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Ram 1500 diesel overlander, off-road Jeep Wrangler show present and future of Mopar

Ram and Jeep both have some heavily customized off-roaders for SEMA this year. The Ram is a 2020 1500 Rebel with the diesel engine and an overlanding theme, and the Jeep is a 2020 Wrangler Unlimited with a general off-road theme. Each features loads of Mopar accessories, and, in the case of the Ram, accessories from other companies. They both have a few parts that haven't made it to market yet. 2020 Ram 1500 Rebel View 16 Photos 2020 Ram 1500 Rebel OTG The Ram 1500 has the suffix of OTG, which stands for off-the-grid. It's designed to be an overlanding vehicle perfect for getting you far away from civilization and still have your needs taken care of. As such, the new EcoDiesel with its strong fuel economy and large amounts of torque is a good engine choice, and the Rebel has plenty of rugged style to begin with. That style is augmented by some special concept Mopar parts such as a high-flow grille complete with flow-through Ram block letters, a la the Chevy "Flow Tie," and steel bumper with a retro-fitted Power Wagon winch. Another concept part is the intake snorkel. Dodge also dug into the existing catalog of Ram parts and added the base Tradesman's vinyl flooring for easy interior cleaning, as well as the Tradesman's rear bumper that doesn't have cut-outs for exhaust. The exhaust was then tucked away behind the bumper, giving the truck a better departure angle. Many ready-to-purchase accessories have been added to the Ram 1500 OTG, too. From the Mopar catalog comes off-road lights, rock rails, wheels and bolt-on fender flares. The utility rack, basket and tent all came from Yakima. A roof-mounted solar array along with sliding cooking areas and bed-mounted cooler all come from Dometic. A representative from Dodge also showed how the split tailgate can be used as an easily accesible place to have fold out cooking or table space. 2020-jeep-wrangler-mopar-accessories-01 View 4 Photos 2020 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited While the Ram has parts from all around the aftermarket world, the Jeep Wrangler Unlimited has been outfitted entirely with Mopar parts. And most of those parts are already available, with two exceptions. On one side of the truck, Jeep is showing off some concept mesh covers for its tube-doors. The idea behind them is that they still allow for plenty of air flow, but help keep shrubbery, mud clods and other things from getting in. They're also simple to install or remove, since the slide on and zip up.

Stellantis and LG announce Canadian EV battery joint venture

SEOUL — South Korean battery giant LG Energy Solution (LGES) said on Wednesday it plans to invest $1.5 billion to set up a joint venture with Stellantis in Canada. LGES owns 51% of the joint venture, tentatively named "LGES-STLA JV" and Stellantis owns 49%, LGES said in a regulatory filing. In October, LGES and Stellantis NV struck an electric vehicle (EV) battery production joint venture, targeting to start production by the first quarter of 2024 and aiming to have an annual production capacity of 40 gigawatt hours of batteries. In a separate regulatory filing, LGES said it plans to acquire a stake worth $542 million in ES America to respond to demand from EV startups in the United States. LGES is considering building a factory in Arizona to meet demand in the United States, two people familiar with the matter told Reuters, adding that the plant is expected to primarily produce cylindrical battery cells. LGES has its own factory in Michigan and two battery joint ventures with General Motors in Ohio and Tennessee. "We are considering a new production site, but nothing has been decided yet," said a spokesperson at LGES. LGES, which counts Tesla, GM and Volkswagen among its customers, currently has battery production sites in the United States, China, Poland, Indonesia and South Korea. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. Green Plants/Manufacturing Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Electric

FCA delays Grand Wagoneer and next-generation heavy-duty Ram trucks

The upcoming Jeep Grand Wagoneer has had a tumultuous gestation thus far. At one point it was essentially confirmed, but later it was rumored to have been cancelled. In that context, the latest report from Automotive News is something of a mixed blessing. According to the publication, the Grand Wagoneer has simply been delayed, as has the next-generation Ram heavy duty truck line. This does not seem to affect the fully redesigned Ram 1500, which was previously reported to have been pushed back slightly to 2019. Automotive News says the information came from unnamed sources at the company. Nothing was said about how long the vehicles would be delayed. The publication also conjectures that FCA is delaying the models to save some money to help cover the company's $7 billion of debt , since re-tooling both the heavy-duty truck plant and eventual Grand Wagoneer plant will be expensive. View 6 Photos We reached out to Chrysler for more information on the subject, but the company wouldn't comment on the report. Even so, we wouldn't be too surprised if FCA is indeed delaying these products. The company has delayed a number of vehicles in recent years. In fact nearly every major FCA truck and SUV, including the Grand Wagoneer and Ram line, were delayed about a year and a half ago. We certainly hope the company doesn't delay the Grand Wagoneer for too long, since it's possible it will have a price tag of over $130,000. The profit margins on an SUV with that kind of MSRP would go a long way to helping to pay down the company's debt. Related Video: