2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Researchers who busted VW cheating say FCA's diesels dirty, too

The Wall Street Journal today reported on an upcoming report from West Virginia University's Center for Alternative Fuels Engines and Emissions, which is the same lab that investigated Volkswagen emissions cheating. The report, which will be released in a matter of weeks, alleges that 2014 and 2015 model year Jeep and Ram vehicles with diesel engines emit excess pollution. But it does not specify whether the company used defeat devices. Since the report discusses Jeep Grand Cherokees, and that engine is also available in the Ram 1500, it's safe to assume that one of the implicated engines is the EcoDiesel V6, a unit actually produced by VM Motori. It's unclear whether the report covers any of the Cummins engines used in heavier-duty Ram pickups. This report comes on the heels of a federal investigation into FCA's diesel vehicles. That investigation focused on the EcoDiesel engine used in 2014-2016 vehicles. The feds were seeking a fine of up to $4.6 billion. The EPA and the State of California also previously accused FCA of using a defeat device on the same vehicles back in January. FCA, for its part, alleges that the WVU study might have been commissioned by people interested in suing the company, and disputes the testing methodology, according to the WSJ. We've reached out to WVU to confirm which engines are implicated in its study and will update this post when we have more to share. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. News Source: The Wall Street JournalImage Credit: REUTERS/Gary Cameron Government/Legal Green Jeep RAM Diesel Vehicles ecodiesel

2019 Ram 1500 Kentucky Derby Edition is for the equine inclined

Though the 2019 Ram 1500 was just revealed in January, Ram has already been introducing specialty versions of the truck, including the Texas-only Lone Star model and the Canada-only Sport model. This newest special edition won't be restricted by region, but it will be limited to just 2,000 examples, and it will probably be snapped up by horse fans. It's the Ram 1500 Kentucky Derby Edition. View 8 Photos The truck is basically a Ram 1500 Limited, but it has a few options included as standard. Among them are the body-colored front and rear bumpers. Inside, the rear reclining seats also pick up ventilation, allowing front and rear passengers to all enjoy the optimum temperatures for their respective backsides. The key exclusive visual tweak is the addition of the Kentucky Derby logo on the rear fenders, making it obvious what version of Ram you have, along with a hint as to what your hobby or career is focused on. The truck is available now, and can be had in two- or four-wheel-drive. The largest Crew Cab with the 5-foot 7-inch bed is the only body configuration available, but six colors can be selected. The base price is $54,835. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ram wants 'your wickedest and most outrageous designs' for a truck — now

Car coloring book pages have been a handy distraction during quarantine, but Fiat Chrysler has a better idea: Make your own coloring book page and perhaps win accolades in the FCA Design Sketch Battle. The automaker runs an annual Drive for Design competition for U.S. high school students in grades 10-12, and has just opened a contest-within-a-contest that's open to anyone in the world. The brief is to sketch "your wickedest and most outrageous designs for a Ram truck." For all those times you've had an idea about a pickup and thought, "This is what [insert OEM] needs to make! If I could only get to the boss!," now is your chance to get to the boss. Post your sketch — or sketches — into the comments section of the contest on FCA's Facebook page, or upload the drawing(s) to Twitter and call out the automaker with @FiatChrysler_NA. Each drawing needs to have "FCADriveforDesign.com" written on it somewhere, and each social media post needs to be garnished with the hashtag #DriveforDesign.  The contest judges are Mark Gilles, Fiat Chrysler head of design, and Mark Trostle, head of design for Ram and Mopar. They've attempted to juice the creative brain with a punch to the prefrontal cortex called the RAMpage. Playing off the name of a car-based pickup from the go-go 1980s that lasted two years — about how long 2020 feels already — the RAMpage is a Ram 1500 hood and upper fascia, a Dodge Charger SRT Hellcat Widebody lower front and body, a pickup bed, and it's accented with obligatory yellow splitter guards that have matured into a properly racy splitter. You can take the RAMpage as a cue that your drawing doesn't need to threaten the living with massive bulk and post-apocalyptic looks. Ricky Ryan Goimarac, one of the entries so far, made his own version of the RAMpage that looks pretty sexy. And with the Chevrolet Colorado ZR2, ZR2 Bison, and Ford Ranger Raptor still not quite there for some people, why wouldn't a mid-size Dakota TRX be a good idea right now? Here's the crucial part: All entries need to be submitted today, April 9th, no later than 5 p.m. Eastern. So yeah, there's not much time, but ... quarantine. Tomorrow, April 10, Gilles and Trostle will post their favorites to Instagram. For all those design-focused high-schoolers, entries for the official Drive for Design contest are due by May 1, 2020. Related Video: