V8 5.7l Hemi 4x4 Loaded Nav Spray In-liner Bluetooth Connectivity Premium Audio on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Ram ProMaster 2500

Front-wheel drive is what sets the all-new Ram ProMaster full-size commercial van apart from its competition. In a segment still choked with thirsty, rear-wheel-drive, ladder frame, pickup truck-based cargo vans, the American automaker is introducing something entirely new - well, new to our domestic market, as Europeans will recognize Ram's fresh entrant as a made-for-USA Fiat Ducato.
While the big ProMaster doesn't have a traditional body-on-frame chassis, it isn't a pure unibody either. Consider it a hybrid of both, with a unibody cab up front and a reinforced high-strength steel subframe in the rear. The platform employs double A-arms and MacPherson struts on the front axle, while the rear uses a simple tubular beam axle. Tires are 225/75R16 at all four corners. The steering is hydraulic rack-and-pinion (allowing an impressive 36-foot turning radius) and there are disc brakes with two-piston calipers all around. It is a solid, if unsophisticated, setup.
This game-changing van, which has already arrived in showrooms with a starting price of $28,630, is propelled by either a gasoline-powered 3.6-liter Pentastar six-cylinder (280 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque) or a new turbocharged 3.0-liter four-cylinder diesel (174 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque). Ram will offer a traditional six-speed automatic or a new six-speed automated single-clutch manual transmission that drops the hydraulic linkage to improve fuel economy - details are still emerging on this unique gearbox.

Stellantis earnings rise along with EV sales

AMSTERDAM — Automaker Stellantis on Wednesday reported its earnings grew in 2022 from a year earlier and said its push into electric vehicles led to a jump in sales even as it faces growing competition from an industrywide shift to more climate-friendly offerings. Stellantis, formed in 2021 from the merger of Fiat Chrysler and FranceÂ’s PSA Peugeot, said net revenue of 179.6 billion euros ($191 billion) was up 18% from 2021, citing strong pricing and its mix of vehicles. It reported net profit of 16.8 billion euros, up 26% from 2021. Stellantis plans to convert all of its European sales and half of its U.S. sales to battery-electric vehicles by 2030. It said the strategy led to a 41% increase in battery EV sales in 2022, to 288,000 vehicles, compared with the year earlier. The company has “demonstrated the effectiveness of our electrification strategy in Europe,” CEO Carlos Tavares said in a statement. “We now have the technology, the products, the raw materials and the full battery ecosystem to lead that same transformative journey in North America, starting with our first fully electric Ram vehicles from 2023 and Jeep from 2024.” The automaker is competing in an increasingly crowded field for a share of the electric vehicle market. Companies are scrambling to roll out environmentally friendly models as they look to hit goals of cutting climate-changing emissions, driven by government pressure. The transformation has gotten a boost from a U.S. law that is rolling out big subsidies for clean technology like EVs but has European governments calling out the harm that they say the funding poses to homegrown industry across the Atlantic. Stellantis' Jeep brand will start selling two fully electric SUVs in North America and another one in Europe over the next two years. It says its Ram brand will roll out an electric pickup truck this year, joining a rush of EV competitors looking to claim a piece of the full-size truck market. The company plans to bring 25 battery-electric models to the U.S. by 2030. As part of that push, it has said it would build two EV battery factories in North America. A $2.5 billion joint venture with Samsung will bring one of those facilities to Indiana, which is expected to employ up to 1,400 workers. The other factory will be in Windsor, Ontario, a collaboration with South KoreaÂ’s LG Energy Solution that aims to create about 2,500 jobs. The EV push comes amid a slowdown in U.S.

Ram introduces latest 'Built to Serve' pickup honoring U.S. Air Force

Ram announced Thursday that the third of its five-truck "Built to Serve" series will officially launch Friday. The latest edition, finished in either Anvil or Billet Silver, honors the U.S. Air Force on the anniversary of its founding.  "Ram continues to honor all of those who serve or have served in the United States armed forces with distinction through our latest ‘Built to ServeÂ’ offering," said Ram chief Mike Koval Jr., in FCA's announcement. "The ‘Built to ServeÂ’ adage is something Ram truck owners, whether civilian or military, are very familiar with as itÂ’s something we strive to build into every truck and van we produce."   FCA is releasing a new truck approximately once every three months, each commemorating one of the five branches of the U.S. Armed Forces — Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard. Deliveries of the latest model are set to begin this week to coincide with the 73rd anniversary of the Air Force's establishment as a separate branch on Sept. 18, 1947.  "Built to Serve" models are easily spotted thanks to their prominent rear quarter panel decals. Cosmetic upgrades include an all-black grille and surround, black badges, side steps, black four-inch exhaust tips, body-colored wheel arch trim, and 20-inch wheels finished in Technical Gray. The option price adds the Off-Road Group, which bundles features such as underbody skid plates, electronic-locking rear axle, off-road shocks, tow hooks, and all-terrain tires.  In total, FCA will sell 9,000 "Built to Serve" editions divvied up so that each branch gets two appropriate color choices out of 10 total: Gator (1,000 units) and Diamond Black (1,000); Ceramic Gray (1,000) and Patriot Blue (1,000); Anvil (1,000) and Billet Silver (1,000); Tank (1,000) and Flame Red (1,000); and Spitfire (500) and Bright White (500). The up-charge regardless of variant is $2,795.