THE FIRST 2002 DODGE RAM TRUCK ROLLS OFF THE PRODUCTION LINE

AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — The first all-new 2002 Dodge Ram Truck rolled off the assembly line yesterday at the Chrysler Group's St. Louis North Assembly Plant (SLNAP), which is the beginning of a three-plant production ramp-up that will create the capacity to build more than 400,000 Dodge Ram trucks annually.

The plant held a Job One ceremony, marking the first day customer-ready vehicles began rolling off the production line. Joseph L. Driskill, Missouri Director of Economic Development; and Dennis J. Hancock, Mayor of Fenton; joined Dieter Zetsche, President & CEO of Chrysler Group; hundreds of employees; and company, community and union leaders at the ceremony. As part of the event, Zetsche test drove a new Dodge Ram, declaring that SLNAP was ready for volume production.

Zetsche also announced a new product for the plant: the all-new Dodge Ram 2500 heavy-duty truck coming next year.

"The all-new Dodge Ram will once again set a new benchmark in the truck segment by improving and amplifying every area of the truck, from design to handling to performance and capability," said Dieter Zetsche, Chrysler Group President and CEO. "The same words that describe the new Dodge Ram — powerful, capable, versatile, reliable — apply to all people who have worked so hard to bring this truck to the market, from the people here at the plant, to all the engineers and suppliers throughout the value chain."