2017 Ram 3500 Laramie on 2040-cars

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2015 Ram 1500 Rebel drops the crosshairs, muscles in with new snout

Emboldened by record sale and increasing market share, Ram continues to spin off derivatives of its fullsize pickup. Bowing at today's Detroit Auto Show, the 10th model based on Ram's 1500 series is the new-for-2015 Rebel, and it's designed to capture the affections of that exceedingly popular marketer's bogey, the "active lifestyle enthusiast." Ram officials figure they've already got the hunt/fish/camp crowd all sewn up with the 1500 Outdoorsman, so the Rebel's imposing snout strikes out in a different direction in search of extreme-sports types – namely customers with dirt bikes, side-by-sides, jet-skis and other powersports toys. If that has you envisioning the Rebel as a rival to the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor, think again – "It's not an extreme, desert-racer off-road type product," says Ram boss Bob Hegbloom. If you're seeking an analog from another automaker, look to the Toyota Tundra TRD Pro and we think you'll be in the ballpark. The Rebel's most distinctive styling element has to be its radical new grain-finish grille, which does away with Ram's longstanding crosshair motif in favor of an interlocking design that intentionally won't be for everyone. There are lighting changes, too, with black-bucket headlamps featuring LED accents and matching LED foglights. A non-functional twin-snorkel sport hood, tonneau cover with stamped logo, blacked-out taillamps and unique badges are other model telltales. The Rebel (where have we heard that name before?) makes good use of Ram's air suspension system as an easy way to raise the ride height by an inch, which in turn affords inch-longer suspension travel and lends the truck a more formidable stance while helping clear the 33-inch (LT285/70R17E) Toyo Open Country A/T tires. Flares swiped from the 2500 Power Wagon keep the wider rubber mounted on Rebel-exclusive 17-inch wheels nicely – and legally – tucked in. Further off-road-minded modifications include a close-cropped steel front bumper that offers an improved arrival angle as well as 360-degree tow hooks and replaceable center skid plate. Out back, dual exhausts tuck up into the bumper and out of harm's way, but you might be too busy staring at the billboard-sized RAM tailgate lettering to notice. Ram officials assure us the Rebel's suspension has been recalibrated to cope with the higher ride height and better off-road ability (mostly through the inclusion of Bilstein monotube shocks, a softer rear anti-roll bar and reworked jounce bumpers).

Dear Ram: 'GT' doesn't belong on a pickup

When word of the forthcoming Ram G/T models hit our inboxes on Tuesday, my first reaction was one of confusion. The notion of a "Grand Touring" package for anything with a pickup bed struck me as entirely foreign and left me feeling conflicted. Have pickup trucks really come so far that a GT-inspired model makes sense, or am I just married to an antiquated notion that has been co-opted and subsequently bled to death by the endlessly churning automotive marketing machine? One could reasonably argue that "GT" has come a long way from the days when it was closely associated with its namesake term (whether you say "Gran Turismo" or "Grand Touring" really makes no difference) and plenty of not-so-sporting automobiles have already borrowed the nomenclature to denote trims with faster-looking body kits or larger wheels. If that's the model we're choosing to acknowledge, Ram's is arguably ahead of the game. Its G/T package adds a cat-back exhaust and cold air intake (more of a performance nod than some other "GT" models enjoy), paddle shifters, a console-mounted gear lever, unique bucket seats with high bolsters and metal covers for the gas and brake pedals. If this were a package for a Dodge Charger or Challenger, it would certainly check the right boxes. Heck, the whole thing was essentially parts-binned from the TRX with an assist from Mopar's factory accessory catalog.  A Ford Mustang GT and a Mercedes-AMG GT. Note how similar they are to a half-ton truck. In my quest to decide just how out-of-touch I am, I first asked Ram whether G/T actually stands for anything. It doesn't. It was chosen simply to "signify a sporty model within the lineup." There's no apparent significance to the slash aside from being an obvious nod to Dodge's R/T (Road/Track) models, of which even the Viper was one. Even with SRT having supplanted R/T atop the Mopar performance heap, the latter still denotes models with a significant performance increase.  But that means G/T is precisely what we think it is — a trim meant to impart notions of performance, even if there's little of it to be found. It doesn't quite sit with me. The domestics have already pretty much forced us to accept the notion of both high-performance and luxury-oriented pickups, so something splitting the difference doesn't really seem that outrageous.

Stellantis says its 2021 performance has been better than expected

MILAN — Stellantis softened up investors ahead of its electrification strategy event on Thursday by flagging that 2021 got off to a better-than-expected start despite a chip shortage that has hit automakers worldwide. Stellantis, which was formed in January from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA, faces an investor community keen to hear how it plans to come up with a range of electrified vehicles (EVs) to rival Tesla. At its "EV Day 2021" kicking off at 1230 GMT, Stellantis will disclose significant investments in electrification technology and connected software as it aims to be an industry frontrunner, it said in a statement. In April, Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said it would offer low-emission versions — either battery or hybrid electric — of almost all of its European models by 2025, and they should make up 70% of European sales and 35% of U.S. sales by 2030. Stellantis, the world's fourth-biggest automaker, has 14 brands in its stable, including Jeep, Ram, Opel, Fiat, Peugeot and Maserati.   Stellantis EV Day coverage: Dodge will launch the 'world's first electric muscle car' in 2024 Fully electric Ram 1500 will begin production in 2024 Jeep will have 4xe plug-in hybrid models across the lineup by 2025 Stellantis teases mystery electric Chrysler concept Stellantis previews 4 electric platforms: Here's how they'll be used Fiat says all Abarth models to be electric from 2024 Opel Manta E will be the electric revival of the classic German coupe Stellantis says its 2021 performance has been better than expected   At a similar EV strategy event last week, French rival Renault announced that 90% of its main brand models would be all-electric by 2030, whereas previously it had included hybrids in its target. Germany's Volkswagen, the world's second-biggest automaker after Toyota, expects all-electric vehicles to make up 55% of its total sales in Europe by 2030, and more than 70% of sales at its Volkswagen brand. Stellantis said its margins on adjusted operating profits in the first half of 2021 were expected to exceed an annual target of between 5.5% and 7.5%, despite production losses due to a global shortage of semiconductor supplies. Stellantis shares listed in Milan were down 2.6% at 0920 GMT, underperforming the broader European car index. Bestinver analyst Marco Opipari said Thursday's news was positive but that the stock was suffering from profit taking as it had moved up about 20% since the end of April.