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2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon caught completely undisguised

The next-generation Ram 2500 Power Wagon was spied without a hint of camouflage covering it on the road. New headlights and taillights are full LED units, and they look epic. The design is reminiscent of the 1500, but Ram definitely put a slightly different spin on them. It resembles the Ram Rebel to a certain degree, but with a dose of more hardcore truck-style to it. We're digging the look for now. Traditionally, the Power Wagon is a much more off-road ready Ram. We'd expect this one to have the same locking differentials front and rear, a front anti-roll bar disconnect and a lead for a winch cable, leaving it the only factory truck that offers a winch. The engine is most likely the same 6.4-liter V8 with 410 horsepower too. Its bumpers are entirely new, along with the fender flare design on this truck. It all comes together and gives the Ram Power Wagon its traditional look while still meshing with the complete redesign the 2019 Ram 1500 received. How Ram let this 2020 model year truck venture out into the world uncovered is mighty confusing. Maybe Ram wanted everyone to see it? We'll only be guessing for the time being. The 2500 Power Wagon is expected to make its debut in 2019. We'd imagine the most likely scenario for that one is at the Detroit Auto Show in January where the redesigned 2019 1500 was revealed. For now, feast your eyes on the next Power Wagon to grace our roads. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ram ramping up MI truck production, does deal with Texas Rangers

Thanks to a host of upgrades at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michgan, Ram Trucks is boosting production of the already strong-selling Ram 1500 to build 28,585 more of them a year. That works out roughly to five more per hour, or an additional 100 per day. The major key to the improvements was redesigning 353 assembly workstations to allow employees complete their tasks more efficiently. According to Ram, the expansion was done to meet growing demand for the pickup.
These kinds of comprehensive changes can't happen over night, obviously. From the end of 2013 through the summer shutdown in August, the Warren Truck plant received automation tweaks in the body shop and upgrades to the color booths in the paint shop.
However, the biggest shift was working with "UAW-represented team leaders and operators" to examine every workstation for efficiency improvements. In that analysis, the company identified and altered over 100 problems that could have caused an injury. What really helped to boost the production rate so significantly was moving about 300 parts, or grouping them into kits for better ergonomics, and eliminating walks to grab tools. Once everything was done, about 63 percent of workers at the factory got updated training.

Ram says its customers are more excited about V8-powered trucks than EVs

As its rivals invest billions of dollars into electric pickups, Ram made headlines by dropping a supercharged, 702-horsepower V8 engine between the 1500's fenders. While critics will inevitably argue there's nothing forward-thinking about the Hellcat engine, the company explained its customers are more interested in V8s than in EVs. Speaking with Muscle Car & Trucks, 1500 brand manager Carl Lally explained the company is open to the idea of exploring electric powertrains. His comments echo the ones made recently by Mike Manley, the head of Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Ram will begin developing a battery-powered pickup if customers demand one, but it sounds like its market research finds there's not a tremendous amount of interest in a gasoline-free model.  The market research must say otherwise over at Jeep, which is bringing the plug-in electric hybrid Wrangler 4xe to market. "It's fundamental to us that it's not about chasing the [EV] trend, but about chasing what the customer really wants and providing it to them. That changes over time, but today it's a supercharged, 6.2-liter V8 that has them most excited," said Lally, referring to the 1500 TRX introduced as an alternative to the Ford F-150 Raptor. Adding credibility to Lally's statement is the fact that the 702 available units of the TRX Launch Edition model sold out in a couple of hours in spite of a base price of approximately $90,000. Ram is not limiting production of the regular-production TRX, which starts at $71,690, so time will tell if its bet on V8s pays off in the long run. Market leader Ford wants to plant its stake in both segments. We know it's developing an electric variant of the 14th-generation F-150, and an earlier report claims the next Raptor will receive the Mustang GT500's 700-plus-horsepower V8. As for General Motors, it's planning on launching a battery-powered Chevrolet Silverado sooner or later, but it has chosen to watch the horsepower war from the sidelines — for the time being, at least. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.