2022 Ram 2500 Limited on 2040-cars

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Fiat Chrysler posts record Q3 profit thanks to U.S. trucks and Jeep

MILAN — A rebound in car production in Fiat Chrysler on Wednesday reported record third-quarter earnings as production returned to nearly pre-pandemic levels. The Italian-American automaker, which is finalizing its full merger with French rival PSA Peugeot, reported a net profit in the three months ending Sept. 30 of $1.4 billion (1.2 billion euros). That compares with a loss of 179 million euros a year earlier. The carmaker reported adjusted earnings before tax and interest in North America of 2.5 billion euros. That offset deepening losses in Europe, Asia and at its Maserati luxury marquee. Latin America, the only other region to post a profit, saw it narrow by two-thirds to 46 million euros. “Our record results were driven by our teamÂ’s tremendous performance in North America,” CEO Mike Manley said in a statement. Overall, the carmaker said global earnings before tax and interest were a record 2.3 billion euros despite a 6% fall in revenues to 26 billion euros. Global shipments were down 3%, due largely to plant retooling in North American to produce the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer in the luxury SUV segment and the discontinuation of the Dodge Grand Caravan classic minivan. Fiat Chrysler announced earlier Wednesday that its merger with PSA Peugeot is on track to be finalized by the end of the first quarter of 2021, as planned. To meet regulatory concerns, the French carmaker is selling a small stake in a components maker to get below 40% ownership. The new automaker, to be called Stellantis, will be the fourth biggest producer in the world. Earnings/Financials Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot

Ram confirms Fiat Doblo-based ProMaster City for North America

As Sergio Marchionne flies back and forth between Turin and Auburn Hills, he doesn't just bring Chryslers back with him to Italy to sell as Lancias. He also brings Fiat products to sell Stateside under various Chrysler labels, chief among them Ram.
The former Dodge truck brand launched the Fiat Ducato as the Ram ProMaster earlier this year, giving it a greater foothold in the commercial vehicle market and a replacement for the Sprinter which Mercedes-Benz took back from its Chrysler-partnership days. Now Auburn Hills has announced that Ram will begin selling the Fiat Doblo on this side of the Atlantic as the Ram ProMaster City.
The Doblo, which was twice named International Van of the Year, has sold over 1.3 million units worldwide. Whether that includes the rebadged version which Vauxhall and Opel sell as the Combo is another matter, as is the question over how much longer Fiat and General Motors will continue that particular partnership as the ties between Fiat and Chrysler deepen.

2022 Ram 1500 gets reworked options to maintain production

Ram was in the mood to giveth at this year's Chicago Auto Show, unveiling three new special edition trucks for the 2022 model year. Mopar Insiders reports Ram is lately in the mood to taketh away, removing or reworking options and features on nearly every trim with the aim of keeping pickup truck production lines running. The biggest blow to the bank account comes from Ram eliminating the Quad Cab on all but the two base trims, Tradesman and Big Horn (called the "Lone Star" in Texas). Seems most buyers on the Laramie and above go with the larger Crew Cab and aren't worried about spending a couple thousand dollars more; the Crew Cab on the Laramie, for instance, is $2,150 more than the Quad Cab. Truck shoppers watching pennies can forget about saving money up front in order to add certain luxuries, too. Come 2022, the smaller cab style can't be ordered with any kind of sunroof, air suspension, Technology Group, or Power Running Boards. When it comes to trims, starting at the bottom, the 2022 Tradesman won't offer an air suspension with any cab style, nor Ram Box storage, nor the multifunction Tailgate. If there's an EcoDiesel under the hood it will only be the HFE version, the standard EcoDiesel nixed on the Tradesman. The HFE variant makes one more mile per gallon in the city and on the highway than the standard EcoDiesel. The Big Horn/Lone Star loses its multifunction tailgate, and the colors Mountain Brown and Frost Beige. To get the rear underseat storage requires ordering either the Level 1 or Level 2 Equipment Groups, the storage can't be had an a standalone option. One step up, the Ram Rebel drops the luxury Rebel 12A package that added a 12-inch Uconnect screen with navigation, nine-speaker audio, and leather-trimmed bucket seats. The trimmed buckets seats will migrate to the Rebel Night Edition package that now costs $525, but can be expected to increase. And the cloth and vinyl bucket seats that now come in black with either red or silver accent stitching will come only in black and red. The Laramie, Limited Longhorn and Limited all shed the Protection Group that added underbody skid plates on the 4x4 models. The Laramie and Limited Longhorn will go almost entirely without any two-tone paint option, the exception being Ivory White and Walnut Brown solely for the Limited Longhorn. On the Laramie, as on the Tradesman, the rear underseat storage goes from being an individual option to part of a group, in this case the Level 1 Equipment Group.