2011 Ram 3500 Mega Cab 4x4 Longhorn on 2040-cars

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Mopar teases four of 'nearly 20' SEMA Show concepts

Yesterday it was Chevrolet. Today, Mopar has dropped some SEMA knowledge, releasing a quartet of teaser images that give us some indication of what kind of cars, trucks, and crossovers Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram will be showing in Las Vegas. Like Chevy, Mopar's concepts utilize both production and concept accessories, although Fiat Chrysler has gone a bit more indepth on at least one of its concepts. Immediately, the most tantalizing teaser is the one shown above. Yes, that's the back of a Challenger, and aside from the bright orange accents on the gray body, you should take notice of the badge mounted on the spoiler – yes, that says "GT AWD." To be honest, such a vehicle wouldn't be a huge shock, as both the Challenger's LX platform-mates, the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, are offered with all-wheel-drive options. Still, adding such a vehicle to the production cycle would give Dodge a leg up on the rear-drive only Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. Aside from that concept, FCA has also released teasers of a Ram-based concept, a 300-based concept, and what we're guessing is a Fiat 500X. We can't wait to see what the actual Fiat concept has to do with kiteboarding. As for the 300 and Ram, there's not a lot of hints on what sort of styling details they'll contain. The Chrysler has additional LED accents and what we're guessing is matte blue paint, while the Ram is based on a Hemi-powered 1500 with Rebel styling cues. This is just a very tiny sample of Mopar's final SEMA roster, which include "hundreds" of parts. There should also be a total of 20 vehicles covering all four former Chrysler Group brands, as well as Fiat. Naturally, we'll have plenty to report on each vehicle once the SEMA show kicks off in the next couple weeks.

Chevy says not to look at the 2019 Silverado's fuel economy rating

The 2019 Chevy Silverado is hitting dealerships soon, and one of the most notable changes for the new full-size pickup is the addition of a 2.7-liter turbocharged inline-four. The engine replaces the naturally-aspirated 4.3-liter V6 in volume consumer models like the Silverado LT and promises more power, less weight and — most importantly — better fuel economy. The thing is, the gains in efficiency haven't been as dramatic as some might have hoped, especially when stacked up against competitors from Ford and Ram. As Automotive News reports, GM's response is a little murky. First, let's talk numbers. We're pulling all figures from FuelEconomy.gov, the official U.S. government source for fuel ratings. Fuel economy numbers on trucks vary greatly based on a number of factors. Bed and cab configuration play a part, but so does a four-wheel-drive system. You also have to factor in tires, transmissions, rear-axle gearing, hybrid systems and cylinder deactivation. Things like that can make the difference between best- and worst-in-class. The EPA's website doesn't give enough information a lot of the time, so there's really no easy way to compare apples-to-apples. First, take a look at the ratings for the 2019 Silverado. A 2.7-liter model with two-wheel drive is rated 20 city, 23 highway and 21 combined. That's both better and worse than a two-wheel drive 2018 Silverado with the 4.3-liter V6 (18 city, 24 highway and 20 combined). The updated 2019 Silverado with a 4.3-liter V6 has yet to be rated. With less weight and a smaller engine, many hoped Chevy would make bigger gains. It's unusual to see any decrease in a fuel economy metric these days. GM says that it's not done tuning the new 2.7-liter engine, so fuel economy could theoretically increase. Expanding further, a V8-powered 2019 Silverado (17 city, 24 highway and 19 combined) actually gets better highway fuel economy than a turbocharged four-cylinder powered truck in certain configurations, even if the latter has a better overall average. But that's only with two-wheel drive, the 8-speed transmission and cylinder deactivation. A Silverado with the 5.3-liter V8 and a 6-speed automatic is rated at 15 city, 22 highway and 17 combined. The biggest issue with the Silverado 2.7-liter doesn't come from within GM itself but from Ford and Ram. GM cites the Ford F-150 with the 3.3-liter V6 and the Ram 1500 with the 3.6-liter V6 as the closest competitors to its new 2.7-liter inline-four.

FCA CEO says the Ram 1500 Classic will live on, might even get an update

Ram intends to keep selling the 1500 Classic pickup truck for an unknown amount of time. According to a report from Motor Trend, FCA CEO Mike Manley during the company’s second-quarter earnings call said there are no plans to discontinue the old truck. Not only this, but Manley also suggested that Ram could give the Classic an update. In case you werenÂ’t familiar with RamÂ’s strategy of selling the 1500 Classic alongside the regular 1500, weÂ’ll lay it out for you: Ram released a completely new 1500 for the 2019 model year. Instead of discontinuing the truck it was selling before the new model, Ram continues to produce it under the 2019 Ram 1500 Classic name. Despite it being a 2019 model year truck, the Classic is the last-generation Ram. This is done so that Ram can offer customers a full-size truck option than is cheaper than the fancy new truck is capable of dipping down to. The 2019 Ram 1500 Classic starts at $29,340, whereas the regular 1500 has a base price of $35,135. If that makes a difference for enough people, then it makes financial sense for the old truck to stick around. However, Ram appears to be considering giving the old truck some new tricks, according to Manley. If that idea comes to fruition, then the Classic will start to look like an even better value proposition than it is today. Ram would have to act quickly, though, as the old truck just accelerates its aging by the day as each new pickup hits the market. Sales of the Classic were certainly an important contributor in the battle with Chevy to takeover the number two spot in the pickup wars. An even more attractive offering for the same low price sounds like a short-term winner to us. If Ram does refresh the 1500 Classic for 2020, donÂ’t expect it to last much longer beyond that model year, though. ItÂ’s already on life support at this point, and the new 1500 feels years ahead of it in every way.