2012 - Ram 3500 on 2040-cars

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Ford F-150 could be affected by tornado-damaged supplier in S.C.

The disruption caused by a tornado that severely damaged a South Carolina auto-parts plant and killed a contract security guard last week could be felt by more automakers than just Ford and affect more than just its best-selling F-Series pickup, which is due for an update. And there’s still no estimate for when operations might resume at the plant. The Detroit Free Press reports that the BorgWarner plant in Seneca, near Greenville, makes transfer cases for F-150 and Super Duty pickups, the Ford Explorer and Expedition, Transit cargo vans, and Lincoln Navigator and Aviator SUVs. ItÂ’s also a supplier for the Ram 1500 and Toyota Tundra trucks. Transfer cases shift power from the transmission to the front and rear axles in four-wheel-drive vehicles. BorgWarner says it still has no update for when it might partially or fully resume operations. The tornado that ripped through the area in the western part of the state on April 13 tore the roof, walls and signage off the factory and killed a 77-year-old contract worker when the security building he was sheltering in collapsed. Only four or five others were inside the plant, which has been idled because of the coronavirus outbreak, when the tornado struck. In an SEC filing on Friday, Ford said it has sent employees to the site to help BorgWarner and assess the damage to FordÂ’s tooling. “Initial assessments indicate that the Ford tooling was not materially damaged in this incident,” Ford said in the filing. “We do not have sufficient information to estimate when the facility will be back on-line or whether or the extent to which this incident will impact our plans to resume production of four-wheel drive and all-wheel drive vehicles.” A Fiat Chrysler spokeswoman also told the Freep the company was working with BorgWarner on recovery plans. A Toyota spokesman told Autoblog that "we are collaborating with BorgWarner to help restore production for transfer cases for Tundra assembly. We are confident that theyÂ’ll fully recover over time." Like other automakers, Ford shut down production at its U.S. plants last month as a precaution against the coronavirus pandemic. But Ford hasnÂ’t yet said when it plans to reopen its factories. FCA is targeting May 4 to resume production. Models like the F-150 and Lincoln Navigator are major sources of profit for Ford, which estimated it lost $2 billion in the first quarter.

Dear Ram: 'GT' doesn't belong on a pickup

When word of the forthcoming Ram G/T models hit our inboxes on Tuesday, my first reaction was one of confusion. The notion of a "Grand Touring" package for anything with a pickup bed struck me as entirely foreign and left me feeling conflicted. Have pickup trucks really come so far that a GT-inspired model makes sense, or am I just married to an antiquated notion that has been co-opted and subsequently bled to death by the endlessly churning automotive marketing machine? One could reasonably argue that "GT" has come a long way from the days when it was closely associated with its namesake term (whether you say "Gran Turismo" or "Grand Touring" really makes no difference) and plenty of not-so-sporting automobiles have already borrowed the nomenclature to denote trims with faster-looking body kits or larger wheels. If that's the model we're choosing to acknowledge, Ram's is arguably ahead of the game. Its G/T package adds a cat-back exhaust and cold air intake (more of a performance nod than some other "GT" models enjoy), paddle shifters, a console-mounted gear lever, unique bucket seats with high bolsters and metal covers for the gas and brake pedals. If this were a package for a Dodge Charger or Challenger, it would certainly check the right boxes. Heck, the whole thing was essentially parts-binned from the TRX with an assist from Mopar's factory accessory catalog.  A Ford Mustang GT and a Mercedes-AMG GT. Note how similar they are to a half-ton truck. In my quest to decide just how out-of-touch I am, I first asked Ram whether G/T actually stands for anything. It doesn't. It was chosen simply to "signify a sporty model within the lineup." There's no apparent significance to the slash aside from being an obvious nod to Dodge's R/T (Road/Track) models, of which even the Viper was one. Even with SRT having supplanted R/T atop the Mopar performance heap, the latter still denotes models with a significant performance increase.  But that means G/T is precisely what we think it is — a trim meant to impart notions of performance, even if there's little of it to be found. It doesn't quite sit with me. The domestics have already pretty much forced us to accept the notion of both high-performance and luxury-oriented pickups, so something splitting the difference doesn't really seem that outrageous.

2019 Ram 1500 pickup is keepin' it steel — well, mostly

The 2019 Ram 1500 pickup was ready for its close-up — an extreme close-up — from one of our spy photographers, who recently was able to walk around the entire truck, testing each body panel with a magnet. The result? He determined that the pickup will remain almost entirely steel, except for an aluminum hood and tailgate. This breaks from Ford's weight-saving move to aluminum on the F-150, and now in the coming Expedition, which has been the fodder of Chevy ads. Other details of the Ram 1500 facelift we already think we knew: The truck will get new front and rear facias. Coil springs with optional air suspension are likely to continue. It will get a larger cab. And a hybrid and turbocharged four-cylinder are possibilities. Predictably, a more powerful V8 and a Raptor fighter are rumored. Demon Ram, anyone? Meanwhile, here's a look at some Ram packages being offered for 2018. The 2019 Ram 1500 could debut as soon as January's Detroit Auto Show. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Ram 1500 spy shots aluminum hood Related Gallery 2019 Ram 1500 Dealer Leak Spy Shots Image Credit: Brian Williams Spy Photos RAM Truck aluminum weight reduction