Texans know and love their trucks, which is why the top execs at Fiat Chrsyler are celebrating big as the 2021 Ram 1500 was named the “Truck of Texas” at the annual Texas Truck Rodeo — for the third straight year.
The company’s popular full-size pickup was also named Full-Size Pickup Truck of Texas, Luxury Pickup Truck of Texas and Off-Road Pickup Truck of Texas. For many, that would be a pretty good showing at the event.
However, FCA’s honors didn’t end there the Dodge Durango, Jeep Wrangler, Jeep Gladiator also captured honors and the company won awards for technology offerings as well.
(Ram releases its newest beast: 2021 Ram 1500 TRX.)
“The Ram, Dodge and Jeep brands from FCA impressed our TAWA members with an exceptional product lineup at the Texas Truck Rodeo,” said Kristin Shaw, TAWA president. “The 702hp 2021 Ram 1500 TRX thrilled our members with incredible performance both off-road and on-road at the event; it crawled over the articulation obstacles with ease.
“And what’s not to love about the 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat? With 710 horsepower, AWD, quicker 0-60 times than most sport cars, and 8,700 pounds of towing capability, the three-row Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat delivers unmatched performance that allows you to bring your entire family along for a roaring-fun ride.”
Some of other awards the company nabbed include:
- 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat wins top award as SUV of Texas, as well as Full-Size SUV of Texas honors; Dodge Durango has won Full-size SUV of Texas six times in the past eight years
- 2021 Jeep Wrangler wins Off-Road SUV of Texas for 11th consecutive year
- 2021 Jeep Gladiator wins Mid-Size Pickup Truck of Texas for second consecutive year
- 2020 Ram 2500 wins Heavy Duty Pickup Truck of Texas and Best Towing Technology with the Ram Heavy Duty 360-degree Surround View Camera
- Best Infotainment award presented to Uconnect featured in the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX and 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat
- Best Powertrain awarded to the supercharged 6.2-liter Hemi V-8 featured in the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX and 2021 Dodge Durango SRT Hellcat
(Forget those high-line sedans, Ram 1500 named “luxury car of the year.”)
And while that list makes it seem like a clean sweep for FCA, other competitors did managed to squeak out a few honors.
The 2021 RAV4 TRD Off-Road was named Compact SUV of Texas for the second consecutive year.
“It’s great the media members of TAWA recognized the RAV4 TRD Off-Road’s ability to help people find their adventures on and off road,” said Cynthia Tenhouse, vice president, Vehicle Marketing and Communications for Toyota.
Other winners include the 2021 Hyundai Pallisade Calligraphy (Best Midsize SUV), 2020 Land Rover Defender 110 SE (Best Luxury SUV) and Nissan ProPilot Assist (Best Safety Feature).
(FCA’s Ram brand building second edition of “Built to Serve” pickups.)
“This year has brought a lot of challenges to the automotive industry, and we are grateful for the partnership of our journalist and OEM members to provide an opportunity to have access to vehicles, network, and create content that is vital to our livelihoods and shared passion,” said Shaw. “Over the course of two days, journalists had an opportunity to drive more than three dozen vehicles and evaluate them thoroughly.”
