2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman/express on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chrysler recalling 280k Dodge Ram 1500 pickups over axle seizures

Following a June investigation by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will be recalling 280,000 Dodge Ram pickups from model year 2005. The issue, NHTSA told The Detroit News, centered on a loose pinion nut, which could cause the rear axle to seize and, potentially, the driveshaft to detach. The affected vehicles were built between January of 2004 and August of 2005, while of the 280,000 trucks, only 257,000 were sold in the US market. According to The News, the recall will begin on February 13, and will see owners report to dealerships to have "a retention feature" added to the pinion nut.

China-FCA merger could be a win-win for everyone but politicians

NEW YORK — Fiat Chrysler boss Sergio Marchionne has said the car industry needs to come together, cut costs and stop incinerating capital. So far, his words have mostly fallen on deaf ears among competitors in Europe and North America. But it appears Marchionne has finally found a receptive audience — in China. FCA shares soared Monday after trade publication Automotive News reported the $18 billion Italian-American conglomerate controlled by the Agnelli family rebuffed a takeover from an unidentified carmaker from the Chinese mainland. As ugly as the politics of such a combination may appear at first blush, a transaction could stack up industrially, and perhaps even financially. A Sino-U.S.-European merger would create the first truly global auto group. That could push consolidation to the next level elsewhere. Moreover, China is the world's top market for the SUVs that Jeep effectively invented, so it might benefit FCA financially. A combo would certainly help upgrade the domestic manufacturer; Chinese carmakers have gotten better at making cars, but struggle to build global brands, and they need to develop export markets. Though frivolous overseas shopping excursions by Chinese enterprises are being reined in by Beijing, acquisitions that support the modernization and transformation of strategic industries still receive support, and the government considers the automotive industry to be strategic. A purchase of FCA by Guangzhou Automobile, Great Wall or Dongfeng Motors would probably get the same stamp of approval ChemChina was given for its $43 billion takeover of Syngenta. What's standing in the way? Apart from price (Automotive News said FCA's board deemed the offer insufficient) there's the not-insignificant matter of politics. Even as FCA shares soared, President Donald Trump interrupted his vacation to instruct the U.S. Trade Representative to look into whether to investigate China's trade policies on intellectual property. Seeing storied Detroit brands like Jeep, Chrysler, Ram and Dodge handed off to a Chinese company would provoke howls among Trump's economic-nationalist supporters. It might not play well in Italy, either, to see Alfa Romeo and Maserati answering to Wuhan instead of Turin — though Automotive News said they might be spun off separately. Yet, as Morgan Stanley observes, "cars don't ship across oceans easily," and political considerations increasingly demand local manufacture of valuable products.

2019 Ram 1500 pickup is keepin' it steel — well, mostly

The 2019 Ram 1500 pickup was ready for its close-up — an extreme close-up — from one of our spy photographers, who recently was able to walk around the entire truck, testing each body panel with a magnet. The result? He determined that the pickup will remain almost entirely steel, except for an aluminum hood and tailgate. This breaks from Ford's weight-saving move to aluminum on the F-150, and now in the coming Expedition, which has been the fodder of Chevy ads. Other details of the Ram 1500 facelift we already think we knew: The truck will get new front and rear facias. Coil springs with optional air suspension are likely to continue. It will get a larger cab. And a hybrid and turbocharged four-cylinder are possibilities. Predictably, a more powerful V8 and a Raptor fighter are rumored. Demon Ram, anyone? Meanwhile, here's a look at some Ram packages being offered for 2018. The 2019 Ram 1500 could debut as soon as January's Detroit Auto Show. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Ram 1500 spy shots aluminum hood Related Gallery 2019 Ram 1500 Dealer Leak Spy Shots Image Credit: Brian Williams Spy Photos RAM Truck aluminum weight reduction