Earlier this month, MotorTrend released its annual Truck of the Year Award and, to its own shock, gave the award to the 2014 Ram 1500, which also won Truck of the Year in 2013. Why did this announcement come as a surprise to the people at MotorTrend? Well, perhaps because the publication has not given the Truck of the Year Award to the same vehicle in back to back years since the award started in 1979.

Knowing this information, one should not be surprised that the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel received 8,000 orders between February 7 and February 10. That is, unless you are the manufacturers of said vehicle.

The 8,000 orders placed for the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel has already fulfilled the allotment Chrysler established for the truck in the first quarter of 2014. The 8,000 orders for the EcoDiesel also represent more than 50 percent of the total orders for the 2014 Ram 1500, more than doubling the estimates by Chrysler. Ram Truck Brand President and CEO Reid Bigland had previously estimated that the EcoDiesel would account for approximately 30 percent of the total sales of the 2014 Ram 1500.

The surge in sales is most likely a direct result of the most recent Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) fuel mileage test results for the truck which showed that the 2014 Ram 1500 gets 28 mpg on the highway, better than any other full-sized, half-ton pickup on the road – and even better than the top-rated small pickup.

“The Ram 1500 is the only half-ton truck available with a diesel, so we see this as incremental business by having the only truck that can offer best-in-class fuel economy of 28 MPG combined with 9,200 lbs. of towing capacity. It’s every truck manufacturer’s dream to have this kind of initial order demand for a product. Fuel economy is the No. 1 request of half-ton buyers and the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel delivers without compromising capability,” stated Bigland.

Fortunately, consumer orders will receive priority over dealership orders. While Chrysler pegged the initial allotment at 8,000 orders, signs indicate that this number could increase if customer, not dealer, demand increases.

If interested, one can place an order for a 2014 Ram 1500 at any local Chrysler or Dodge dealer for the price of $24,200. However, if one wants the EcoDiesel engine, it will add another $2,850 to the total price.

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