2012 White Limited Crew 4wd Diesel Lifted Sunroof Heated/ac Leather Nav Rearcam! on 2040-cars

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China own a Detroit automaker? Would the U.S. let that happen?

The news that several Chinese automakers want to buy Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, and that one has even made an offer, elicits some mixed feelings. On one hand, as some have pointed out, it could be a win-win both for China and for FCA's American workers, ensuring the company's survival and opening new markets. On the other hand, this is China, whose trade relationship with the U.S. is the source of considerable scrutiny from the Trump administration — and whose not-a-friend, not-an-enemy status is particularly difficult to gauge right now during heightened tensions with its client state North Korea. So would such a deal pass regulatory muster? One reason that springs to mind for blocking any sale has to do with national security. Chrysler's role as a military supplier dates back to Dodge trucks used by Gen. Blackjack Pershing to chase Pancho Villa in Mexico, and shortly thereafter by American forces in World War I. The Detroit Three automakers were, of course, mainstays of the Arsenal of Democracy of World War II. Even before U.S. entry into the war in December 1941, America's industrial machinery went into overdrive, and Chrysler was one of the biggest cogs. It engineered and built the M3, Sherman and Pershing tanks and trucks for Gen. George Patton's Redball Express. It helped develop a radar-guided antiaircraft gun that knocked German bombers and V1 rockets out of the sky — on one day, shooting down 97 of 101 V1s headed for London. On D-Day, the radar system helped thwart Luftwaffe counterattacks on the beaches of Normandy, and it later helped Allied forces break out at the Battle of the Bulge. Chrysler redesigned the Wright Cyclone engines used by the Boeing B-29 Superfortress, the plane that firebombed Tokyo and dropped the atomic bombs that ended the war. Chrysler even played a secret role refining uranium in Oak Ridge, Tenn., that was used in the Hiroshima bomb and in the ensuing Cold War arms race. It worked on military missiles and was NASA's prime contractor for the Saturn V rocket that put men on the moon. More recently, Chrysler produced the M1 Abrams tank. And of course Chrysler is the keeper of the flame for Jeep, a 75-plus-years military legacy handed down from Bantam and Willys to Kaiser to AMC to Chrysler. The point of this history lesson is to note that in times of war or national emergency, America's industrial might has been called to serve, and may well be called on again.

Dodge vs. Chevy tug-of-war taken to the extreme

They say "idle hands are the devil's playground," but said playgrounds grow to Disney-sized proportions when a pair of jacked-up trucks, two egos, a chain and an empty mall parking lot are involved. Proof of this is the video below, which shows a Cummins-powered Dodge Ram circa 2006 to 2008 chained tail-to-tail with what looks to be a gasoline-powered Chevrolet Silverado from the late 1990s or early 2000s.
We don't necessarily have to tell you who wins this battle, but we'll let you see for yourself the lengths the "winning" driver goes to prove his point. There's plenty of foul language in the video below, so beware that this might be Not Safe For Work, and not that we should have to tell you, but please, do not try this at home.

FCA Drive for Design Ram truck contest winners chosen

Last month, Fiat Chrysler held a 24-hour sketch battle open to anyone in the world willing to design the "wickedest and most outrageous" version of a Ram truck. That flash contest was a sideshow to the main event, FCA's annual Drive for Design competition open to high schoolers in the 10th, 11th, and 12th grades who were this year asked to design a Ram pickup for the future. The automaker's design team judged the entries, led by Ram Truck and Mopar Exterior Design boss Mark Trostle, with outside input from Detroit sculptor Josh Welton. The contest closed on May 1, and the winners have been decided: Job Skandera, a 12th grader from Santa Clara, California took first place with his Ram Magma; Vincent Piaskowski, an 11th grader from Birmingham, Michigan (home of Autoblog's headquarters) earned second place with an electric Ram; third place went to the Ram 1500 Series A by 11th grader Alex David Kirschmann from Auburn Hills, Michigan. Kirschmann clearly has a knack for this since he earned second place in last year's Drive for Design competition. The Ram Magma's name is suggested by the translucent polycarbonate windows that forego traditional tinting for a crystalline red privacy sheen "inspired by volcanic igneous rock." The Magma also showcases multiple light bars stretched across the roof, a UV water purifier system between the cab and bed, and a stove embedded into the tailgate. Thankfully, the feature set includes an adjustable suspension that lowers the cab to mortal levels of ingress. The electric Ram protects its extremities with a lightweight graphene hardcoat, offers side storage outside the bed, more storage under the bed floor, a heavy duty power station tucked into the bed wall, and the sandwiched tailgate can form a two-tier shelf system for organization on the job site. That tailgate gives us some real ideas. The 1500 Series A is Judge Dredd's truck when he leaves his Lawmaster motorcycle at the office. The RamBox storage compartments and retractable tonneau cover would represent sentimental historical touches when he's running errands — and moving everyone out of his way — in Mega-City One. Due to social distancing, the traditional awards ceremony and visit to FCA design HQ to talk with team members had to be canceled.