2002 Dodge Ram 1500 4x4 on 2040-cars

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Stellantis launching at least 25 EVs for America by 2030

Stellantis has announced a wide-ranging plan for the company through 2030 covering everything from product to financials. The product plans are what really caught our attention, particularly for the surprise reveal of the first electric Jeep, as well as new teasers of the electric Ram 1500. But the company also provided more broad details on what we'll be seeing in the future including both electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles. All of the plans are in service of the Stellantis goal of reaching net zero carbon emissions by 2038. On that way, it plans for all European vehicle sales and half of all American sales to be electric by 2030. It will launch 75 new electric vehicles by that year, and at least 25 of them will be coming to the U.S. The first of those electric cars will be the aforementioned Jeep in 2023, but many Stellantis models will follow close behind. The electric Ram ProMaster will launch in 2023 as well. In 2024, we'll see the electric Ram (and its plug-in hybrid counterpart), two more Jeeps (an off-road model and a family-oriented model) and the Dodge electric muscle car. We'll get a preview of the Dodge with a concept this year. Then in 2025, Chrysler will launch its electric car, likely based on the Airflow concept. Stellantis has previously announced Chrysler will be fully electric by 2028, and it further announced that Alfa Romeo and Maserati will be fully electric by 2030. Stellantis is also working on hydrogen fuel cell vehicles, mainly for commercial use. For the U.S., it plans on offering a large, ProMaster-size hydrogen van in 2025. That year or a little later, it also has plans for a hydrogen heavy-duty pickup truck, presumably Ram 2500 and 3500. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares noted that among the benefits of hydrogen for large and commercial vehicles is being able to avoid compromising payload capacity, since hydrogen powertrains are lighter than giant batteries. Hydrogen filling times are quick relative to charging, too. The company will continue working on and offering advanced driver aids. This year it will offer hands-free cruise control like GM's Super Cruise and Ford's BlueCruise. In 2024, the company intends to introduce a system that is hands-free and won't require the driver to be watching it the entire time. The technology is being developed alongside BMW. These are, of course, broad plans, and they could change as time goes on. Expect more details as we get closer to individual product releases.

2013 Dodge Dart gets brace of new special edition models

After almost a year on the market it, it is becoming more clear to Dodge how customers like to option out their Darts, so the automaker has combined popular features into three special edition packages and sweetened the prices. Start with a standard 2013 Dart and add either the SXT or Limited "Special Editions" or Rallye Appearance Group, and you'll save yourself a lot of box checking.
The $595 Dart SXT Special Edition takes the trim just above the base model and adds a new grille, dark-tinted headlights and projector fog lights, LED racetrack taillights, cruise control and audio controls on the leather-wrapped steering wheel. The Limited Special Edition starts with the top-end model and adds a power sunroof, heated front seats and steering wheel, dual-zone climate control and Nappa leather seats among other features, for $1,810.
The Rallye Appearance Group (pictured) is a package for the SXT, and it blacks out the front fascia, throws on 17-inch wheels and some badging for $395. The new special editions are reaching dealers now and could help the Dart's sales to further improve after a slow start. You can find out more about them in the press release below.

Preserved truck found at the bottom of frozen lake

A fisherman in central Minnesota pulled more than bluegill and bass out of his local fishing hole earlier this month. While ice fishing on Mayhew Lake, a local man was startled when, using an underwater camera to scout for fish, he discovered a vehicle sitting on the lakebed, the SCTimes reported. He immediately called the Benton County Sheriff's office, which sent deputies to examine the vehicle. Once they arrived, the deputies used their own camera to have a look and discovered a late-90s to early-00s model Dodge Ram pickup in roughly 12 feet of water. The Sheriff's department dive team was then dispatched to search the truck and the area surrounding it for bodies or valuables. The truck was lifted from the lakebed through a huge hole in the ice. The Sheriff's office ran the plates and discovered that it was reported stolen in March of 2000 from a nearby address. Investigators believe that given the truck's location, almost 100 yards from the lake's public access ramp and 25 yards from the north shore, that it was driven on to the lake while it was frozen, then allowed to sink to the bottom once the ice melted. Thanks to the lake's frigid waters, the truck was surprisingly well preserved. Aside from a missing grille, a coating of mud inside, and a patina of rust on the sheet metal, there was little damage to the truck despite its long rest in the lake. With an engine full of lake water and the damage done by roughly sixteen freeze-thaw cycles, the truck will never run again, but its condition is a good testament to the build quality of those old Rams. It certainly held up better than that '57 Plymouth Belvedere they buried in the time capsule under the Tulsa city courthouse. News Source: SCTimesImage Credit: Benton County Sheriff's Office Government/Legal Weird Car News Dodge Truck water lake