2023 Ram Promaster High Roof on 2040-cars

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Huge, pricey trucks haul jobs and profits for the Detroit Three

DECATUR, Texas — Mickey McMaster is on his 12th pickup truck. The 61-year old farm equipment dealer in Decatur, Texas, two weeks ago treated himself to a 2019 GMC Denali for around $69,000 — a reward for long hours at work. "For me this is the Cadillac of trucks, it's a real luxury vehicle," McMaster said. "I've worked my way up to afford a truck like this and it shows that I've earned it." McMaster is the kind of customer General Motors Co is banking on as it plans to add 1,000 jobs at a plant in Flint, Michigan that will build a new generation of its largest pickups. Demand from Texas and other heartland states for big pick-ups is providing a lifeline to many workers the No. 1 U.S. automaker is laying off at plants elsewhere. The Detroit Three automakers and thousands of their U.S. workers are counting on customers like McMaster to keep buying bigger and more luxurious pickup trucks even if overall U.S. vehicle demand weakens this year, as most analysts predict. At Flint, GM will build a new generation of its heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierras, including luxury models that are some of the most profitable vehicles on the planet. GM, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Ram division own the segment and are each doubling down with new or redesigned models launching this year. Sales of heavy-duty pickups in the United States have grown to more than 600,000 vehicles a year, up more than 20 percent since 2013, according to industry data. Prices for luxury models can easily top $70,000. GM on Tuesday celebrated the launch of a new generation of heavy-duty GMC and Chevrolet pickups at the assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, that is now building all such trucks for the company. At the same time that GM is laying off thousands of U.S. workers and planning to shutter five North American factories, Flint is hiring. The plant runs on three daily shifts, six days a week. As the new model's assembly system ramps up, the plant's capacity will increase by more than 25 percent, plant manager Mike Perez told Reuters. The Flint plant plans to add 1,000 workers, more than half of the 1,500 factory workers who have asked to transfer from plants GM has targeted for shutdown as part of CEO Mary Barra's restructuring plan. "We're bringing in 50 to 100 people every week," said Perez. Workers last week were still finishing the job of retooling the Flint factory to build the new heavy-duty trucks as part of a $1.5 billion investment project.

Enter here to win the 2021 Ram TRX, the fastest pickup on the market

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability is subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze. For years the Ford Raptor stood alone, on top of the off-road pickup truck mountain, hardly challenged by the competition. Finally, a new challenger has emerged, the 702 horsepower Ram TRX. The problem? A price tag that will make you blush. Unless you win one from Omaze. Win a RAM 1500 TRX and $20,000 - Enter at Omaze Here’s what we said about it in our Ram TRX First Drive Review: “Looking over the spec sheet of the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX, itÂ’s hard not to think America has hit peak pickup truck. Everything about the TRX is bigger, better and badder than any truck thatÂ’s come before, including its one obvious bogey, the Ford F-150 Raptor. For starters, the Ram has a 252-horsepower and 140-pound-foot advantage on the Ford. That means the TRX is quicker and faster, and it can haul and tow marginally more. The TRX has a nicer interior and its supercharged V8 engine sounds a heck of a lot better than the RaptorÂ’s turbocharged V6. Altogether, that ought to equal a truck thatÂ’s more fun to drive." “More important than the muscular styling is what that bodywork encases, starting with a frame that Ram says shares just 25% with lesser 1500s. ItÂ’s designed to be stiff and durable enough to withstand off-road terrain at speeds of 100 mph. The TRX boasts 11.8 inches of ground clearance, and can ford water up to 32 inches deep. Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive shocks with nitrogen-charged remote reservoirs continuously adjust to handle current demands, whether that means taking the edge off a bumpy road or absorbing much larger impacts, like when landing a jump. There's 13 inches of wheel travel up front and 14 inches out back, allowing for a huge amount of articulation.”  YouÂ’re probably asking yourself, what does it take to win? First of all, according to Omaze, "no donation or payment is necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes." $10 will get you 100 entries in this giveaway, while $50 will get you 1,000 entries and $100 will get you 2,000 entries. The donations themselves benefit Team Rubicon. According to Omaze, “Team Rubicon is a veteran-led disaster response organization that mobilizes veterans, first responders and civilian volunteers to help communities before, during and after disasters and humanitarian crises.

2019 Ram 1500 Sport trim is exclusive to Canada, can be replicated in America

Ram already revealed one region-exclusive 2019 Ram 1500 pickup in the form of the Lone Star trim for Texas. It's basically a Big Horn with fancy badges. But that's not the only one, as it has introduced a Sport trim that will only be available in Canada. Just like the Lone Star, the Sport has an analogue buried among the many trims and options for American-market Rams. But before we get into how U.S. buyers can re-create the Sport, let's take a look at what makes the Sport ... sporty? It's only available with a 5.7-liter V8 making the standard 395 horsepower and 410 pound-feet of torque. Both two- and four-wheel drive are available as are quad and crew cabs. The exterior features standard LED lights, a body-color grille and other body-color trim, along with a number of black bits of trim including badges. The standard wheels are 20-inch units, while black and silver 22-inch wheels are optional. Also optional is the more aggressive Sport hood. The interior is all black with either cloth and premium vinyl seats or optional leather. It also has diamond-plate steel pattern trim from the Rebel, plus a Sport badge on the dash. Now, the trim looks quite nice, and it's easily re-created in America. To get the same features such as the LED lights, simply choose the Laramie trim level. It can be equipped with the Sport Appearance package which includes everything you see on the body, including the aggressive hood. The one difference is the lack of black badging. The same 22-inch wheels are also available as an option. And, if you want to save a little bit of money with almost the same looks, you can choose a Big Horn Ram, which doesn't have the LED lights, but the Sport Appearance package is still available, along with 20-inch wheels. But if you really want those LED lights, they are an option on the Big Horn. The Big Horn also opens up the option of the V6, if you're feeling especially frugal. If you're in Canada and like the look of the Sport, it goes on sale in the second quarter of 2018. And if you're in the U.S., just spec out a Big Horn or Laramie. Related Video: