2013 Ram 1500 Slt on 2040-cars

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Ram partners with Lucchese on a range of luxury boots

A few months ago, Ram announced a partnership with Michigan-based Wolverine boots on a range of work boots based on the Ram 1500 Tradesman, Rebel, and Limited trims. The number two full-size truckmaker so far this year in sales isn't finished with footwear, Ram announcing a range of dress boots in collaboration with Texas-based boot company Lucchese. There are five styles in total, three for men, two for women. Since these Western-themed cowboy specials are based on the $58,565 10th Anniversary Limited Longhorn Edition, which lives at the opposite end of the trim range to Tradesman, the Lucchese models can cost more than 10 times the Wolverines. Whereas the entry-level Wolverine Tradesman cost $229, the top-dog Lucchese men's Tooled Western Boot runs $2,495. That money gets luxury features and Lucchese's hand-worked processes that pass each boot through as many as 120 pairs of hands on the way to being finished. That $2,495 boot is made with a hand-tooled quarter, which is the shaft of the boot that runs up the leg above the ankle, and a giant gator vamp, the vamp being the lower portion of the boot that covers the foot. The men’s Caiman Horseman Boot includes a hand-cut inlay quarter and giant belly caiman vamp for $995. The menÂ’s Ostrich Horseman model wears a fancy stitch quarter and hand stained ostrich vamp for $745. The women's Giant Gator Western Boot is made with an inlayed quarter and a giant gator vamp for $1,395. The final model, the women's Horseman Boot, gets a side seam quarter and inlay with a goatskin vamp for $695. Each boot is also emblazoned with some kind of automaker logo which can include the word "Ram" or "Longhorn," or the Ram bighorn sheep logo. And if a Ram owner needs to get even more on-brand where the leather meets the ground, Ram sells a three-pack of branded socks for $25. Ryan Nagode, chief designer for Ram interiors, said this partnership can be traced back to a visit to Texas with his design team more than a decade ago. The group noted the creativity and attention to detail on the wares at boot and saddle shops, aspects that would increasingly make their way into Ram interiors as trucks got more luxurious from top to bottom. Closing the circle, Lucchese boot designer Trey Gilmore strove to re-create certain aspects of the 10th Anniversary Longhorn truck, like the Mountain Brown leather interior. The boots are available for pre-order now at the Lucchese site.

Ram launches perfectly predictable ads [UPDATE]

Correction: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated these commercials were Super Bowl ads. This is not the case, and the text has been corrected to reflect that they are not, in fact, Super Bowl ads. Ram has released some new commercials, and they're pretty boring. They're not bad by any means, it's just that they're exactly what you'd expect from a truck commercial. The two 30-second spots deal with the themes of doing truck things and being a strong, community-focused American. The first of the two shows Rams performing such kind-hearted duties as pulling a fallen tree off a road, or towing a church to its pastoral new home. In the background, the narrator repeats words tied to strength, courage, assistance, and longevity. To paraphrase Mr. Spock, this Ram will be strong, live long, and help your community prosper. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The second spot shifts more to the community-focused and family-minded theme. Clearly, it's meant to show that the tough guy in the Ram has a soft side. But don't worry, he can still pound through snow with his mega-sized plow, which is perfect for making sure people can go ice-skating in the middle of nowhere. While they're adequate ads that deliver a pretty clear message, they cover the same ground most other truck commercials have. They're just generic truck commercials we'll forget about an hour after they've aired. Here's hoping other automakers step up their game. Related Video:

2014 Ram 1500 Diesel

Remember when Mahindra & Mahindra was close to offering a compact diesel pickup here? A million voices from the truck-and-bed-loving tribes of the Internet cried out at once in anticipation, only to be silenced in disappointment when it didn't happen. And this was for a jitney with a bed that didn't exactly look robust in its press photos. The message these fans had was clear: light-duty truck + a diesel engine = a prayer answered for a significant contingent of truck buyers.
Ram tells us a fullsize diesel half-ton has been the number-one demand from customers, and it will be the first manufacturer to grand the wish when the 2014 Ram 1500 goes on sale early next year - "late availability" in Q1 of 2014 is the official word - with a 3.0-liter, six-cylinder turbodiesel provided by VM Motori. If you're wondering about the engine source, VM Motori has been a Chrysler supplier since 1992. DaimlerChrysler bought VM Motori in 2000, and after a few ownership-stake changes since then, it is presently a 50-50 joint venture between General Motors and Fiat. That will change shortly, however, with Fiat recently announcing it will buy GM's share and take full control of the company.
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