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2021 Ram 1500 TRX vs. 2020 Ford F-150 Raptor | How they compare on paper

Now that the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX has debuted, it’s time to pit the off-road truck against its only true competitor: the Ford F-150 Raptor. Ford has left us in a weird spot with the Raptor, though. ItÂ’s currently in-between models, as the regular 2021 F-150 is out, but the 2021 Raptor hasnÂ’t been announced yet. Since the F-150 is moving into a totally new generation for 2021, the Raptor is bound to be much different a year (or even months) from now than it is today. Regardless, the Raptor as it stands today is still a worthy adversary for RamÂ’s new super truck. The TRX is much more expensive than the Raptor at its base level, but you can spec out a Raptor that comes close to the TRXÂ’s base price. That said, a TRX can crest $90,000. Neither of these trucks are cheap. So, letÂ’s get to the all-important specs and figures. The chart is below. WeÂ’ll note that Ford offers the Raptor in SuperCab and SuperCrew forms, but the TRX is only offered in Crew Cab size. For comparisonÂ’s sake, weÂ’ve chosen to provide figures for the SuperCrew that closely aligns with the Ram Crew Cab.   Powertrain ItÂ’s fairly obvious who has the advantage here. FCA just keeps spreading the Hellcat love around, and Ram is the latest brand to get a taste. The TRX has a whopping 252 horsepower and 140 pound-foot advantage over the Raptor. ItÂ’s also far quicker to 60 mph than the Ford. Nothing in the truck realm can touch the TRX in a straight line. Plus, the supercharged V8 produces much better noises than the F-150 Raptor and its boosted V6 is capable of.  Fuel economy for the TRX isnÂ’t out yet, but expect it to be even more horrendous than the RaptorÂ’s. If efficiency is even remotely important to you, neither of these trucks should be on your shortlist.  Both these trucks come with four-wheel-drive standard, and they both have a number of drive modes that alter the powertrainÂ’s characteristics depending on the terrain. Baja mode transforms the trucks into the desert runners that they both are at heart, but theyÂ’re plenty capable of crawling around rocks, too. We wonÂ’t know for certain which is best at specific tasks until we can get them both on (or off) equal ground. Suspension / off-roading capability The specs are freakishly similar when we compare ground clearance, approach/departure angles and water fording, but these two trucks use different strategies to get there.

China's Great Wall confirms its interest — in Jeep, or all of FCA

HONG KONG/SHANGHAI — Chinese automaker Great Wall Motor reiterated its interest in Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV on Tuesday, but said it had not held talks or signed a deal with executives at the Italian-American automaker. China's largest sport utility vehicle manufacturer made a direct overture to Fiat Chrysler on Monday, with an official saying the company was interested in all or part of FCA, owner of the Jeep and Ram truck brands. Automotive News first reported the news, quoting Great Wall Motor President Wang Fengying as saying she planned to contact FCA to discuss acquiring the Jeep brand specifically. Those comments sent FCA shares higher but also raised questions over the ability of China's seventh-largest automaker by sales to buy larger Western rival FCA, or even Jeep, which some analysts value at as much as one-and-a-half times FCA. Great Wall sought to dampen speculation on Tuesday. It confirmed it had studied Fiat Chrysler, but said there was "no concrete progress so far" and "substantial uncertainty" over whether it would eventually bid. "The company has not built any relationship with the directors of FCA nor has the company entered into any discussion or signed any agreements with any officer of FCA so far," the company said in an English-language stock exchange filing. It did not give further detail. Fiat Chrysler stock dipped on the statement on Tuesday. Great Wall said trading in its Shanghai-listed shares would resume on Wednesday after having been suspended. Fiat Chrysler declined to comment on Great Wall's statement. On Monday, it said it had not been approached and was fully committed to implementing its current business plan. FLUSHING OUT RIVALS? Great Wall Motor, which was early to spot China's love of SUVs, had revenue of $14.8 billion last year and sold 1.07 million vehicles - but that compares with FCA's 2016 revenue of 111 billion euros ($130.6 billion). Analysts said Great Wall would need to raise both debt and equity to complete any deal, meaning its chairman Wei Jianjun could lose majority control. One possible scenario, according to analysts at Jefferies, would see Wei keeping a roughly 30 percent stake, while Great Wall would raise $10-$14 billion in debt and $10 billion in equity - hefty for a group currently worth just $16 billion. Ultimately, politics could be the clincher.

Stellantis expects strike to cost it $795 million in third-quarter profits

MILAN — Automaker Stellantis said Tuesday that the autoworkers strike in North America is expected to cost the company around 750 million euros ($795 million) in profits — less than its North American competitors. The Europe-based maker of Jeep, Fiat and Peugeot reported a 7% boost in net revenues to 45.1 billion euros, with production halts caused by the strikes costing the company 3 billion euros in sales through October. The net revenue boost was due to higher volumes in all markets except Asia. Chief Financial Officer Natalie Knight told journalists that StellantisÂ’ strike impact was lower than the other Big Three automakers due to its global profile as well as some high-profile cost-cutting measures, calculating the hit at around 750 million euros ($795 million.) GM, the last carmaker to reach a deal to end the strike, reported an $800 million strike hit. Ford has put its impact at $1.3 billion. “We continue to be in a very strong position globally and in the U.S. This is an important market for us, and weÂ’re highly profitable and we are very committed to our future," Knight said. “But mitigation is core to how we act, and how we proceed.” Stellantis has canceled appearances at the CES technology show in Las Vegas next year as well as the LA Auto Show, due to the strike impact. Stellantis on Saturday reached a tentative agreement with the United Auto Workers Union to end a six-week strike by more than 14,000 workers at its assembly plants in Michigan and Ohio, and at parts warehouses across the nation. Stellantis does not report full earnings for the third quarter, instead providing shipments and revenues. It said that global sales of electric vehicles rose by 37% over a year earlier, powered by the Jeep Avenger and commercial vehicle sales. North America continued to be the revenue leader, contributing 21.5 billion euros, an increase of 2% over last year, and representing nearly half of global revenues. Europe, the next biggest performing region, saw revenues grow 5% to 14 billion euros, as sales rose 11%. Related video: Earnings/Financials UAW/Unions Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM