2022 Ram 1500 Classic Slt Crew Cab 4x4 5'7" Box on 2040-cars

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Macron and Le Pen decry 'shocking' Stellantis CEO pay

PARIS — French President Emmanuel Macron and his far-right challenger in the French presidential vote, Marine Le Pen, on Friday both decried as “shocking” the multimillion euro payout to the CEO of carmaker Stellantis. Stellantis CEO Carlos TavaresÂ’ remuneration package of 19.15 million euros just a year after the company was formed became an issue as Macron and Le Pen campaigned ahead of the April 24 runoff vote. Polls show purchasing power and inflation are a top voter concern. Stellantis was formed last year through the merger of PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. Centrist President Emmanuel Macron, perceived by many voters as being too pro-business, called the pay package “astronomical” and pushed for a Europe-wide effort to set ceilings on “abusive” executive pay. “ItÂ’s shocking, itÂ’s excessive,” he said Friday on broadcaster France-Info. “People canÂ’t have problems with purchasing power, difficulties, the anguish theyÂ’re living with, and see these sums. Otherwise, society will explode.” Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who enjoys support from many working-class voters, called for bringing in more workers as shareholders. “Of course itÂ’s shocking, and itÂ’s even more shocking when it is the CEOs who have pushed their society into difficulty,” she said Friday on BFM television. “One of the ways to diminish this pay, which is often out of proportion with economic life, is perhaps to allow workers in as shareholders.” Stellantis continued to back the package despite a 52.1% to 47.9% vote rejecting it at an annual shareholders' meeting chaired from the Netherlands, where the company is legally based, on Wednesday. The company, citing Dutch civil code, noted that the vote is advisory and not binding. The company later said in a statement that it took note of the vote, and will explain in an upcoming 2022 remuneration report “how this vote has been taken into account.” In the 2021 report, the company identified peer group companies that it used as a salary benchmark, including U.S. companies like Boeing, Exxon Mobile, General Electric as well as carmakers Ford and General Motors. Stellantis, whose brands include Peugeot, Fiat, Jeep, Opel and Maserati, reported net profits last year had tripled to 13.4 billion euros ($15.2 billion). The French government is the third-largest shareholder in Stellantis, with a 6.15% stake through the Bpifrance Participations S.A. French public investment bank.

2014 Ram Power Wagon is bigger and badder than ever [w/video]

"The 2014 Ram Power Wagon fills a need for those who travel into extreme terrain for rescue or recreation." - Reid Bigland
More, more, more. That's the philosophy behind the latest Ram Power Wagon. The extra-brawny, Ram 2500-based pickup is back for 2014, and naturally, it's even more extreme than its predecessor.

2022 Ram 1500 BackCountry bundles a bunch of off-road bits

The Chicago Auto Show is coming up this week, and Ram is leading the reveals with exactly what we would expect for the show: a special trim level of a pickup truck. It's the 2022 Ram 1500 BackCountry, and it's based on the Big Horn and Lone Star models, but gets its own color scheme and a bundle of features for off-roading and for bed functionality. The BackCountry will be identifiable mainly by its two-tone color scheme with a black lower section. That's matched by many more black accents including the wheels, mirrors, headlight bezels, badging and exhaust tips. It also has running boards and a body-color grille and tonneau cover. But what earns it the BackCountry name are the functional parts. It adds to the Big Horn's standard features list the Off-Road Group and the Bed Utility Group. The former includes all-terrain tires, off-road shocks, hill-descent control, electronic rear differential lock, and skid plates to protect the front suspension, power steering, transfer case and fuel tank. The latter adds a spray-in bedliner, bed lighting, bed step and adjustable tie-down points. If you add the RamBox bed-side storage, it includes a bed extender. The interior is fairly plain with black cloth, but you get bucket seats and a 7-inch touchscreen. The dashboard is also adorned with a BackCountry badge. The BackCountry starts at $41,780. These features are available on the Big Horn trim, but the cheapest way to get them is $45,470, so the BackCountry is a significant discount if you're looking for some off-road capability in your Ram. It's available in both Crew Cab and the slightly shorter Quad Cab configurations with either the regular 5.7-liter V8 or the eTorque version of the same engine. Naturally, four-wheel-drive is the only driveline option. You'll be able to get one in the third quarter of this year. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.