2014 Ram 3500 Slt on 2040-cars

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FCA recalling Ram trucks for steering wheel and brake pedal issues

WASHINGTON — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said this week it would recall 882,000 pickup trucks worldwide in two new recalls to address steering and pedal issues. The Italian-American automaker said it was recalling about 660,000 heavy duty Ram 2500 and 3500 pickup trucks from the 2013 through 2017 model years, including 574,000 in the United States, as drivers could potentially experience steering loss. A nut could come loose and prevent drivers from being able to steer the vehicle, Fiat Chrysler said, adding it had reports of one injury and eight accidents possibly related to the issue. The company will also recall 222,000 2019 Ram 1500 pickup trucks worldwide to better secure brake pedals while the vehicles' adjustable-pedal feature is in use. The brake pedal could get detached if drivers move pedals to the rear-most position, the company said. That could be dangerous if trucks are traveling at highway speeds. Last month, Fiat Chrysler recalled about 180,000 2019 Ram 1500 pickups to tighten a fastener linked to reports of power-steering loss. Fiat Chrysler said the issue could lead to steering problems.

2019 Ram ProMaster, ProMaster City vans lose the crosshair grille

Ram is updating its commercial van offerings with the 2019 Ram ProMaster and ProMaster City full-size and compact vans. They're very minor updates, mainly consisting of a new grille. The old crosshair versions are gone in favor of mesh grilles with the Ram logo in all caps. This brings them inline with the 2019 Ram 1500 pickup trucks. The compact ProMaster City doesn't get any other changes, but the big ProMaster sans-City gets some upgrades buyers may appreciate. The variety of van configurations has been expanded to include 136-inch wheelbase, low-roof options for the 2500 and 3500, and a high-roof 136-inch body for the 3500. With the current ProMaster, only 1500 models can be had with a low roof, and there are no 136-inch offerings for the 3500. View 7 Photos Ram has also increased payload capacities for each trim, with the 1500 now sitting at 4,000 pounds, the 2500 at 4,250, and the 3500 at 4,680. Towing capacity is also up, with a maximum weight of 6,800 pounds. The most a current generation van can tow is 5,100 pounds. All of this is done with the same 280-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 and six-speed automatic. One additional change to both the big ProMaster and little ProMaster City is pricing. Both vans see base price increases of $200. The ProMaster starts at $31,840, and the ProMaster City starts at $25,740 for the two-seat cargo van. The two-row wagon version is an extra $1,700. Featured Gallery 2019 Ram ProMaster Image Credit: Ram RAM Minivan/Van Commercial Vehicles ram promaster ram promaster city

Stellantis is official: FCA and PSA merger finally sealed

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler and PSA sealed their long-awaited merger on Saturday to create Stellantis, the world's fourth-largest auto group with deep enough pockets to fund the shift to electric driving and take on bigger rivals Toyota and Volkswagen. It took over a year for the Italian-American and French automakers to finalize the $52 billion deal, during which the global economy was upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. They first announced plans to merge in October 2019, to create a group with annual sales of around 8.1 million vehicles. "The merger between Peugeot S.A. and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles N.V. that will lead the path to the creation of Stellantis N.V. became effective today," the two automakers said in a statement. Shares in Stellantis, which will be headed by current PSA Chief Executive Carlos Tavares, will start trading in Milan and Paris on Monday, and in New York on Tuesday. Now analysts and investors are turning their focus to how Tavares plans to address the huge challenges facing the group – from excess production capacity to a woeful performance in China. Tavares will hold his first press conference as Stellantis CEO on Tuesday, after ringing NYSE's bell with Chairman John Elkann. FCA and PSA have said Stellantis can cut annual costs by over 5 billion euros ($6.1 billion) without plant closures, and investors will be keen for more details on how it will do this. Marco Santino, a partner at consultants Oliver Wyman, said he expected Tavares to disclose the outlines of his action plan soon, but without divulging too many details at first. "He has proven to be the kind of person who prefers action to words, so I don't think he will make loud statements or try to over-sell targets," he said. Like all global automakers, Stellantis needs to invest billions in the years ahead to transform its vehicle range for the electric era. But other pressing tasks loom, including reviving the group's lagging fortunes in China, rationalizing its huge global empire and addressing massive overcapacity. "It will be a step by step process, also to allow the market to better appreciate every single move. I don't think we will have all the details before one year," Santino said.