2024 Ram 5500 Chassis Cab Tradesman on 2040-cars

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Full-size trucks are the best and worst vehicles in America

You don’t need me to tell you that Americans love pickup trucks. And the bigger the truck, the more likely it seems to be seen as an object of desire. Monthly and yearly sales charts are something of a broken record; track one is the Ford F-Series, followed by the Chevy Silverado, RamÂ’s line of haulers, and somewhere not far down the line, the GMC Sierra. The big Japanese players fall in place a bit further below — not that thereÂ’s anything wrong with a hundred thousand Toyota Tundra sales — and one-size-smaller trucks like the Toyota Tacoma, Ford Ranger and Chevy Colorado have proven awfully popular, too. Along with their sales numbers, the average cost of new trucks has similarly been on the rise. Now, I donÂ’t pretend to have the right to tell people what they should or shouldnÂ’t buy with their own money. But I just canÂ’t wrap my head around why a growing number of Americans are choosing to spend huge sums of money on super luxurious pickup trucks. Let me first say I do understand the appeal. People like nice things, after all. I know I do. I myself am willing to spend way more than the average American on all sorts of discretionary things, from wine and liquor to cameras and lenses. IÂ’ve even spent my own money on vehicles that I donÂ’t need but want anyway. A certain vintage VW camper van certainly qualifies. I also currently own a big, inefficient SUV with a 454-cubic-inch big block V8. So if your answer to the question IÂ’m posing here is that youÂ’re willing to pay the better part of a hundred grand on a chromed-out and leather-lined pickup simply because you want to, then by all means — not that you need my permission — go buy one. The part I donÂ’t understand is this: Why wouldn't you, as a rational person, rather split your garage in half? On one side would sit a nice car that is quiet, rides and handles equally well and gets above average fuel mileage. Maybe it has a few hundred gasoline-fueled horsepower, or heck, maybe itÂ’s electric. On the other side (or even outside) is parked a decent pickup truck. One that can tow 10,000 pounds, haul something near a ton in the bed, and has all the goodies most Americans want in their cars, like cruise control, power windows and locks, keyless entry, and a decent infotainment screen.

2022 Ram 1500 Laramie now offers Front Lighting Value Package

Were Audi dealers onto something with their Semiconductor Shortage Package? A few days ago, we posted about the Ingolstadt brand's cars adorned by Monroneys featuring the aforementioned package. That line item summarized the vehicle's missing features thanks to global semiconductor woes, and how much money had been subtracted from the MSRP because of the exclusions. Now, Mopar Insiders reports that the Build & Price tool for the 2022 Ram 1500 Laramie includes a Front Lighting Value Package. Choosing the option swaps the Laramie's standard-fit LED headlights and fog lights for halogen headlights and fog lights, saving buyers $495. The image above is a side-by-side of trucks configured with the standard LEDs (left) and the halogens (right). Playing around with the configurator, it appears the change can't be ordered with the Laramie's standard 3.6-liter Pentastar V6. When attempting to add the value package, a dialogue box requires choosing one of the two optional 5.7-liter Hemi V8 engines or the 3.0-liter V6 EcoDiesel, and one of the 8HP75 eight-speed automatic transmissions fitted to those three engines. The Pentastar comes with the 850RE eight-speed auto.  Thankfully, the Front Lighting Value Package is an option; you can get all the way to the end without selecting it. Nevertheless, we're intrigued by the order constraints. Seems to us that a buyer happy with the entry-level engine might prefer to save some dosh on the headlights, as opposed to buyers spending either $2,795 for a V8 Hemi or $4,995 for the oil-burner. And that's before one considers the savings. The luxury-oriented Laramie trim sits in the lineup $9,000 above the Bighorn, $7,000 below the Limited Longhorn. Swapping the standard halogen headlights and fog lights on the Bighorn to LED units costs $995 for the Premium Lighting Group, the discount to take LEDs off the Laramie is half that. Getting aftermarket LED headlights for the Laramie would cost at least $300, and that's before the hassle of install and questions of quality. So where is the point in saving $500 for objectively worse lighting that will likely cost more to add later? As if it needed saying again: These are strange days. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. 2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon POV drive

Fiat Chrysler will invest up to $1.5 billion to build EVs in Windsor

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will invest between $1.35 billion and $1.5 billion in its Windsor assembly plant in Canada to build electric vehicles as part of a tentative deal with Canadian autoworkers, Unifor National President Jerry Dias said on Thursday. The auto union said FCA would invest in a state-of-the-art vehicle platform that will enable the assembly of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, with at least one new model in 2025. The announcement comes less than a month after Unifor said Ford would invest $1.46 billion in its Oakville and Windsor plants. "Not only is Fiat-Chrysler maintaining the current portfolio but they will be investing three derivatives to enhance the current portfolio," Dias said. Unifor also said it expects to extend the life of the Chrysler 300, a rear-wheel-drive luxury car and introduce multiple derivatives of the Dodge Charger and Challenger. The union said as many as 2,000 jobs would be added in 2024 at the Windsor plant. Market forecasting firm LMC Automotive on Thursday said it would take until 2024 for U.S. vehicle sales to recover from the coronavirus downturn and get close to the 17 million vehicles sold in 2019. Ratification meetings for the FCA deal will happen over the weekend, and members will vote on whether to accept the agreement on Sunday. The union is expected to begin negotiations with General Motors's Canadian unit next week. Related Video: Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Coupe Electric Sedan windsor