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NHTSA probing Ram recall pace, communication

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has announced that it's looking into Chrysler Group's handling of a pair of recalls affecting roughly one million Ram pickup trucks. Reuters is reporting that the regulatory agency is focusing on the availability (or lack thereof) of parts and "poor communications" from the automaker in its investigation.
"Customers have been advised in accordance with the regulations governing recalls," Chrysler spokesman Eric Mayne told Reuters via email. "We are continually replenishing our supply of replacement parts. Chrysler Group regrets any inconvenience our customers may have experienced."
NHTSA disagrees, arguing that the recalls, which affect 972,000 trucks from 2003 to 2012, are being delayed by the lack of parts.

2013 Ram 1500 Black Express is midnight in the garden of good and evil

Building off of the solid base of its 1500 pickup, Ram has announced a dark horse in its stable, the Ram Black Express, which comes equipped with a bevy of features to distinguish it from the regular Express model. (Just don't call it a black sheep.)
The Black Express sets itself apart visually from other 1500s with black 20-inch aluminum wheels, black bumpers, a black grille and front fascia with fog lamps, black Ram's head badges front and rear but no side badges for a clean, shaved look. The premium bi-function halogen projector headlamps with LED running lights, which aren't even an option on the regular Express, come standard on the Black edition.
The 5.7-liter Hemi V8 is unchanged, making 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. Paired with the standard eight-speed automatic transmission, the truck can tow 6,500 pounds. It's on sale starting this month, and the base Black Express can be had for $26,955, just $1,105 more than the base Express 4X2 regular cab. Feel free to peruse the press release below and check out the image gallery below.

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.