2024 Ram 1500 Limited on 2040-cars

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Ram says its customers are more excited about V8-powered trucks than EVs

As its rivals invest billions of dollars into electric pickups, Ram made headlines by dropping a supercharged, 702-horsepower V8 engine between the 1500's fenders. While critics will inevitably argue there's nothing forward-thinking about the Hellcat engine, the company explained its customers are more interested in V8s than in EVs. Speaking with Muscle Car & Trucks, 1500 brand manager Carl Lally explained the company is open to the idea of exploring electric powertrains. His comments echo the ones made recently by Mike Manley, the head of Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Ram will begin developing a battery-powered pickup if customers demand one, but it sounds like its market research finds there's not a tremendous amount of interest in a gasoline-free model.  The market research must say otherwise over at Jeep, which is bringing the plug-in electric hybrid Wrangler 4xe to market. "It's fundamental to us that it's not about chasing the [EV] trend, but about chasing what the customer really wants and providing it to them. That changes over time, but today it's a supercharged, 6.2-liter V8 that has them most excited," said Lally, referring to the 1500 TRX introduced as an alternative to the Ford F-150 Raptor. Adding credibility to Lally's statement is the fact that the 702 available units of the TRX Launch Edition model sold out in a couple of hours in spite of a base price of approximately $90,000. Ram is not limiting production of the regular-production TRX, which starts at $71,690, so time will tell if its bet on V8s pays off in the long run. Market leader Ford wants to plant its stake in both segments. We know it's developing an electric variant of the 14th-generation F-150, and an earlier report claims the next Raptor will receive the Mustang GT500's 700-plus-horsepower V8. As for General Motors, it's planning on launching a battery-powered Chevrolet Silverado sooner or later, but it has chosen to watch the horsepower war from the sidelines — for the time being, at least. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.    

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.
Driving Notes

Hennessey Mammoth 1000 6x6 TRX is prehistoric excess

A few things have changed on the way to the Hennessey Mammoth 1000 6x6 TRX, the six-wheeled pickup based on the 2021 Ram 1500 TRX announced in September 2020. Back then, it was going to be powered by the 7.0-liter Hellephant engine, tuned from a stock 1,000 horsepower to 1,200 hp, it would cost $500,000 before customization, and the Texas tuner said there'd only be three built — likely owing to the exceeding scarcity of that crate motor. The good news for folks who thought they'd be left in the cold is that a slightly different but still astonishingly massive Mammoth is going into serial production, and at a lower price. Instead of the Hellephant, a 6.2-liter Hellcat lives under the chest-height hood. In the Ram 1500 TRX the engine makes 702 hp and 650 lb-ft., but a 2.65-liter supercharger is the heart of a Lone Star State overhaul boosting output to 1,012 hp and 969 lb-ft. The rest sticks to the original formula. The lengthened frame stretches overall length to 283 inches, a skosh more than four feet longer than the donor truck — long enough to hold plywood and a picnic in the bed. A Bilstein suspension hangs all that sheetmetal seven feet high over 20-inch wheels wearing 37-inch Toyo Open Country rubber. If for some reason the six-toed contact patch doesn't get a driver out of trouble, the third axle can be locked up. In case of greater calamity, the stinger front bumper is ready to accept a winch, and the rear bumper sprouts a couple of attachment points. There are also footholds in that rear bumper to make rummaging in the bed easier, but those footholds are so high up they could use the same retractable steps alongside the cabin to reach. Naturally, the interior has been reworked, and there are a "dazzling array of LED lights." Hennessey says it will make 12 of these — the largest truck in the company's 30-year history — every year. The Mammoth 6x6 can be ordered directly from Texas or at any authorized Ram retailer for $449,950. We can't wait to see what happens when this meets the GMC Hummer EV pickup on the trail. If you like the idea of the Mammoth but this Mammoth is a tad too mammoth, consider the rest of Hennessey's family of Elephantidae, the four-wheeled Mammoth 900 and Mammoth 1000, or the Mammoth SUV.   Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.