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Chrysler flooded with over 8,000 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel orders in 3 days

The diesel, half-ton pickup has long been a Holy Grail to many truck fans, largely because of its potential to achieve both high payload and great fuel economy. Strange, then, that auto companies have seemingly been slow to react. However, Chrysler is finally wading into the pool for the 2014 model year with a version of its Ram 1500 pickup, and early claimed returns are showing the advantage of being first on the market. The Auburn Hills automaker has just revealed that its initial allocation of 8,000 EcoDiesel trucks has been filled by dealers in just three days.
That flood of orders came from February 7-10, and that strong surge of interest apparently amounts to a new Ram record for the number of customer orders placed for a vehicle in such a short period of time. In fact, EcoDiesel models accounted for over half of Ram 1500 orders over that period, despite the fact that the diesel option costs several thousand dollars more than a comparable gasoline-engined model. That impressive total did not come entirely as a shock to Ram officials, however: "We knew customers have been asking for it," Nick Cappa, Ram Truck communications officer, tells Autoblog.
The 2014 Ram 1500 with its 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6 and standard eight-speed TorqueFlight automatic makes 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet - a combination good for 9,200 pounds of towing. Despite that pulling power, its fuel economy is rated at 28 miles per gallon highway (the best among trucks in its class), 20 mpg city and 23 mpg combined. Four-wheel drive variants gives up a single mpg in all categories.

2023 Ram ProMaster detailed with many updates

The 2023 Ram ProMaster is here, and it’s sporting a bunch of great upgrades over the outgoing model. Starting on the design front, Ram gave the ProMaster a new (thoughtful) front end. The headlights are positioned out of the collision zone in a direct frontal crash now to save them in the event of an accident. Plus, the bumper has an integrated step that allows you to step up and either clean the windshield or swap wiper blades far easier. The headlights themselves are also improved. Standard halogen lights provide 15% more range of light, and optional LED headlights provide 50% more range. The popularity of black appearance packages has made it into the van world now, too, as this ProMaster is available with exactly that, blacking out grille, badges and wheels. Lastly on the appearance side of things, Ram introduced two new colors: Ceramic Gray and Spitfire Orange. Ram says these colors were designed specifically with its #vanlife customers in mind. Unfortunately, no images of these colors were available upon this storyÂ’s publishing. A new extra-high roof option is available for 2023, adding 10 inches over top of the previous high-roof option. Additionally, Ram is offering a new roll-up door in case that would fit a customerÂ’s lifestyle better than a traditional rear door. ItÂ’s made of anodized aluminum to be easier to use. There are 19 configurations available in total for the 2023 ProMaster including three roof heights, three wheelbases and four vehicle lengths. Every single one of them will come equipped with the Pentastar V6 (just like before) that makes 276 horsepower and 250 pound-feet of torque. All of the vans are also front-wheel drive only. And lest you forget, Ram is still planning on releasing its electric ProMaster in 2023 — Amazon will be taking delivery of thousands of those electric vans next year. Interior and tech upgrades are aplenty for the 2023 ProMaster. For example, the ProMaster uses the latest Uconnect 5 infotainment system. The standard display is a 7-inch screen, but you can tack on an optional 10-inch screen. That means it has wireless Apple CarPlay and wireless Android Auto. You can spec a wireless phone charger, and the interior features both USB-A and USB-C ports. Safety and convenience features are made readily available. Standard safety equipment includes collision warning, crosswind assist, drowsiness detection and traffic sign recognition.

Chrysler set to make $266M-investment into 8-speed transmission production

Chrysler will shortly make a significant $266-million investment into its Kokomo, IN transmission factory in a bid to expand production of its eight-speed automatic transmissions. The gearboxes, which are built under license from Germany's ZF Friedrichshafen, have been well received by customers and critics, and according to an SEC filing obtained by Automotive News, the transmissions will eventually find their way to all of Chrysler's rear-drive offerings (Viper and heavy-duty Ram models, aside). According to AN, a Chrysler spokesman says the investment has not been confirmed, but once it is, it'll mark the company's latest in a growing line of investments at the facility. Chrysler has poured $1.5 billion into Kokomo since 2009.