2012 Ram 5500 Laramie on 2040-cars

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FCA to invest $4.5B for new Detroit plant, expanded production at current facilities

We expected some shifts in manufacturing plans as Fiat Chrysler plans to begin electrifying its Jeep brand, but this news bodes well for Michigan. FCA announced today that it would spend $4.5 billion to expand production in the state, including building a new assembly plant in Detroit and increasing capacity at five other facilities in the state. The plan, which FCA says will create nearly 6,500 new jobs, will help to meet increasing demand for Ram and Jeep products, and to electrify Jeep models. $1.6 billion will be set aside to transform the Mack Avenue Engine Complex into a site to build the next generation of Jeep Grand Cherokee, as well as an unspecified, new three-row Jeep model. FCA says this part of the plan will create 3,850 new jobs. FCA is increasing its investment in the Warren Truck plant to $1.5 billion in order to continue building the Ram 1500 Classic, as well as the new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, creating 1,400 new jobs. FCA says that the new Ram 1500 Heavy Duty will still be built in Saltillo, Mexico. At FCA's Jefferson North facility, the automaker will invest $900 million to upgrade the plant. This site will continue to build the Dodge Durango, as well help build the next Jeep Grand Cherokee. FCA expects this to create 1,100 new jobs. As Jeep plans to electrify models in its SUV lineup, each of the above plants will produce plug-in hybrid versions of the Jeep models produced there, "with flexibility to build fully battery-electric models in the future," the company said in its announcement. "Three years ago, FCA set a course to grow our profitability based on the strength of the Jeep and Ram brands by realigning our U.S. manufacturing operations," said FCA CEO Mike Manley, referring in part to earlier investments in Illinois, Ohio and Michigan. "Today's announcement represents the next step in that strategy," Manley continued. "It allows Jeep to enter two white space segments that offer significant margin opportunities and will enable new electrified Jeep products, including at least four plug-in hybrid vehicles and the flexibility to produce fully battery-electric vehicles." Other investments include $119 million to move production of the 3.0-, 3.2- and 3.6-liter Pentastar engines from Mack I to the Dundee Engine Plant, and $400 million for increased capacity and 80 new jobs at the Sterling and Warren stamping plants. This comes at a time when FCA's U.S.

Ram partners with Lucchese on a range of luxury boots

A few months ago, Ram announced a partnership with Michigan-based Wolverine boots on a range of work boots based on the Ram 1500 Tradesman, Rebel, and Limited trims. The number two full-size truckmaker so far this year in sales isn't finished with footwear, Ram announcing a range of dress boots in collaboration with Texas-based boot company Lucchese. There are five styles in total, three for men, two for women. Since these Western-themed cowboy specials are based on the $58,565 10th Anniversary Limited Longhorn Edition, which lives at the opposite end of the trim range to Tradesman, the Lucchese models can cost more than 10 times the Wolverines. Whereas the entry-level Wolverine Tradesman cost $229, the top-dog Lucchese men's Tooled Western Boot runs $2,495. That money gets luxury features and Lucchese's hand-worked processes that pass each boot through as many as 120 pairs of hands on the way to being finished. That $2,495 boot is made with a hand-tooled quarter, which is the shaft of the boot that runs up the leg above the ankle, and a giant gator vamp, the vamp being the lower portion of the boot that covers the foot. The men’s Caiman Horseman Boot includes a hand-cut inlay quarter and giant belly caiman vamp for $995. The menÂ’s Ostrich Horseman model wears a fancy stitch quarter and hand stained ostrich vamp for $745. The women's Giant Gator Western Boot is made with an inlayed quarter and a giant gator vamp for $1,395. The final model, the women's Horseman Boot, gets a side seam quarter and inlay with a goatskin vamp for $695. Each boot is also emblazoned with some kind of automaker logo which can include the word "Ram" or "Longhorn," or the Ram bighorn sheep logo. And if a Ram owner needs to get even more on-brand where the leather meets the ground, Ram sells a three-pack of branded socks for $25. Ryan Nagode, chief designer for Ram interiors, said this partnership can be traced back to a visit to Texas with his design team more than a decade ago. The group noted the creativity and attention to detail on the wares at boot and saddle shops, aspects that would increasingly make their way into Ram interiors as trucks got more luxurious from top to bottom. Closing the circle, Lucchese boot designer Trey Gilmore strove to re-create certain aspects of the 10th Anniversary Longhorn truck, like the Mountain Brown leather interior. The boots are available for pre-order now at the Lucchese site.

Ram boosts Heavy Duty truck claims for 2015 [w/video]

The heavy-duty truck segment boasts some of the tightest competition of any automotive niche in the US. Being able to tout just one best-in-class figure can be a marketing advantage over competitors, and Ram Trucks is adding one more accolade to its tally with a powertrain update for the 2015 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups. Ram now claims best-in-class ratings for torque, towing and payload, depending on configuration.
The major change comes for the 3500 HD with a boost in torque for its Cummins 6.7-liter, inline-six diesel engine. It now produces a meaty 865 pound-feet of twist, a boost of 15 lb-ft, which is the best figure in its segment, according to the company. To eek out the extra power, the mill has more aggressive fuel delivery, and the turbo has been recalibrated. Of course, more grunt would be meaningless if drivers couldn't do anything with it, and the tweaks help allow payload to grow to 7,390 pounds, up from a rating of 7,320 pounds last year. The max towing rating remains unchanged at 30,000 pounds, though.
The rest of the powertrain lineup carries over from last year. The base HD mill is the gasoline-fed 5.7-liter V8 with 383 hp and 400 lb-ft and a six-speed automatic. The next step up is a 6.4-liter V8 with 410 hp and 429 lb-ft. There are also three trims of the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel starting with 350 hp and 660 lb-ft with a six-speed manual gearbox. If buyers opt for a the 68RFE six-speed auto, they get 370 hp and 800 lb-ft. Finally, there's the updated, top-rung version with 385 hp and 865 lb-ft with an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission.