Chrysler's gamble to spin off its pickup truck division at the tail end of the recession has paid off, as the company has increased its market share of the pickup market by 10 percent since creating the Ram Truck division, reports the New York Times.

When Chrysler created the Ram Truck division in 2009, skeptics questioned the company's focus on pickup trucks during a period of contraction of automotive brands and recession. At the time, Ram trucks held an 11 percent share of the full-size pickup market, compared with 42 percent for General Motors and 37 percent for Ford.

Ram pickup trucks now command a 21 percent market share in part due to the unit's increased focus on customer and worker feedback and the addition of features not found on competitive vehicles, such as air suspensions, cargo cameras, eight-speed transmissions, and a diesel engine.