Buy’ for the 2012 model year.

The 2012 Ram 1500 Ram continues to offer innovative features and products for truck customers:

• New six-speed automatic transmission calibration with Electronic Range Select (ERS)
• New torque converter with increased efficiency for improved fuel economy
• New steering wheel with front mounted cruise control buttons
• Ten Ram 1500 models available in Canada; ST, SXT, Tradesman, Express, Outdoorsman, SLT, Sport, Big Horn, Laramie and Laramie Longhorn
• Factory spray-in bed liner available on all models
• Industry –exclusive coil-spring, multilink rear suspension fitted to a solid rear axle provides ride and handling capabilities unexpected in a pickup truck
• Bold, powerful, “get-out-of-the-way” Ram design
• Best-in-class aerodynamics
• 5.7-litre HEMI® provides V8 horsepower with V6 fuel economy
• 390 hp, 407 lb-ft of torque and 10.2 L/100km (28 mpg) highway fuel economy
• Premium seating, soft-touch materials, easy-to-use controls, floor console with shifter, and numerous storage options
• Industry-first RamBox® cargo management system includes versatile, weatherproof, lockable, illuminated and drainable storage bins built into bed rails now available in Quad Cab and short bed Regular Cab model
• Pickup bed divider/24-inch (2-foot) bed extender; and cargo rail system with four sliding, adjustable cleats
• RamBox bins hold up to 10 cases of 355 ml beverages, or other gear for work or leisure
• First-in-segment “store in the floor” storage bins with removable liners, big enough for ten 355 ml beverages and ice
• First-in-segment heated and ventilated front seats
• Heated rear seats also available
• First-in-segment surround-sound audio system

• More than 30 safety features, including standard four-wheel Anti-lock Brake System and Electronic Stability Program (ESC) with Hill Start Assist and Trailer Sway Control