2024 Ram 2500 Tradesman on 2040-cars

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Stellantis wants to trim 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs, UAW says

WASHINGTON — Chrysler-parent Stellantis NV wants to cut approximately 3,500 hourly U.S. jobs and is offering voluntary exit packages, according to a United Auto Workers union letter made public Tuesday. The automaker is looking to reduce its hourly workforce offering incentive packages that include $50,000 payments for workers hired before 2007, UAW Local 1264 said in a letter dated Monday posted on its Facebook page. Stellantis spokeswoman Jodi Tinson declined to comment. A person briefed on the matter said the figure might be lower than the figure cited in the UAW letter. In late February, Stellantis indefinitely halted operations at an assembly plant in Illinois, citing rising costs of electric vehicle production. The action impacted about 1,350 workers at the Belvidere, Illinois, plant that built the Jeep Cherokee SUV and resulted in indefinite layoffs. The automaker has warned it may not resume operations as it considers other options. The UAW letter said openings created by workers leaving would be filled by workers on indefinite layoff. Stellantis said in February that about 40,000 U.S. hourly workers were eligible for profit sharing. Last week, UAW President Shawn Fain said Stellantis' decision to idle the Illinois plant was "a flat-out violation" of the union's contract with the UAW and is unacceptable. The UAW will enter talks with the Detroit Three before labor contracts expire in mid-September. Earlier this month, General Motors said about 5,000 salaried workers accepted buyouts to leave the automaker. GM CEO Mary Barra said February job cuts of a few hundred jobs and the 5,000 buyouts "provided approximately $1 billion towards" a $2 billion cost cutting target. Ford Motor Co recently announced significant job cuts in Spain, Germany and other parts of Europe and in August said it would cut a total of 3,000 salaried and contract jobs, mostly in North America and India. Hirings/Firings/Layoffs UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep Maserati RAM Stellantis

Win a Ram TRX and a stunning $4.3 million Lake Tahoe dream home

Autoblog may receive a share from purchases made via links on this page. Pricing and availability are subject to change. No donation or payment necessary to enter or win this sweepstakes. See official rules on Omaze.   If you’re looking for an insanely capable off-road pickup, as well as a mountain lodge and lake house to store it, look no further, because with this one giveaway you can win a 5,200 sq-ft Lake Tahoe dream home and a Ram TRX.  Win This $4.3 Million Lake Tahoe Dream House and a Ram TRX - Enter at Omaze HereÂ’s what we said about the TRX when we last drove it: “The TRX hardware is firmly in the realm of absurdity, allowing it to attack just about any terrain or surface – assuming it can physically fit through. The 6.2-liter supercharged V8 supplies 650 pound-feet of torque to all four wheels that lets it power out of mud and muck by aggressively flinging it skyward as though it has a vendetta against both the sky above and Earth below. This sort of driving is best done in Mud/Sand mode, as it sets the four-wheel-drive system, throttle response, transmission, suspension and steering into their ideal settings to have the most fun in the slick stuff. It works as advertised. “Going 0-60 mph in 4.5 seconds in a truck so large is already a mind-altering experience, but having the traction and ability to properly launch off-road is where the TRX truly sets itself apart. Those 35-inch Goodyear Wrangler Territory all-terrain tires, developed specifically for the TRX, dig into the mud and dirt, shooting you forward with far less scrambling and scrapping for purchase than youÂ’d expect from such a sloppy surface. The Dana 60 solid rear axle, axle-hop damper and electronic limited-slip differential that Ram claims help those launches are all putting in the work that needs to be done. No matter the terrain, the TRX digs in, growls and shoots where you point it. If youÂ’d rather move sideways, a quick stab of the traction control button relaxes the truck's nannies to do just that. “The suspension is just as hardcore with the Bilstein Black Hawk e2 adaptive dampers and their remote reservoirs making this 6,396-pound lead weight of a truck more agile than it should be, yet forgiving at the same time. Its damping characteristics donÂ’t provide the same pillowy and graceful off-road ride as, say, the Multimatic dampers on the much lighter Colorado ZR2 do, but thatÂ’s comparing apples to oranges on the weight scale.

Ram 1500 Classic rolls into 2021, celebrates becoming a teenager

CarsDirect crossed paths with a Ram dealer order guide revealing a 2021 Ram 1500 Classic. That news nugget means the fourth-generation Ram truck will get a third year on the market sold alongside the fifth-generation Ram 1500 that entered production for 2019. FCA didn't need more help being the undisputed king of successfully milking a platform (Challenger or Grand Caravan, anyone?), but a 13th year of what's now the Ram 1500 Classic puts local competition out of reach. This truck greeted the world for 2009, when Chrysler — then an unalloyed automaker owned by Cerberus — marched 115 head of cattle down a Detroit street in January to create a spectacle for what was to be the brand-new 2009 Dodge Ram. The order guide showed a $250 bump over the 2020MY pickup, for a total of $30,145 after a $1,695 destination charge to get into a Tradesman regular cab 4x2 powered by the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. That's the only change CarsDirect mentioned for the new year. The fifth-generation Ram 1500 in its base trim, a Tradesman Quad Cab 4x2, is $3,800 more expensive. However, it's important to note that there's a full line-up of Ram Classics. It's not just the stripper Tradesman model. You can't get the high-dollar Longhorn or Limited, but there's still the mid-grade Big Horn, leather-lined Laramie and the above-pictured Warlock, which is a sort of Rebel-lite model.  Some take the Classic's undying existence as a way for Ram to lure mid-size pickup buyers with the most inexpensive full-size pickup. It's possible, yet midsize buyers often don't want to deal with the size and bills that come with full-size trucks, never mind the higher MSRP. One size down, the 2021 Ram Classic costs roughly $1,500 more than a base Tacoma, $4,000 more than a Ford Ranger, and $7,000 more than a Chevrolet Canyon. Incentives this month can take as much as $6,250 off the Ram's price, but Ram isn't alone in putting money on the hood. Besides, the Ram Classic isn't a runaway price champ compared to other full-sizers. A 2020 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 regular cab 4x2 starts at $30,095, and next year's Ford F-150 will start at $30,635 after destination. The Ram Classic makes more sense as a base-truck competitor for full-size competition, one that pays a lot more profit to FCA. And having the old guard on duty did help Ram outsell the Chevrolet Silverado last year. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.