Ram Gives its Heavy Duty Trucks a Black Appearance Package

Since the Black Express package for the Ram 1500 was well received by the market, Ram thought about extending it to its bigger trucks as well. This is how the Ram Black Appearance Group, an imposing visual appearance treatment for the Ram Heavy Duty (2500 and 3500 SRW), was born.

Fiat Ducato Van Goes on Sale in North America as the Ram Promaster

In Europe, the Fiat Ducato is a familiar sight/name, having been present on the narrow and usually potholed roads of the Old Continent since 1981. The current model is virtually identical to the Citroen Jumper and Relay, as well as the Peugeot Boxer, and most recently the Ram Promaster, which is basically the North America-approved version of the same basic Euro van.

The Promaster has now become available for order in its intended markets, where it promises something very different to the usual rear-wheel drive and ladder chassis norm.

Despite ditching the most frugal of the diesels the Ducato comes with back home, the Ram variant gets its motivation from a 3.0-liter oil-burner with 174 hp, as well as the familiar 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. The first sends its power to the front wheels via a five-speed Dualogic automated manual, while the petrol engine gets a conventional six-speed auto.

Since this is a bit of a novel kind of vehicle for the US market, with only the new Transit fitting the mold of a direct competitor, buyers are expected to appreciate the offering of two choices of roof height, three different wheelbases and four body lengths.

Additionally, it can be had as both a chassis cab and chassis cutaway from the factory, all of which boast the lowest loading floor in the class, and some support being loaded up via forklift.

Another area where this Mexican-built vehicle shines is its payload capacity, which in this case is set at 5,145 lbs or 2,333 kg, plus a maximum towing capacity of 5,100 lbs or 2,313 kg. Scroll down to check it out, along with a video first drive uploaded not long ago.

By Andrei Nedelea

PHOTO GALLERY

Dodge Cummins Drags Chevrolet Silverado Around a Parking Lot During Crazy Tug of War [NSFW]

Whoever said that watching pickup trucks isn't fun, hasn't obviously witnessed a mechanical tug-of-war.
A group of young Americans who didn’t have anything better to do on what we assume to be a Friday night since the video was uploaded on Saturday, Dec. 15, watched two of their peers stage a tugging war at a parking lot with their trucks, a Chevrolet Silverado and a diesel-powered Dodge Ram Cummins.
The Silverado not only lost hands down, but the overzealous driver of the diesel Dodge truck took the Chevy for a foolishly dangerous victory run around the parking lot. Naturally, all hell broke loose once he stopped…

2013 North American Car and Truck of the Year Finalists: Which Ones Do You Think Will Win?

Last year, Ford, with its Focus, was the sole U.S. manufacturer included in the final list for the North American Car and Truck of the Year award and it finished in third place, behind the VW Passat and the winner, Hyundai’s Elantra.
Even more surprising was the truck class where the Range Rover Evoque beat the Honda CR-V and the BMW X3. Where is this world coming to if U.S. manufacturers can’t build an SUV or truck to make an impression in their own market?

Ford and Chrysler Group Recalling Certain Models

The Chrysler LLC Group and Ford Motor Co. have announced two separate (and not related) recalls on some of their vehicles.

Starting with Ford, the Detroit automaker is recalling a total of 33,728 of its 2010MY Transit Connect vans manufactured from December 5, 2008 through May 31, 2010 over a potential safety issue concerning the retention pushpin located on the headliner above the B-pillar trim on both sides of the vehicles.

Chrysler Recalls 243,000 Ram Pickup Trucks over Steering Flaw

Chrysler’s Ram brand has notified the National Highway Traffic Safety Association that it is recalling 242,780 pickup trucks over a steering failure that could lead to “a loss of directional stability”.
The safety agency reported that the left tie rod ball may fracture during low speed parking maneuvers when the driver is making a sudden turn. This could lead to the loss of directional stability in the left front wheel.

Mercedes-Benz Tops Secret Shopper Study of U.S. Dealers, Lincoln Places Last in Luxury Segment

Mercedes-Benz dealers were number one for customer treatment in the US according to an independent study by survey company Pied Piper. The California-based company hired 3,524 “secret shoppers” and sent them to US dealerships in order to determine how their salesmen were performing in anything from explaining a car’s features to closing a deal.
This is the third year in a row that Mercedes-Benz, which looks set to top the sales charts this year in the luxury segment, has topped Pied Piper’s study.

Pickup Trucks Inventories Rising, Manufacturers are Worried

It seems like US carmakers are beginning to worry about the rising inventory of their big pickup trucks. For example, General Motors has an inventory of 122 days (or 4 months) of its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra according to a report from Reuters, or 50% higher than the typical industry inventory of 80 days.
But GM isn’t the only automaker in distress. Chrysler, Toyota and Ford also are behind their projected sales, with 93 days inventory for the first two makers and 79 days for the third respectively.

Chrysler and EPA Working on Hydraulic Hybrid System for Passenger Cars [with Video]

Chrysler and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) today announced a new partnership to explore the possibility of adapting the EPA's hydraulic hybrid system for passenger cars and light-duty vehicles. Developed by the EPA, the hydraulic hybrid system is currently used in industrial applications, including large delivery trucks and refuse trucks, but Chrysler, keen on developing a new portfolio of hybrid vehicles, wants to adopt it for use on passenger vehicles.

Chrysler’s Ram Truck Brand to Debut New ‘Guts. Glory. Ram.’ Tagline

Following in the footsteps of its sister brands Dodge, Chrysler and Jeep, the Chrysler LLC Group’s Ram Truck division is relaunching its marketing strategy with a new tag line that will make its official debut during this weekend’s TV broadcast of the Kentucky Derby racing event, which the company is an official sponsor.
The firm’s new motto is ‘Guts. Glory. Ram’ and according to the Auburn Hills-based group, it pays homage to the history of Ram Truck Brand and “represents the hard work and dedication placed in the design, engineering and production of each and every Ram truck”.

Hennessey’s Tire-Shredding HPE500 Supercharged Ram Truck on Film

The tuners over at Hennessey Performance have always had a thing for boosting anything that rides on four wheels. More recently, the Texas-based tuning firm applied its technical wizardry on the Ram Truck. The result is the Hennessey HPE500 Supercharged Ram, which as implied by its name, features a supercharged version of the Chrysler Group’s 5.7-liter Hemi V8 producing 505-horsepower at 5,400 rpm.
The tune include numerous standard upgrades such as a sport exhaust and Hennessey embroidered seats, along with various optional parts like different alloy wheel and tire combos and suspension systems. While we’re waiting for Hennessey to pit the HPE500 Supercharged Ram against a stock Nissan GT-R or a Porsche 911 Turbo, you can watch the powerful pickup truck in some tire shredding action in the video after the break.

Ram Goes Big, Really Big with New Long-Hauler Concept Truck

The Chrysler Group claims, “they don’t get much bigger” than its new Ram Long-Hauler Concept truck and at a whopping 24 feet (about 7.3 meters) long, who can blame them? Based on a Class 5 Ram 5500 Chassis Cab, the monstrous Long Hauler rides on an extended wheelbase measuring 197.4-in. (5,014mm) in length, which is more than enough to fit a Mercedes-Benz E-Class (191.7-in)!
The concept truck is also 79.1 inches tall and tips the scales at an environmentally…unfriendly 9,300 lbs (4,218 kg), or close to 2.5-times as much as a Mercedes-Benz E350 sedan. Ram says the Long-Hauler has a maximum Gross Combined Weight Rating of 37,500 lbs (16,783 kg).

Jeep’s 2011 Moab Easter Safari Specials in Pictures and on Video

Earlier today, we showed you the Jeep Wrangler JK-8 Independence pickup truck [DIY] conversion, and now its time to give you a sneak peek of the rest of the vehicles Jeep and Mopar are planning to bring to the upcoming 45th annual Moab Easter Jeep Safari in Utah on April 16.
The list includes the Jeep Compass Canyon, Cherokee Overland, Grand Cherokee Off-road Edition, Wrangler Renegade, Wrangler Pork Chop, Wrangler Blue Crush and the Mopar Ram Truck Runner.
One of the most impressive looking models is the Jeep Wrangler Blue Crush, which is said to combine “high-speed off-road racing and rock-crawling capability.” The high-riding Wrangler packs a Mopar 426 cubic-inch HEMI V8 with 540 horsepower that is paired with a 545RFE performance transmission and a gear-drive transfercase.

Ram Unveils New 1500 Express Pickup Truck for Younger, First-Time Buyers

Ram's new version of the 1500 pickup truck, formerly known under the code name the “Adventurer”, has finally received an official designation. The Ram 1500 Express targets younger customers and first-time buyers and comes with a starting price of $23,830 (€16,677), including a $975 destination charge.

New Ram Cargo Van is a 2012 Dodge Caravan for the Pro

The Chrysler Group’s Ram Truck division has lifted the wraps off its latest offering, the new Cargo Van or simply Ram C/V, which is nothing more than a 2012 Dodge Caravan in LCV guise with solid panels in the place of the rear windows and a flat load area.

Ram Truck Announces New Entry-Level 1500 HEMI V8, Still to Decide on Name

In a somewhat strange move, the Chrysler Group's Ram Truck division announced today that it would launch a new entry-level version of its 1500 pickup truck equipped with a standard HEMI V8 engine, but it has yet to decide on the vehicle's name. According to the company, the new model is currently known under the code name “Adventurer".

Ram Introduces New 1500 Tradesman at Chicago Show

Chrysler's Ram division introduced the a new Tradesman option package for the 2011 Ram 1500 at the Chicago Auto Show. Based on the ST trim level, the new variant comes with the 390HP 5.7-liter HEMI V8 and five-speed automatic transmission, accompanied by a more comprehensive standard equipment list.

Japanese Students craft a Dodge Ram Truck

We received some e-mails asking us if the green-colored Ram truck hiding behind the Chrysler-ized Prius 300C we showed you earlier today was a tricked out Dodge, or if, like many other project cars shown at the Tokyo Auto Salon, this too was a replica. The answer is it's a Ram Truck clone based on the Mazda Bongo Friendee, which is a Japanese domestic market MPV with seating for eight, offered between 1995 and 2005. Like the Prius 300C, the Ram Truck Friendee was built by a team of students from the Saitama Institute of Automotive Technology.

Triple Recall for Dodge Affects Over 144,000 Journey and Ram Vehicles

The Chrysler Group is recalling certain Dodge Journey crossovers and Ram trucks in three separate actions to repair defective steering wheels, airbags and noisy rear axles.
The largest of Chrysler's recalls involves 65,180 Dodge Journey vehicles manufactured from November 1, 2007, through September 7, 2008. According to a posting on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration [NHTSA], the wires within the front door wire harnesses may fatigue and break. If this happens, the side-impact sensors may not work resulting in inoperative side airbags. Chrysler said it will replace the left and right door wiring harnesses free of charge.

Automakers Developing Significantly Lighter Trucks to Meet New Fuel Economy Standards

Reuters is reporting that major automakers are tirelessly working on reducing the weight of future generation pickup trucks, in order to meet stricter fuel economy standards without sacrificing key abilities, such as power, payload capacity or towing capability.
Until 2016, when the new mandates take effect, manufacturers must reach an average fleet economy of 35.5 mpg (6.63 lt/100 km), while light trucks will have to return around 30 mpg or 7.84 lt/100 km. Given that around 50 per cent of vehicles sold in the U.S. in the first 11 months of the year were light trucks, it’s clear that the likes of Ford and GM have to act fast.