2018 Ram 3500 Bighorn on 2040-cars

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Some Ram truck buyer is about to get the 3 millionth Cummins diesel engine

Dodge made a Cummins-built turbodiesel engine available in one of its trucks for the first time during the 1989 model year. Over three decades and a name change later, the company announced it ordered the 3 millionth engine from Cummins, and it's about to drop it in a truck. The 3 millionth engine is patiently waiting on a pallet until it's needed on the assembly line. Ram noted the oil-burning six will be installed in a 2019 3500 Longhorn Crew Cab Dually, a model built for both towing and cruising. While the firm knows who ordered the truck, it chose not to release the owner's name to maintain an element of surprise. The dealership that sold it is planning to host a celebration, so the buyer will only find out that he or she purchased a piece of Ram and Cummins history when arriving to pick it up. The Longhorn isn't the kind of truck you're likely to see on a construction site. Priced in the vicinity of $60,000, it's an upmarket variant of Ram's tow-it-all Heavy Duty pickup decked out with leather upholstery, an eight-way power-adjustable driver's seat, two rows of heated seats, and an 8.4-inch touchscreen for the infotainment system. The high-output Cummins 6.7-liter six adds $11,795 to its base price, meaning the truck receiving the 3 millionth engine costs around $75,000.  Cummins has made several different engines for Dodge- and Ram-branded trucks since 1988. It crossed the 200-horsepower mark for the first time in 1996, and built its first engine with over 500 pound-feet of torque in 2001. The current Cummins, the variant going into the milestone truck, is a mighty, 6.7-liter straight-six that serves 400 horsepower and 1,000 pound-feet of torque.  

Ram 1500 TRX fuel economy figures are out — and economy isn't the right word

Ram published many statistics when it introduced the 1500 TRX, but one part of the puzzle was missing: fuel economy. It finally released those figures, and they confirm that supercar-like power brings supercar-like thirst. Driven with a light right foot, the TRX returns 10 mpg in the city, 14 mpg on the highway, and 12 mpg combined. It's the least efficient Hellcat-powered model; Jeep's Grand Cherokee Trackhawk scores 13 mpg combined, while Dodge's Charger and Challenger post 15. Figures for the Durango haven't been published yet, but there's no reason to think it will use more gas than the TRX. At 12 combined, the truck is about on par with the Lamborghini Aventador S. On the surface, that's not great. Keep in mind the mighty TRX was developed for off-road performance, however, and we doubt fuel economy entered the equation at all. It's a body-on-frame truck powered by a 6.2-liter V8 supercharged to 702 horsepower, it has mammoth 35-inch all-terrain tires to push around, and it weighs 6,350 pounds. Viewed in this light, 12 mpg is actually shockingly decent. Conversely, the folks who designed the Toyota Prius weren't concerned about its water fording ability, its approach angle, or its zero-to-60-mph time. Motorists who place fuel efficiency at the very top of their priorities list have a growing list of excellent options to choose from, even if they're in the market for a pickup. At the other end of the Ram spectrum, the rear-wheel drive 1500 posts figures of 23, 33, and 26, respectively, when it's equipped with the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6. The TRX starts at $71,690 including destination, and it will arrive in showrooms later in 2020. Related Video:

Dodge, Ram, Jeep — Stellantis — dumped a ton of news: Here's a roundup

Stellantis hit us with an absolute deluge of information regarding its future electric vehicle plans Thursday, including a roadmap for each of its brands to reach a goal of making electrified vehicles 80% of the company's total global volume by 2030. We'll hit all of the highlights here, with an emphasis on those that matter most to the U.S. marketplace.  Stellantis previews 4 electric platforms: Here's how they'll be used This is the method behind the rest of Thursday's madness. Eventually, Stellantis will migrate its electrified vehicles onto one of these core platforms based around a new common EV powertrain architecture.    Dodge will launch the 'world's first electric muscle car' in 2024 It looks like Dodge will invoke its 60s heritage (peep the illuminated "Fratzog" on the nose) for a new, all-electric muscle car. Based on the STLA Large platform, it's projected to have a 0-to-60 time as low as 2 seconds and a range of up to 500 miles. The automaker also hinted at a maximum power output of as high as 886 horsepower courtesy of a pair of 330-kilowatt electric motors.   Jeep will have 4xe plug-in hybrid models across the lineup by 2025 The iconic 4x4 brand will have a plug-in hybrid variant of every model by 2025. The U.S.-market Compass 4xe is expected to debut this summer, and the Wagoneer 4xe has already been announced. The Grand Cherokee 4xe will be shown at the New York International Auto Show in August.    Fully electric Ram 1500 will begin production in 2024 You didn't think the Ford F-150 Lightning would get the space all to itself, did you? Ram says it will have an electrified Ram 1500 on the market soon. Will it be fast enough to beat GM?   Stellantis teases mystery electric Chrysler concept This one's a genuine puzzler. We've reached out to Chrysler for details, but for now, all we know is that this all-electric concept appears production-friendly and will ostensibly ride on the same STLA Large platform as the Dodge muscle car.    Opel Manta E will be the electric revival of the classic German coupe We'll forgive you if you'd forgotten that Opel was now part of Stellantis, and with new ownership comes new opportunity. The company revived the Manta nameplate as a high-riding coupe/hatchback concept.   Fiat says all Abarth models to be electric from 2024 This likely won't matter much in the U.S. market, where the 500X will soon be the only vehicle it sells, but Fiat's performance division is going all-electric.