2014 Ram 1500 Slt on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler, Waymo expand partnership for Level 4 self-driving

Fiat Chrysler and Waymo, the self-driving unit of Google parent Alphabet Co., are expanding their partnership in an ambitious plan to develop fully autonomous commercial delivery vehicles and integrate Level 4 autonomous technology across the FCA fleet, the two companies said Wednesday. The agreement makes FCA (soon to be dubbed Stellantis when the PSA merger is complete) the exclusive partner for Waymo to develop and test self-driving Class 1-3 light commercial delivery vehicles. Initial efforts will focus on integrating the Waymo Driver system into the Ram ProMaster cargo van for commercial fleets, including Waymo Via, which have seen demand for home delivery services mushroom during the coronavirus pandemic. Conversely, FCA has tapped Waymo as its exclusive supplier for Level 4 self-driving technology across its vehicle fleet, opening up possibilities for ride-hailing and personal-use vehicles. An FCA spokesman would not commit to any timelines for integrating Waymo’s self-driving technology into the ProMaster or other brands or models. The Society of Automotive Engineers defines Level 4 systems as fully automated driving, though a human driver can manually override and take control of the wheel. There are currently no Level 4 autonomous vehicles offered to customers, and most experts believe the technology still faces many obstacles to broad adoption and regulatory clearance. Fiat Chrysler first partnered with Waymo in 2016. The two companies have worked to test WaymoÂ’s Level 4 technology using retrofitted Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid minivans. “Our now four-year partnership with Waymo continues to break new ground,” Mike Manley, Fiat ChryslerÂ’s CEO, said in a statement. “Incorporating the Waymo Driver, the worldÂ’s leading self-driving technology, into our Pacifica minivans, we became the only partnership actually deploying fully autonomous technology in the real world, on public roads.” Waymo recently introduced its fifth generation of the Waymo Driver system, which it completely redesigned to be able to handle more environments and situations. It combines 360-degree lidar sensors positioned atop the vehicle and at four points around the sides, plus cameras and radars. Waymo said it had already manufactured the new sensors and integrated them onto Jaguar I-Pace test vehicles.

May 2016: FCA wins, Ford and GM stumble on weak car volumes

The May 2016 sales numbers are in, and it looks as though FCA is getting some vindication for boldly cancelling two slow-selling car models. Meanwhile, Ford saw overall sales dip and GM's May volume took a big dive versus the same month in 2015. While Marchionne's decision to axe the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart has drawn criticism as being short-sighted, it's working for FCA so far. Although the Dart and 200 aren't out of production yet and no capacity has been shifted to crossover or trucks, May's numbers show that the emphasis on Jeep and Ram models makes sense right now. FCA's US sales rose 1 percent last month compared to May 2015, putting the year-to-date total at 955,186 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Standouts included the Jeep Renegade, Compass, and Patriot, and the Fiat 500X. Ram pickup sales were down 3 percent. And your fun fact is that Alfa Romeo sales were up precisely 10 percent, for a total of 44 4Cs sold versus 40 in the same month last year. At FoMoCo, the Ford brand took a hit to the tune of 6.4 percent from May 2015 to 2016, registering 226,190 sales last month. Lincoln showed improvement on its modest numbers, going from 9,174 to 9,807, a 6.9 percent increase. Overall, Ford was down 5.9 percent for the month to 235,997; despite the slump, year-to-date total Ford sales are up 4.2 percent to 1,112,939. Strong sellers included Escape, Expedition, F-Series, and Transit - big stuff. Most small and/or efficient models (Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max) saw sales slides. Fusion sales were also down, likely due to effects of model changeover to the freshened 2017 model. Ford has promised four new crossovers and SUVs by 2020 and if things keep trending this way the company will be able to sell them, but things could change in the next four years. GM saw the worst of it for domestic brands. Retail and fleet sales were down for each of the four divisions, with the May 2016 total dropping 18 percent to 240,450 vehicles. GM's year-to-date sales are down 5.0 percent in 2016 to 1,183,705. Both the Sierra and Silverado were down significantly, and the majority of Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac nameplates saw sales decreases, with both small cars and larger utilities included. Not even big stuff could help GM this month, it seems. We'll have more on the rest of the industry's May sales as those figures trickle in.

2021 Ram 1500 TRX is the fastest pickup on the market, and you can win it

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are 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 sweepstakes, 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.