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Ram reveals Man of Steel-themed Superman truck [w/video]

The new Superman film Man of Steel opens in theaters next Friday, June 14th, and Ram is buddying up with the summer blockbuster for some coattail-riding co-promotions. The partnership includes a new 30-second commercial called "Action" that pairs scenes from the film with footage of Ram trucks and a voiceover that says, "Everyone has the ability to do something amazing... Some just do it on a more regular basis." It's nothing too special (we've actually seen most of the Ram footage in other commercials already), but the brand should be happy having its trucks so closely associated with the Last Son of Krypton. Accompanying the TV spot will be a neatly drawn print ad created by DC Comic artist Shane Davis that's destined for the newsprint pages of USA Today.
Lastly, Ram has created a special Man of Steel edition of its Power Wagon truck that will be on display at the movie's premier in New York City next week before traveling the country attending various events and ultimately being auctioned off for charity.
I have a history of lambasting poor attempts at Superman-themed vehicles, but this Man of Steel Power Wagon can hide from Kryptonite in my garage any time. The truck is Dark Ceramic Gray with a special vinyl wrap that adds the textured look of Superman's new suit, and the roof is done in high-gloss black, though you'd need the power of flight to see it on this tall rig. The grille, meanwhile, is finished with Anodized Red accents. The forged aluminum 17-inch black wheels are General Zod-approved and the interior is likewise tastefully upgraded with Superman-themed materials. Lastly, Kal-El's ultimate quad cab is capped with Superman logos front and rear where the traditional Ram logo would normally be.

Ram introduces Harvest Edition for chassis cab trucks

Trucks are workhorses first and foremost, and Ram is adding a Harvest Edition to its Chassis Cabs trucks to drive that point home. That means the Chassis Cabs are available in Case IH Red and New Holland Blue to match the other farm machinery in your shed. The Harvest Edition trucks are Ram 3500, 4500 and 5500 Chassis Cab models, available in all four-door Crew Cab and two-door Regular Cab configurations. The trucks can also be 4x4s with the 6.4-liter Hemi or 6.7-liter Cummins diesel. It's not the first outing for this specific limited edition, as a year ago Ram offered Harvest Edition 1500, 2500 and 3500 models. This year, it's the chassis cab trucks' turn to go red or blue. The nod to Case IH and New Holland makes sense because both companies are owned by CNH Industrial, which in turn is related to FCA. Ram North America head James Morrison says that the color choices were originally a direct request from farmers. And for those with no feelings toward either Case IH or New Holland — or those whose blood runs John Deere Green — there's the choice of black or white exterior paint. But the trucks aren't as basic as a tractor can be: There's an exterior chrome package for the grille, side steps, door handles and mirrors, and depending on the model, the polished aluminum wheels are either 18-inch or 19.5-inch. Inside, there's connectivity tech from 4G WiFi to Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. For hardware functionality, there are large front tow hooks and a skid plate for the transfer case. The limited edition's pricing starts at $43,990 for the 3500 Chassis Cab, for $48,140 for the 4500 and $49,240 for the 5500. The 3500 Harvest Edition is available with either single and dual rear wheels, and the 4500 and 5500 are dualies, with 60-inch and 80-inch cab to axle lengths. The Harvest Edition goes on sale in the third quarter of 2018. Related Video:

Stellantis expects to hit emissions target without Tesla's help

Franco-Italian carmaker Stellantis expects to achieve its European carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions targets this year without environmental credits bought from Tesla, its CEO said in an interview published on Tuesday. Stellantis was formed through the merger of France's PSA and Italy's FCA, which spent about 2 billion euros ($2.40 billion) to buy European and U.S. CO2 credits from electric vehicle maker Tesla over the 2019-2021 period. "With the electrical technology that PSA brought to Stellantis, we will autonomously meet carbon dioxide emission regulations as early as this year," Stellantis boss Carlos Tavares said in the interview with French weekly Le Point. "Thus, we will not need to call on European CO2 credits and FCA will no longer have to pool with Tesla or anyone." California-based Tesla earns credits for exceeding emissions and fuel economy standards and sells them to other automakers that fall short. European regulations require all car manufacturers to reduce CO2 emissions for private vehicles to an average of 95 grams per kilometer this year. A Stellantis spokesman said the company is in discussions with Tesla about the financial implications of the decision to stop the pooling agreement. "As a result of the combination of Groupe PSA and FCA, Stellantis will be in a position to achieve CO2 targets in Europe for 2021 without open passenger car pooling arrangements with other automakers," he added. Tesla's sales of environmental credits to rival automakers helped it to announce slightly better than expected first-quarter revenue this week. The next tightening of European regulations will soon be the subject of proposals from the European Commission. The 2030 target could be lowered to less than 43 grams/km. Related Video: Government/Legal Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Tesla Citroen Peugeot Emissions Stellantis