Detroit Debuts: 1994 Dodge Ram
This week marks the Detroit Auto Show, a soiree at which some brands will introduce new rigs while others show off existing wares or make promises for the future. Thirty-ish years ago, the event was a centerpiece of the Big Three’s marketing strategy, with Detroit automakers saving their big reveals for media day - some of which were a lot more over-the-top than others.
Fair warning: this series of posts will be a bit heavy on Chrysler since that brand was arguably the one to take more chances with this type of stuff at the time. In this instance, it knew following up the outrageous stunt on Detroit media day with the 1993 Jeep Grand Cherokee would be tough, so the marketers brought their A-game to create a baller introduction for an equally baller truck - the 1994 Dodge Ram.
[Images: Dodge]
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Assembled media sat in front of a stage area, on which sat a truck-like shape with a sheet draped over it. To any casual observer, it surely looked like any one of hundreds of vehicle reveals in the years before or since.
But at the prescribed time when an announcer introduced the 1994 Dodge Ram, no silk sheet was hauled back nor was there any truck underneath it. Instead, Chrysler dropped the thing from the ceiling, flattening the on-stage truck shape and dragging Dodge into a three-way fight with Ford and Chevy.
Oh to have been a fly on the wall of those brands at the time. Not only did Dodge deliver a knockout punch with the reveal itself, members of the general public went bonkers for Dodge’s new and aggressive look, an appearance which arguably still informs some Ram styling choices to this very day.
Looking back through media reports from places like the Chicago Tribune covering the reveal, some media noted the styling was a huge gamble - and it was - questioning if shoppers would respond positively. Turns out, they needn’t have worried.
But one thing’s for sure: it continued a series of increasingly bombastic auto show reveals in Detroit. Check out our other examples in galleries throughout the week.
