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Ram 1500 Marines-inspired Built to Serve edition wears tank-like green paint

Ram rolled out the latest addition to its military-inspired Built to Serve lineup of trucks right before Thanksgiving. Based on the hot-selling 1500, it's available in two distinct colors named Tank and Flame Red, respectively. Each branch of the U.S. armed forces is getting a variant of the truck, and the newest member of the range honors the Marine Corps. Like the three previously-unveiled 1500s, it receives a decal of the American flag and Built to Serve stickers on each quarter panel, black exterior trim pieces, body-colored fender flares, and 20-inch aluminum wheels finished in a shade called Technical Gray. Ram expects active-duty service members and veterans will scoop up most of the production run, so it added Velcro panels on the side of each front seat that let motorists display the patch of their choice, whether it's a flag, a name badge, or a unit insignia. It also added front sport seats upholstered in cloth and vinyl, all-weather floor mats, and an emblem on the dashboard, while the Marines-inspired model gets Medium Greystone accent stitching. Buyers can combine the Built to Serve appearance package with all body styles and powertrains, even if they haven't served in the armed forces. Every truck comes with the 4x4 Off-Road Group, which bundles features like all-terrain tires, an electronic-locking rear axle, hill descent control, tow hooks, and four thick skid plates. Ram will start taking orders for the latest Built to Serve 1500 in December 2020, and production is scheduled to start in early 2021 at the firm's Sterling Heights, Michigan, plant. Pricing information hasn't been published yet, but production will be limited to 1,000 trucks finished in Tank and an additional 1,000 units painted Flame Red. The fifth and final member of the range, honoring the Coast Guard, will be unveiled in early 2021.  Related Video:

Stellantis not looking for further mergers, including with Renault

MILAN — Stellantis Chairman John Elkann on Monday denied the carmaker was hatching merger plans, responding to press speculation about a possible French-led tie-up with rival Renault. Elkann said that the Peugeot owner, the world's third largest carmaker by sales, was focused on the execution of its long-term business plan. "There is no plan under consideration regarding merger operations with other manufacturers," said Elkann, who also heads Exor, the Agnelli family holding company that is the largest single shareholder in Stellantis. After abandoning the Russian market, at the time its second largest after France, and reducing the scope of its global cooperation with Nissan, Renault has been seen as a potential M&A target. Speculation intensified after an electric vehicle market slowdown forced it last week to cancel IPO plans for its EV and software unit Ampere. Its market cap remains stubbornly low at little over 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) despite a financial recovery over the past few years. Stellantis, the product of a 2021 merger between France's PSA and Fiat Chrysler and one of the most profitable groups in the industry, has a market cap of more than 85 billion euros when unlisted shares are factored in. It has a 14 brand portfolio also including Citroen, Jeep, Opel and Alfa Romeo. NEWSPAPER REPORT Italian daily Il Messaggero had said on Sunday that the French government, which is Renault's largest shareholder and also has a stake in Stellantis, was studying plans for a merger between the two groups. A spokeswoman for Renault said on Monday the group did not comment on rumors. France's Finance Ministry had declined to comment on Sunday. Stellantis has crossed swords with the Italian government, which has accused it of acting against the national interest on occasions. Industry Minister Adolfo Urso last week raised the prospect of the Italian government taking a stake in Stellantis to help to balance the French influence. Renault shares pared gains after Elkann's comments to stand 1.2% higher by 1220 GMT, having initially risen more than 4%. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, a Portuguese-national, last week said in an interview with Bloomberg that the group was "ready for any kind of consolidation" and that its job was to make sure that it would be "one of the winners". Analysts, however, question the rationale of a Stellantis-Renault merger, which would also expand the group's excess capacity in Europe.

Ram pickups to keep it steel through 2020

One of the hottest topics in the industry these days is automakers' expanding use of aluminum, especially for vehicle bodies and platforms. While the lightweight metal has historically been the preserve of premium brands and sports cars, Ford shocked the industry when it announced that its 2015 F-150 would go aluminum-intensive for its new generation. As it turns out, the material change doesn't even mean a big jump in the prices for most of its trims. Possibly in reaction to the big change, General Motors is said to be using the lightweight metal in its next-gen trucks, too. That only leaves Ram as an open question among the domestics, and at least for now, the company is apparently in no hurry to push tin.
According to Reuters speaking with two, unnamed insiders, the Ram 1500 isn't getting an aluminum infusion until sometime after 2020. That's not to say the truck is going to be stagnant for the next half-decade or more, of course. According to Ram's five-year plan, there's a refresh for the 1500 coming in 2015 and much bigger changes on the way in 2017. Those same sources tell Reuters that further revisions aren't expected until at least 2021, which is when the aluminum could be added.
Fiat Chrysler Automobiles CEO Sergio Marchionne hasn't minced words about his thoughts on using the lightweight metal in pickups. "I have better use of aluminum in this house than a pickup truck," he said in May. Having said that, Marchionne was clear that if the material turns out to be revolutionary in the segment, the company would be willing to follow.