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Detroit Three's lucrative pickup war intensifies as Ram makes big gains

DETROIT — The battle for profits from sales of large pickup trucks is intensifying among the Detroit Three automakers as sales of small cars in the United States shrivel. For decades Ford has had the single best-selling truck brand in its F-Series trucks. General Motors' Chevrolet brand was a solid No. 2, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram was a distant third. Now, that hierarchy may be in flux. Sales figures for December and the fourth quarter released on Thursday show Ram tied with GM's Chevy for the No. 2 spot, as sales of the redesigned Ram pickup surged, fueled in part by demand for an optional 12-inch (30.48 cm) dashboard screen. Chevy not long ago held second place to Ford by a wide margin. GM executives said on Thursday they are bullish on their new GMC and Chevy trucks for 2019.Related: How the Detroit Three's pickups compare on paper 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie review 2019 Chevy Silverado 2.7L four-cylinder review 2019 Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost review "There's no doubt this segment (pickup trucks) is one of the epicenters of the auto wars," said Sandor Piszar, director of marketing for Chevrolet at GM. "It's been that way forever, and we wouldn't have it any other way." On Wall Street, investors give electric car leader Tesla a higher valuation than any of the Detroit automakers. But in the nation's heartland, big pickups remain far more popular and profitable than any electric car — and most other consumer vehicles of any kind. Large pickups generate at least $17,000 a vehicle in pretax profit for GM, the company has indicated in disclosures to investors. By contrast, many Detroit Three sedans are so unprofitable, their manufacturers have decided not to build them anymore. 'Hotly contested' Sustaining sales and pricing in the large-pickup segment will be critical in a year when most forecasters expect overall U.S. car and light truck sales to fall. Ford's U.S. sales chief, Mark LaNeve, on Thursday called the F Series "the backbone of our franchise" during a conference call, and added the "segment will continue to be strong, but hotly contested" in 2019. Automakers are banking on pickup truck sales to stay strong even if U.S. interest rates continue to rise. Rising interest rates translate into higher monthly car payments and are expected to deter some buyers in 2019. GM has said 27 percent of Chevrolet and GMC trucks — which can haul trailers by day and substitute for a luxury sedan by night — sell for more than $55,000.

Here are all the EVs with 800V charging available in 2024

As technology advances, electric cars are improving their fast-charging times. That means less time spent waiting at a DC public charger when you’re out on the road. While Level 3 chargers used to provide a maximum of 150 kilowatts of power, 350-kW chargers are become more common, making for super-fast charging Â… if your car is capable of taking advantage of it. So how do automakers improve the charging speed of their EV batteries? Some are turning to higher voltage, specifically 800V charging. What's the difference between 800-volt charging and 400-volt charging? So how does 800V charging improve upon the more common 400V EVs? Put simply, the higher the voltage, the less amperage (current) it requires to charge. In other words, with more voltage, you get more wattage (power, aka charge rate) from the same amperage (current). 800V architecture is also more efficient, with less electrical resistance, so it can use thinner cables and smaller, lighter components while needing less cooling. The tradeoff is that it is more costly, and guess who that cost gets passed on to. While automakers don't break down their pricing to show how much more you're paying for that 800V system, you'll just have to evaluate any potential purchases as a whole, and make your decision based on overall pricing of the vehicle. Thankfully, the 800V EVs on sale now are generally ones we like. Now, 800V charging capability doesn't necessarily mean an EV has 800V vehicle architecture. For instance, the GMC Hummer EV and Chevy Silverado EV operate at 400V, but with their dual battery packs, can switch to 800V when charging by temporarily connecting those packs in series. Currently, there are only a handful of EVs available with 800V charging. But if you are going to find yourself taking longer trips in your EV and using DC fast chargers more often, you might want to consider choosing one with this faster charging capability. With that in mind, these are the EVs available with 800V charging, either on sale now or coming in 2024. 800-volt EVs available in 2024 Audi E-Tron GT Chevrolet Silverado EV Genesis GV60 Genesis Electrified G80 Genesis Electrified GV70 GMC Hummer EV Pickup GMC Hummer EV SUV GMC Sierra EV* Hyundai Ioniq 5 Hyundai Ioniq 6 Kia EV6 Kia EV9 Lotus Eletre* Lotus Emeya* Lucid Air Lucid Gravity* Porsche Macan Electric* Porsche Taycan Ram 1500 REV* Tesla Cybertruck *Coming later in 2024 Green Audi Chevrolet Genesis GMC Hyundai Kia Lotus Porsche Tesla Electric Lucid EV charging

Chevy Colorado Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 concept heads to SEMA

Chevrolet is presenting a new take on the Colorado pickup at the SEMA show this year. The show truck picks up where the Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition leaves off, with numerous accessories from the parts catalog as well as several custom additions. The SEMA truck is based on a Crew Cab model with four-wheel drive, painted red with rally stripes. Among the features added from the catalog are a sport bar with LED auxiliary lighting, mounted to the cargo bed. It's also stylistically augmented with fender blares, Bowtie emblems, and rocker steps all done up in black to match the 17-inch alloys shod with Goodyear DuraTrac all-terrain tires. Chevy has also equipped this truck with an automatic locking rear diff, a transfer case shield, recovery hooks at the front, a spray-in bedliner, projector-beam headlamps, fog lamps, and all-weather floor mats. Chevy has also fitted this pickup with color-keyed door handles and mirror caps, upgraded exhaust and air intake, rubber floor liners, brushed metal interior trim, and an illuminated grille badge. Public reception will determine how many of these and other additional features will be considered for production. Colorado Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 Concept Shows Off-Road Style New styling accessories, performance parts enhance trail-ready capability LAS VEGAS – The Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition is designed for those who want to blaze their own trails and Chevrolet's new Z71 Trail Boss 3.0 concept vehicle enhances its off-road style with new Chevrolet accessories and performance parts. Chevrolet introduced the new concept vehicle at the SEMA Show today, where it joined concept versions of the Silverado 1500 and HD models to demonstrate the depth and breadth of the brand's three-truck lineup. "The Colorado Z71 Trail Boss Edition is made for tackling the tough terrain required to get away from it all and this concept version does it with rugged style," said Sandor Piszar, director of Chevrolet Truck Marketing. "And whether it's the Colorado, Silverado 1500 or Silverado HD, there's a Chevy truck to take you where you want to go, regardless of whether there's a road leading there." The production 2016 Colorado Z71 Trail Boss is offered in extended and crew cab configurations, with a choice of a long or short cargo bed and available 4WD – as well as the all-new 2.8L Duramax turbo-diesel, which takes the maximum trailering rating up to 7,700 pounds.