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Dodge Celebrates Diesels in the Desert

7 October 1997

Dodge Celebrates Diesels in the Desert

    MESQUITE, Nev., Oct. 7 -- More than 600 Dodge Ram diesel
truck owners from 40 states will make their way to Mesquite, Nev., this week
for the Third Annual Turbo Diesel Register Round-Up and Rally which takes
place Oct. 8-10.  Often referred to as "turbo heads," these avid truck owners
will spend their own hard-earned money and vacation time for the chance to
unite with fellow owners.
    "We're celebrating more than Dodge Ram trucks and their powerful Cummins
'Killer B' diesel engines," said Ray Fisher, General Manager for Dodge.
"We're celebrating the people who drive them."
    Turbo Diesel Register (TDR) is a Ram-packed two-day event where Dodge Ram
diesel truck owners participate in competitive driving courses, attend
technical information seminars, pose with their truck in a group photo, and
swap stories with fellow turbo heads.  This year, participants will also have
the opportunity to compete for prizes and enter their trucks in the "Best
Dressed-Up Truck Contest."
    The diesel truck business is big business.  Nationally, in 1997, more than
11 percent of all trucks sold, approximately 200,000, will be diesels.  Dodge
estimates that more than 17 percent of its total truck sales will be diesel.
Dodge diesel registrations have increased from 38,000 in 1993 to an estimated
60,000 in 1997.
    In addition to scheduled events and contests, Dodge will make its entire
1998 lineup of vehicles available to attendees who express interest in test-
driving its new products.  "Individuals who attend these events are extremely
loyal to the Dodge brand," said Fisher, who noted that loyalty to the Dodge
brand has more than doubled during the past five years from 25 to 52 percent.
"If they're thinking about getting into a new car, truck, minivan, or sport-
utility vehicle, we want to show them first-hand what's available at Dodge."
    The Turbo Diesel Register was formed in 1993 by Robert Patton, a Dodge Ram
diesel truck owner and former Cummins employee.  The first Round-Up and Rally
was held at Cummins headquarters in Columbus, Indiana, and the second event
was held at Dodge's truck assembly plant in St. Louis, Missouri.  The
organization's headquarters is based in Alpharetta, Georgia, and has a
membership of 10,000 "turbo heads."

SOURCE  Chrysler Corporation