2024 Ram 3500 Tradesman on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Ram 'Built to Serve' special editions honor five U.S. military branches

Ram has just announced a series of special-edition trucks that honor the five branches of the U.S. military and the roughly 7% of Americans who currently serve or are veterans. Called the "Built to Serve" editions, five trucks released over the next year will come in exclusive liveries and offer exclusive options to commemorate the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Available on every bodystyle and powertrain, a Built to Serve package will add $2,795 to the price. Ram hasn't said which branch the first truck honors, but that pickup will debut tonight — Wednesday, Nov. 6 — at the “Stars and Strings” concert at the Fox Theater in Detroit.  Each of the five comes in one of two special colors chosen to "evoke the spirit, the mission and history of that service," and a limited build number. The colors and quantities are: Gator (1,000) and Diamond Black (1,000) Ceramic Gray (1,000) and Patriot Blue (1,000) Anvil (1,000) and Billet Silver (1,000) Tank (1,000) and Flame Red (1,000) Spitfire (500) and Bright White (500) The interiors are set off with contrasting stitching in either Light Frost, Light Ambassador Blue, Light Diesel Gray, Core Green, or Orange. Built to Serve trucks will be known by their U.S. flag and edition decals on the rear quarter panels. Cosmetic upgrades for all five versions include an all-black grille and surround, black badging, side steps, black four-inch exhaust tips, body-colored wheel arch trim, and 20-inch wheels finished in Technical Gray. The option price adds the Off-Road Group, normally a $795 extra, including features like four underbody skid plates, electronic-locking rear axle, off-road shocks, tow hooks, and all-terrain tires.  Special features in the cabin come in the Black Onyx Chrome trim, Velcro panels on the front and sides of the front seats for service patches, PALS/MOLLE webbing to hang pouches on the front seatbacks, lockable front center tunnel storage, all-weather floor mats, and an instrument panel badge. Ram will use the trucks to help bring more attention to an initiative the automaker has run since 2015, also called Built to Serve, that works to organize grassroots volunteer efforts. Between now and Veteran's Day on Nov. 11, 2020, the Built to Serve program wants to log 1.3 million volunteer hours. That figure represents one hour for each active member of the five services.

Stellantis will enter joint venture with Samsung SDI for EV batteries

SEOUL — South Korean battery maker Samsung SDI Co Ltd and global automaker Stellantis NV have agreed to jointly produce electric vehicle (EV) batteries for the North American market, a person familiar with the matter said on Tuesday. Samsung SDI, an affiliate of South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics, already has EV battery plants in South Korea, China and Hungary, which supply customers such as BMW and Ford. "The two companies (Samsung SDI and Stellantis) have struck a MOU (memorandum of understanding) to produce EV batteries for North America," the person with knowledge of the matter told Reuters. The source spoke of condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the matter. The person said the location of the battery joint venture is under review and will be announced later. In July, Reuters reported that Samsung SDI may build a battery plant in the United States, citing a company source. South Korea's Yonhap news agency earlier reported the two companies plan to build a factory in the United States, citing industry sources. Samsung SDI and Stellantis did not have immediate comment when reached by Reuters. Stellantis on Monday struck a preliminary deal with battery maker South Korea's LG Energy Solution (LGES) to produce battery cells and modules for North America. Shares of Samsung SDI were up 2.6% as of 0300 GMT, versus a 0.6% rise in the KOSPI benchmark index. Related video: Green Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Ferrari Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Citroen Lancia Opel Peugeot Vauxhall

2019 Ram 1500 features an updated Ram's head badge

Full-size truck owners love to make a statement. That's how we've arrived at the mile-high grilles, acres of chrome and belt buckle-esque badging you'll find on trucks like the Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150 and Nissan Titan. The new 2019 Ram 1500 made its debut this week at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. While the sheetmetal and grille are the most obvious visual changes, the ram's head badge quietly got a modern redesign. At first glance, it appears to be the same badge that's graced Dodge and Ram vehicles for decades. Look closely and you'll see that this new one is all squared off, ditching all the curves for straight edges. It looks chiseled rather than carved and is a far cry from the detailed Ram's head that made a debut back in 1981. It also incorporates the new "RAM" lettering that replaced the crosshair in the truck's grille. View 4 Photos Little things like this do a lot to keep a vehicle fresh. Dodge seems to be the only automaker capable of changing logos anymore. Ford and Chevy are stuck with the blue oval and bowtie, so why not take advantage of a newer nameplate? Related Video: Image Credit: FCA Design/Style Dodge RAM Truck