2021 Ram 1500 Laramie on 2040-cars

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2022 Ram 1500 gets reworked options to maintain production

Ram was in the mood to giveth at this year's Chicago Auto Show, unveiling three new special edition trucks for the 2022 model year. Mopar Insiders reports Ram is lately in the mood to taketh away, removing or reworking options and features on nearly every trim with the aim of keeping pickup truck production lines running. The biggest blow to the bank account comes from Ram eliminating the Quad Cab on all but the two base trims, Tradesman and Big Horn (called the "Lone Star" in Texas). Seems most buyers on the Laramie and above go with the larger Crew Cab and aren't worried about spending a couple thousand dollars more; the Crew Cab on the Laramie, for instance, is $2,150 more than the Quad Cab. Truck shoppers watching pennies can forget about saving money up front in order to add certain luxuries, too. Come 2022, the smaller cab style can't be ordered with any kind of sunroof, air suspension, Technology Group, or Power Running Boards. When it comes to trims, starting at the bottom, the 2022 Tradesman won't offer an air suspension with any cab style, nor Ram Box storage, nor the multifunction Tailgate. If there's an EcoDiesel under the hood it will only be the HFE version, the standard EcoDiesel nixed on the Tradesman. The HFE variant makes one more mile per gallon in the city and on the highway than the standard EcoDiesel. The Big Horn/Lone Star loses its multifunction tailgate, and the colors Mountain Brown and Frost Beige. To get the rear underseat storage requires ordering either the Level 1 or Level 2 Equipment Groups, the storage can't be had an a standalone option. One step up, the Ram Rebel drops the luxury Rebel 12A package that added a 12-inch Uconnect screen with navigation, nine-speaker audio, and leather-trimmed bucket seats. The trimmed buckets seats will migrate to the Rebel Night Edition package that now costs $525, but can be expected to increase. And the cloth and vinyl bucket seats that now come in black with either red or silver accent stitching will come only in black and red. The Laramie, Limited Longhorn and Limited all shed the Protection Group that added underbody skid plates on the 4x4 models. The Laramie and Limited Longhorn will go almost entirely without any two-tone paint option, the exception being Ivory White and Walnut Brown solely for the Limited Longhorn. On the Laramie, as on the Tradesman, the rear underseat storage goes from being an individual option to part of a group, in this case the Level 1 Equipment Group.

More details on the Hellcat-powered Ram Rebel TRX

We got our last big scoop on the coming Ram Rebel TRX last summer, when Jordan Denhoed caught a pack of prototypes testing in Michigan's Silver Lake Sand Dunes. We'd heard then that as opposed to the TRX concept, the production truck would unlock the full 707 horsepower from its 6.2-liter Hellcat V8, and use a traditional shift lever to work the gears of a 10-speed automatic. Now Mopar Insiders and Allpar have another batch of details that both sides said were gleaned from insiders with knowledge of the product. The looks, which will hew closely to the concept, have apparently already been teased. The Dodge and Ram corners of FCA like to foreshadow future offerings in their press photos and flyers, Ram doing so again on a graphic that advertised the FCA 2020 Drive for Design contest, pictured. We're told to expect the same twin-vented hood and flared arches front and back, as well as a new take on the current Ram Rebel grille that frames headlights from the Laramie Black trim. The side-exit exhaust would be cool, but we doubt it makes production. That extra width necessitates amber marker lights. The Ford F-150 Raptor, which uses the same lights for the same reason, places its markers along the top edge of the grille just below the grille surround. Mopar Insiders says the Rebel TRX's amber markers will lurk inside the large hood scoop. The Hellcat will get plenty of air from additional vents astride the headlights, and vent its heat through extractor vents just ahead of the windshield and ahead of the front doors. In lieu of any Hellcat badging save for on the supercharger, script on the hood in the same font as the Rebel TRX concept will read, "6.2L Supercharged." In back, yet more vents mimic those in the front fascia, this time placed next to the taillights. There will be an LED CHMSL, and larger diameter exhaust tips poking out of the bumper. Inside, Allpar says Ram plans to follow the Dodge SRT template by loading up the interior; the question is whether there will be a base model, or if it's only SRT plus options. The luxury angle means the 12-inch Uconnect infotainment system will be standard, with off-road-specific screens among the Performance Pages. Allpar confirms the conventional shifter, and Mopar Insiders says the lever will be joined by aluminum shift paddles borrowed from the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. The paddles will be longer than those in the Italian crossover, and mounted on the steering wheel.

Stellantis announces ‘Circular Economy’ business to drive revenue, decarbonization

Stellantis has already announced its plans to reach net-zero carbon emissions by 2038. Today, the automaker has announced a new business unit to help it reach that goal while generating 2 billion euros per year in revenue by 2030. The “Circular Economy” business will help make revenue less dependent on finite, rare and ecologically problematic materials. The Circular Economy model features what Stellantis calls a “4R” strategy, comprising remanufacturing, repair, reuse and recycling. The goal is to make materials last as long as they can, reducing reliance on the acquisition of those precious new materials in the future by returning them to the business loop when theyÂ’ve reached the end of their first life. Through these processes, Stellantis says it can save up to 80% raw material and 50% energy compared to manufacturing a new part. Remanufacturing, or “reman” in Stellantis shorthand, means dismantling, cleaning and rebuilding parts to OEM spec. Nearly 12,000 remanufactured parts are available for customers to purchase. Some remanufacturing is done in-house, and some with partners and through joint ventures. Repair is pretty obvious — fixing parts to put back into vehicles. This also consists of reconditioning, to make a vehicle feel like new. Stellantis boasts 21 “e-repair” centers for repairing electric vehicle batteries.  Reuse refers to parts still in good condition from end-of-life vehicles sold as-is. Stellantis says it has 4.5 million multi-brand parts in inventory. These are sold in 155 countries through the B-Parts e-commerce platform. Reuse also refers second-life options, such as using batteries outside of automotive purposes. Recycling involves dismantling parts and scraps back into raw material form that is then looped back into the manufacturing process. Stellantis says it has collected 1 million parts for recycling in the past six months. Recycling doesnÂ’t get counted in that aforementioned 2 billion euros of revenue, but it does save the company money on acquisition of raw materials. As for batteries, specifically, Stellantis expects this recycling business to ramp up after 2030, when the packs currently in service begin to reach the end of their lifecycle. Stellantis will use its new “SUSTAINera” label to denote parts that are offered as part of its Circular Economy business.