2014 Tradesman/express New 5.7l V8 16v 2wd on 2040-cars

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Ram 1500 Laramie Longhorn could become Limited Longhorn for 2021

Residents of Laramie, Wyoming, will soon lose one of their claims to fame, according to a recent report. Ram's upmarket 1500 Laramie Longhorn will allegedly become the Limited Longhorn for the 2021 model year. Without citing sources, enthusiast website Mopar Insiders reported the name change, and explained it brings the truck closer to the range-topping Limited trim in the minds of consumers. As the publication pointed out, the Laramie Longhorn and the Limited both offer a generous serving of chrome trim, LED headlights, and fender flares, among other features. And, while the Laramie Longhorn isn't the range's flagship, it coddles buyers with a luxury-car-like cabin that features soft leather upholstery and real wood trim on the dashboard. 2021 will also bring more in-car technology, still according to the Mopar Insiders report, including an Enhanced Trailer Tow Package that bundles an integrated trailer brake controller, trailer reverse steering controls, a tire pressure monitoring system for the trailer, and a trailer light check function. Motorists will also benefit from a customizable head-up display, a digital rear-view mirror, and Off-Road Pages for the Uconnect infotainment system. It's reasonable to assume that these features will be offered on other trims, too. What remains to be seen is how the updates will affect the truck's pricing. As of writing, the 2020 1500 carries a base price of $33,840 for a rear-wheel drive Tradesman model, and tops out at $59,110 when buyers select a four-wheel drive Limited. The Laramie Longhorn that is allegedly being replaced costs $53,335 with rear-wheel drive. Note all of the aforementioned figures include the mandatory $1,695 destination charge. The spokesperson Autoblog contacted wouldn't confirm or deny the rumor. All we learned is that Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) will announce its 2021 updates on September 1, 2020. Stay tuned for more, then. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon POV drive

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

Kia leads J.D. Power's Vehicle Dependability Study for 2022

For the first year ever, Kia leads J.D. Power's annual Vehicle Dependability Study with a score of 145 problems per 100 vehicles. Buick (147) and Hyundai (148) round out the top three. The highest premium brand on the list is Genesis, with a score of 148. It's common for so-called "mass market" brands to lead this particular study, according to J.D. Power, as "premium" brands "typically incorporate more technology in their vehicles, which increases the likelihood for problems to occur" and aren't necessarily built to a higher standard that less-expensive brands. The highest-rated single nameplate is the Porsche 911. It's the third time out of the past four years and the second year in a row that Porsche's quintessential sports car has taken top honors. Porsche as a brand sits in seventh place (162) just behind Lexus (159) and ahead of Dodge (166). At the very bottom of the list is Land Rover with a dismal score of 284; the SUV specialist held the same unfortunate distinction on last year's list. Ram (266), Volvo (256), Alfa Romeo (245) and Acura (244) also performed poorly. The overall industry average score sits at 192 — mass market brands average a score of 190 while premium brands sit 14 points lower at 204. While Tesla is unofficially included in some of J.D. Power's results, the agency says the sample size it has access to for this study is too small to include. As has been the case for the past several years, infotainment systems dominate the list of problems reported by owners. Popular (or unpopular, depending on your point of view) complaints include built-in voice recognition (8.3 PP100), Android Auto/Apple CarPlay connectivity (5.4 PP100), built-in Bluetooth system (4.5 PP100), not enough power plugs/USB ports (4.2 PP100), navigation systems difficult to understand/use (3.7 PP100), touchscreen/display screen (3.6 PP100), and navigation system inaccurate/outdated map (3.6 PP100). While problems with the car's infotainment and technology packages are indeed bothersome, it's important to remember that such issues aren't usually leaving owners stranded with an immovable vehicle like a broken transmission or blown engine would. Culling infotainment complaints from the results would reduce the average problem-per-100-vehicle score by a staggering 51.9 points. The vehicles included in this study are from the 2019 model year. That means owners have had three years to get to know their cars and trucks. It's the 33rd year that J.D.