Compact trucks tend to be ubiquitous, entry-level vehicles, but at the 2002 North American International Auto Show, Dodge designers set out to change all that. One of a quartet of millennial-focused 2002 Chrysler Group concepts, the Dodge M80 breathes new life into what has become a bread-and-butter class of boring vehicles, sold mostly on price and ability to make a positive contribution to truck CAFE numbers. At the same time, in their typically coy manner, DaimlerChrysler is giving the auto world what may be a sneak peak at the next-generation Dakota pickup due in 2004.
“This year’s concept vehicles are all designed for the millennial generation,” said Dave McKinnon, Vice President for Design at the Chrysler Group. “We found that one of the products that the market lacks for this group right now is what they call ‘a real hot pickup truck, just for me, a friend, and our gear.’ The Dodge M80 concept is like ’son-of-Power Wagon,’ an in-your-face pickup truck, now light, lean, agile, with four-wheel drive and a powerful engine.”