2011 Green 4wd Crew Diesel Heated/cooled Leather Sunroof Bedliner Bluetooth! on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2016 Ram Laramie Limited is a comfy way to haul stuff in Chicago

Some people want a rugged truck with no frills that can get seriously banged up and muddy. If that's the case for you, you're definitely going to want to avoid the 2016 Ram Laramie Limited debuting as the latest flagship trim on the 1500, 2500 and 3500 models at the Chicago Auto Show. This pickup is for the buyer who still wants to haul stuff around but get the work done while sitting in the lap of luxury. Bystanders as far as the next county are going to have zero problems knowing the oncoming or outgoing driver has the top-level Ram. In a somewhat similar style to the updated look from the Ram Rebel, the word "RAM" appears in billboard-sized chrome letters across the center of the grille of the Laramie Limited. In case folks somehow miss it, the air inlets on either side are practically arrows pointing right to the middle. The rear gets the same motif with an emblem measuring some 20-inches wide. If all of that isn't enough to grab attention, there's also tons of eye-grabbing chrome from end to end. This is not a vehicle meant to blend in. Inside, passengers are cosseted in acres of black Natura Plus leather with Graystone piping and Black Argento wood trim. For a bit of contrast from all the darkness, there are also metallic accents in a color called Liquid Graphite. LED lighting sheds soft illumination throughout the cabin. Take it all in, boys and girls, in the high-res image galleries above and below. Related Video:

Ram mulling superlux pickup above Laramie Longhorn

Looking at the fullsize pickup landscape, automakers are bringing more and more luxury to the mix. Ford has its King Ranch, GMC has the Denali and now Chevrolet is adding a High Country model, but it sounds like Ram might be looking to make a step up from its already posh Laramie Longhorn trim (shown above). Speaking with new Ram boss Reid Bigland, Automobile is reporting that Chrysler could be looking to reach even higher to add even more premium accoutrements to its truck line.
It's hard to imagine how much higher Ram could get with its luxury especially considering the 2013 Ram 3500 HD Laramie Longhorn used for our recent First Drive carried an as-tested price of $70,285 - even lighter-duty 1500 models start at $45k in LL trim. We wonder if this means we might finally get to see a production version of the Ram Long Hauler that we saw testing earlier in the year. Either way, high-dollar pickups add up to massive profit margins for automakers, so as long as there are customers willing to pay the price, we'll doubtlessly continue to see more premium features inside future trucks.

Current Ram 1500 sticking around into 2019

Ram is preparing a big redesign of its 1500 pickup truck for 2018, but for fans of the current truck, don't feel like you need to rush out to grab one – it's sticking around until 2019. That's according to Automotive News, whose sources spoke on condition of anonymity. The move allows Ram to take a two-prong approach to truck sales, offering the current model as a low-cost option for fleet users while pushing retail consumers toward the new pickup. The factories that build the 1500 today – Warren, MI, and Saltillo, Mexico – will assemble around 200,000 trucks in 2018 and 65,000 in 2019 before Ram phases out the older model. Meanwhile, FCA's Sterling Heights, MI, plant will screw together 325,000 redesigned 1500s starting in 2018, with production to increase to over 400,000 units in 2019. While Ram refused to comment when AN reached out, FCA CFO Richard Palmer hinted at the move during a conference call last week, saying "having more pickup capacity will allow us also to satisfy the fleet customers' demand on pickup, which we struggle to do today because we favor retail in the U.S. and Canadian volume, which have higher margins." "As we realign our capacity, we're going to be able to continue to work on improving our fleet mix," Palmer said. Beyond making a play for fleet buyers, continuing to build the current 1500 guarantees dealerships maintain a solid inventory as Ram ramps up production of the new truck. You can check out leaked images of the redesigned Ram here. According to Automotive News, the new truck won't use aluminum, like the Ford F-150, relying on steel instead. FCA's 3.6-liter V6 will provide thrust along with turbocharged options, although there's no mention of the venerable 5.7-liter Hemi V8. Don't read too much into that, of course – we'll eat our shoe if the 1500 ditches the popular eight-cylinder. It's still too early to predict when the 2019 Ram 1500 will debut, but it will likely happen in 2018 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit or perhaps at a non-auto show event. Related Video: