End of the line: Ram Dakota production to cease this week

It's the end of the road for the truck formerly known as the Dodge Dakota, a truck that once sold over 13 times last year's volume.

The writing has been on the wall for the Ram Dakota prior to the truck even being known as the Ram Dakota. Dodge first signaled the end for its midsize pickup back in May, but now it seems the true end of the line is upon us.

With sales down from a peak of 177,000 back in 2000, the Ram Dakota's mere 13,000 sales in 2010 sum up the news for the week: Ram will end production of the Dakota before the close of the week, according to The Detroit News.

With the Dakota production stopped, approximately 150 or more workers are at risk of being displaced or terminated, but Chrysler believes it will be able to redistribute the workers in most, if not all cases.

As for the future of a less-than-Ram-sized pickup in the Dakota lineup, Leftlane has previously reported that Chrysler's truck division has confirmed that it will build a unibody "lifestyle" vehicle at its minivan plant in Canada. The truck is expected to be a true compact, closer in size to the current Ford Ranger than the larger Dakota.

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