2014 Ram 1500 on 2040-cars

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China's Great Wall confirms its interest — in Jeep, or all of FCA

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI — Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor reiterated its interest in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on Tuesday, but said it had not held talks or signed a deal with executives at the Italian-American automaker. China's largest sport utility vehicle manufacturer made a direct overture to Fiat Chrysler on Monday, with an official saying the company was interested in all or part of FCA, owner of the Jeep and Ram truck brands. Automotive News first reported the news, quoting Great Wall Motor President Wang Fengying as saying she planned to contact FCA to discuss acquiring the Jeep brand specifically. Those comments sent FCA shares higher but also raised questions over the ability of China's seventh-largest automaker by sales to buy larger Western rival FCA, or even Jeep, which some analysts value at as much as one-and-a-half times FCA. Great Wall sought to dampen speculation on Tuesday. It confirmed it had studied Fiat Chrysler, but said there was "no concrete progress so far" and "substantial uncertainty" over whether it would eventually bid. "The company has not built any relationship with the directors of FCA nor has the company entered into any discussion or signed any agreements with any officer of FCA so far," the company said in an English-language stock exchange filing. It did not give further detail. Fiat Chrysler stock dipped on the statement on Tuesday. Great Wall said trading in its Shanghai-listed shares would resume on Wednesday after having been suspended. Fiat Chrysler declined to comment on Great Wall's statement. On Monday, it said it had not been approached and was fully committed to implementing its current business plan. FLUSHING OUT RIVALS? Great Wall Motor, which was early to spot China's love of SUVs, had revenue of $14.8 billion last year and sold 1.07 million vehicles - but that compares with FCA's 2016 revenue of 111 billion euros ($130.6 billion). Analysts said Great Wall would need to raise both debt and equity to complete any deal, meaning its chairman Wei Jianjun could lose majority control. One possible scenario, according to analysts at Jefferies, would see Wei keeping a roughly 30 percent stake, while Great Wall would raise $10-$14 billion in debt and $10 billion in equity - hefty for a group currently worth just $16 billion. Ultimately, politics could be the clincher.

2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel fuel economy numbers are right in the zone

Every new truck spec gets it own awards show nowadays. In this next envelope we have EPA fuel economy ratings for the 2020 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel — drumroll, please: 22 miles per gallon in the city, 32 mpg highway, 26 mpg combined for the 4x2 trim; 21 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, 24 mpg combined for the 4x4. As one would expect, the numbers plop the EcoDiesel in the middle of the pot with light-duty diesel versions of the 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and 2019 Ford F-150. In 4x2 guise, city mileage for the EcoDiesel ties the F-150 and is one mpg short of the Silverado, highway mileage rates two mpg more than the F-150 and one mpg short of the Silverado. In 4x4 trim, EcoDiesel city mpg is one mpg more than the F-150 and two mpg short of the Silverado, EcoDiesel highway number is four mpg more than the F-150 and ties the Silverado.    Of course, Ram would also like you to know that when it comes to output and carrying, the third-generation oil-burner tops the half-ton trio with 480 pound-feet of torque, 20 lb-ft more than the Silverado, and posts the highest tow rating at 12,560 pounds. Buyers who opt for the 4x2 diesel Ram and the 33-gallon tank will be able to travel the furthest, too, going beyond 1,000 miles before the fumes give out. Every trim gets the new EcoDiesel option for 2020, including the Ram Rebel for the first time. The 3.0-liter V6 is a $4,995 option, making it either $3,000 or $3,300 more than the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 eTorque trim depending. The EcoDiesel price ladder starts with the Tradesman Quad Cab at $36,890 plus a $1,695 destination charge, for $38,585 total. The 2019 Ram 1500 Classic will continue offering the second-generation 3.0-liter EcoDiesel, starting at the unchanged price of $40,835 for the Tradesman Crew Cab 4x2.

Ram brings two new special edition trucks to Chicago

The Chicago Auto Show has historically been a truck-heavy expo, and this year FCA is rolling out two new versions of its stalwart pickup: the limited edition Ram 1500 Copper Sport and the Ram Heavy Duty Night edition. While there are no changes under the skin, the pair of appearance packages add a host of unique touches inside and out to help truck buyers set their rides apart from the crowd. The Ram 1500 Copper Sport starts at $46,950 and will be limited to just 3,000 units. That's a drop in the bucket compared to number Ram pickups that the automaker sells every year, but at least it's a limited edition that's actually limited. All models will be Crew Cab V8s. Aside from the copper-colored paint on the body, grille, and bumpers, the Copper Sport adds contrasting black-decaled Sport performance hood, black Ram's head grille badge, black tailgate badge and black body-side badges. The Copper Sport also comes with unique wheels in either 20- or 22-inch diameters (depending on whether you get a 4x2 or 4x4). View 10 Photos Inside, the truck gets copper-colored accents on the seat, headrests, and minor trim pieces. The headliner and A-pillars are all black to match the copper and black mesh seats. The Copper Sport also comes with a nine-speaker Alpine audio system that includes a subwoofer. The Ram Heavy Duty Night edition package is available on both 2500 and 3500 models, expanding on from the half-ton Ram 1500 Night edition. Like the Copper Sport, the Night edition is a special appearance package that doesn't change anything underneath. Where the former adds copper touches inside and out, the Night edition is essentially a factory blackout kit. On the exterior, the chrome on the wheels, grille, headlight bezels, and badges are replaced with either a gloss or matte-black finish. Inside, the Night edition comes with black vinyl and cloth seats. View 7 Photos Like the Copper edition, the only body style available is the Crew Cab. The package also isn't available on dualie 3500s, though customers can choose from two Hemi V8s or a Cummins diesel inline-six. The Night edition starts at $46,840 for a two-wheel drive Ram 2500. Look for the pair to hit showrooms in the next few months. Related Video: Featured Gallery Ram Copper Sport and Heavy Duty Night Models View 12 Photos News Source: FCA Design/Style Chicago Auto Show RAM Truck