Why did Ram choose the small ecodiesel engine?

[Diesel30]

So, with Cummins placing a 5.0 in the Titan trucks, why does Ram get stuck with a "baby" motor? GM had the 4.5 Duramax ready for their half tons but that never came through. Since Ram and Nissan has come out I'm sure GM will re vist that game

Ram: 3.0
Nissan: 5.0
GM: 4.5

Ram seems to be way off base with it's size. Possibly more efficient?

 

[RamDiesel4]

That's exactly why. The Ram press release had a statement from the chief engineer telling consumers the 3.0 L offered power yet fuel economy we're looking for. If a 3.0L gets the job done I'm fine with that.

 

[Bigfoot]

It was chosen because it is the only engine available that can get close to 30 mpg in this application. Concerns about it being too small are overstated. Mated to the 8-speed tranny it has ample power for anything a 1500 is expected to do and provides that power down in the 2000 rpm range.

 

[Capri2200]

Chrysler kind of fell into this. GM was already looking at this motor and I believe owned a percentage of the Motori VM coporation. However, GM eventually pulled out leaving Chrysler as the only suitor left wanting to purchase the engine. It was originally developed for use in BMW vehicles.
I owned a 2005 Ford Excursion which I absolutely loved. It had the Triton V10 6.8 liter. It boasted 315 horsepower and 425 ft lbs or torque. The truck had a curb weight of 6800 pounds. Mpg was 8 and 10 with towing around 4 and 8.
The 2014 Ram 1500 Ecodiesel boasts 240 bhp and 420 ft lbs of torque. The curb weight is around 5800 pounds. Not sure what the towing mpg will be at this time as I have not towed, but I am reliably seeing 18 and 28+