2020 Ram 1500 Big Horn/lone Star on 2040-cars

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2014 Promaster looks like a Fiat, hauls like a Ram

A new day is dawning, folks. The old-guard vans of our youth are being replaced with a new flock of European-inspired commercial vehicles from the likes of Ford, Nissan (Renault) and Mercedes-Benz. Here in Chicago, Ram pulled the covers off its entry into the reborn commercial van market with the 2014 Promaster, based on the well-known European Fiat Ducato.
Ram makes no bones about the Promaster's Fiat underpinnings, though the company claims it has beefed up the machine for US roads and uses with a re-engineered chassis, a more robust suspension setup, improved brakes (from Brembo), additional corrosion protection, improved climate control and additional safety systems.
Power comes from one of two powerplants options, one gas and one diesel. First up is Chrysler's well-known 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 rated at 280 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. For a bit more pulling power and durability, Ram is offering a new 3.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine pumping out 174 hp and, more importantly, 295 lb-ft of torque at just 1,400 rpm. That engine sends its torquey goodness through a six-speed electronically controlled automated manual gearbox.

2023 Ram 1500's Built to Serve EMS edition honors medics

Ram's latest iteration of its Built to Serve line of Ram 1500 pickups is out, and this time the truck maker honors emergency medical services personnel, the folks who bring lifesaving aid to your door. As we've emerged from a pandemic and are settling into an endemic, the choice to honor EMTs and other emergency field workers seems a natural one. It's a group of folks who have a critical role in society, especially in the past couple of years. “The Ram 1500 ‘Built to ServeÂ’ EMS edition is our way of honoring and expressing deep gratitude to the frontline heroes who serve or have served our country,” said Ram CEO Mike Koval Jr. “At Ram, we are pleased to recognize the important work emergency medical service workers provide to their communities every day.” The EMS edition comes in two colors, the Hydro Blue that you see here, and Bright White. The interior is black, with "performance" cloth and vinyl seats that have blue accent stitching. You'll also know it, along with others in the Built to Serve line, by the American flag and Built to Serve branding on the quarter-panel. It has a black grille and dark accents that include the side steps and exhaust tips, 20-inch gray aluminum wheels, and it's equipped with 4x4 Off-Road Equipment Group content so you can go wherever you're needed: all-terrain tires, skid plates, locking rear axle and hill-descent control. Inside, it shares features from the other Built to Serve trucks: the Velcro upholstery panels that allow you to adhere department or unit patches, along with the PALS/MOLLE webbing on the front seat backs for organizing gear. And of course there's badging inside the truck as well as outside. So far, there have been Built to Serve editions to honor the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Coast Guard and Firefighters. (But nothing for Space Force?) A second round of trucks is meant to honor first responders: firefighters, police and now EMS workers. Built to Serve packages are based on Big Horn/Lone Star Crew Cab models. You've got a choice of the 3.6-liter Pentastar V-6 or 5.7-liter eTorque and non-eTorque V-8. The Built to Serve EMS starts at $56,810, which includes the $1,895 destination charge. It's on sale now, with builds starting soon. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. The 2021 Ram 1500 TRX is the most intense off-road truck ever built

May 2016: FCA wins, Ford and GM stumble on weak car volumes

The May 2016 sales numbers are in, and it looks as though FCA is getting some vindication for boldly cancelling two slow-selling car models. Meanwhile, Ford saw overall sales dip and GM's May volume took a big dive versus the same month in 2015. While Marchionne's decision to axe the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart has drawn criticism as being short-sighted, it's working for FCA so far. Although the Dart and 200 aren't out of production yet and no capacity has been shifted to crossover or trucks, May's numbers show that the emphasis on Jeep and Ram models makes sense right now. FCA's US sales rose 1 percent last month compared to May 2015, putting the year-to-date total at 955,186 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Standouts included the Jeep Renegade, Compass, and Patriot, and the Fiat 500X. Ram pickup sales were down 3 percent. And your fun fact is that Alfa Romeo sales were up precisely 10 percent, for a total of 44 4Cs sold versus 40 in the same month last year. At FoMoCo, the Ford brand took a hit to the tune of 6.4 percent from May 2015 to 2016, registering 226,190 sales last month. Lincoln showed improvement on its modest numbers, going from 9,174 to 9,807, a 6.9 percent increase. Overall, Ford was down 5.9 percent for the month to 235,997; despite the slump, year-to-date total Ford sales are up 4.2 percent to 1,112,939. Strong sellers included Escape, Expedition, F-Series, and Transit - big stuff. Most small and/or efficient models (Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max) saw sales slides. Fusion sales were also down, likely due to effects of model changeover to the freshened 2017 model. Ford has promised four new crossovers and SUVs by 2020 and if things keep trending this way the company will be able to sell them, but things could change in the next four years. GM saw the worst of it for domestic brands. Retail and fleet sales were down for each of the four divisions, with the May 2016 total dropping 18 percent to 240,450 vehicles. GM's year-to-date sales are down 5.0 percent in 2016 to 1,183,705. Both the Sierra and Silverado were down significantly, and the majority of Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac nameplates saw sales decreases, with both small cars and larger utilities included. Not even big stuff could help GM this month, it seems. We'll have more on the rest of the industry's May sales as those figures trickle in.