2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman/express on 2040-cars

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Auto Mergers and Acquisitions: Suicide or salvation?

We love the Moses figure. A savior riding in from stage right with the ideas, the smarts, and the scrappiness to put things right. Alan Mullaly. Carroll Shelby. Lee Iacocca. Andrew Carnegie. Steve Jobs. Elon Musk. Bart Simpson. Sergio Marchionne does not likely view himself with Moses-like optics, but the CEO of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles recently gave a remarkable, perhaps prophetic interview with Automotive News about his interest and the inevitability of merging with a potential automotive partner like General Motors. Marchionne has been overtly public about his notion that GM must merge with FCA. For a bit of context, GM sold 9.9 million vehicles in 2014, posting $2.8 billion in net income, while FCA sold 4.75 million units and earned $2.4 billion in net income, painting a very rosy FCA earnings-to-sales picture. But that's not the entire picture. Most people in the auto industry still remember the trainwreck that was the DaimlerChrysler "merger" written in what turned out to be sand in 1998. It proved to be a master class in how not to fuse two companies, two cultures, two continents, and two management teams. Oh, it worked for the two individuals at both helms pre-merger. They got silly rich. And the industry itself was in a misty romance at the time with mergers and acquisitions. BMW bought Rolls-Royce. Volkswagen Group bought Bentley, Bugatti, and Lamborghini, putting all three brands into their rightful place in both products and positioning. No marriages there, so no false pretense. Finally, Nissan and Renault got married in 1999. A successful marriage requires several rare elements in this atmosphere of gas fumes and power lust. But a successful marriage requires several rare elements in this atmosphere of gas fumes and power lust, the principle part being honesty. Daimler and Chrysler lied to each other. The heads of each unit, the product planners, and finance all presented their then-current and long-range forecasts to each other with less-than-forthright accuracy. Daimler was the far greater equal and no one from the Chrysler side enjoyed that. The cultures were entirely different, too, and little was done to bridge that gap. Which brings me back to the present overtures by Marchionne to GM. "There are varying degrees of hugs," Marchionne stated in the Automotive News piece. "I can hug you nicely, I can hug you tightly, I can hug you like a bear, I can really hug you." Seriously?

2019 Ram 1500 pickup spotted without the classic crosshairs

Ram has done a good job of hiding its next-generation trucks from the public, but one of our spy photographers finally glimpsed the pickup with very little camouflage. One truck was even wearing just its factory paint job. From what we can see, the 2019 Ram pickup will be a big departure from the current generation. (UPDATE, January 2018: Here are the story and photos from the 2019 Ram's full reveal at the Detroit Auto Show.) Up front are the most significant changes. Ram trucks since the mid-'90s have been distinguished by their big-rig looks that consisted of low mounted headlights, and a tall, proud grille. That grille was also made all the more prominent by how the middle of the hood met the top of the grille, while the sides of the hood and the fenders dipped down toward the headlights. This traditional look has mostly disappeared. The headlights have been raised up to the top of the grille opening. Now the grille drops below the lights. There is still a hint of the old style in the hood, but the look is very different. That hood and the front bumper also are more sculpted and detailed to emphasize the truck's toughness, and the hood now features a badge with the model of truck and its engine. The dark red truck in the photos has a 5.7-liter V8. The grille appears to be missing the classic crosshairs, too, and instead there's just one horizontal bar. It's possible this is just for this trim level, since the current Ram has a variety of grilles sans crosshairs. Moving around the truck, the changes are less radical. The Ram's flanks are still impressively clean and uncluttered, featuring simple, organic curves. The taillights are more detailed now, and the turn signals and reverse lights have little swoops in them. The tailgate is very clean, too, and the various holes in the back indicate that there will be no shortage of badging and garnish options at the rear. Expect to see all the details in the near future, in time for the 2019 model year. Related Video:

Ram issues recall on heavy-duty pickup transfer cases

UPDATE: A previous version of this story said the issue only occurred in four-wheel drive. This is incorrect – issues are only exhibited in two-wheel drive. The Basics: Ram is recalling 930 3500, 4500, and 5500 heavy-duty pickups from model year 2016. The affected 3500s were built between July 24, 2015 and January 7, 2016, while the larger 4500/5500 trucks were screwed together between July 24, 2015 and October 8, 2015. The Problem: According to the official NHTSA bulletin, the "transfer case may have been manufactured with a misshapen main output shaft, creating voids that may cause a shaft fracture." If this happens, the vehicle could lose power. The driver might not be able to select park, either. Injuries/Deaths: FCA isn't aware of any injuries or deaths related to the issue. The Fix: Dealerships will replace the transfer case on affected trucks. If you own one: You probably don't. According to FCA spokesman Eric Mayne, dealers haven't delivered the majority of the affected trucks to customers. But if you really do own one, Mayne added that the issue only occurs in two-wheel drive. We'd advise keeping it in four-wheel drive until you can report to your local dealer. FCA kicked the recall off on August 10, so expect a mailed notification soon. Related Video: