2025 Ram 1500 Big Horn 4x4 Crew Cab on 2040-cars

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Ram midsize pickup will be body-on-frame, built alongside Jeep Scrambler

Ram's still far-off midsize pickup is shaping up to be a rugged body-on-frame pickup if this report from Automotive News is correct. We would assume that because its supplier sources claim the smaller Ram will be built at the same Toledo plant as the current JL Wrangler and upcoming Wrangler pickup, aka Scrambler. It's already been a long road of back and forth about whether or not Ram would build the small pickup. Mike Manley, now the CEO of FCA following Sergio Marchionne's passing, confirmed the brand's intentions of bringing a midsize truck to market when explaining the company's five-year plan a few months back. At the time, rumors pointed to a unibody construction with production taking place in Mexico. The possibility of Ram bringing a version of the 1200 pickup here has been tossed around, but we doubt Ram would come to market with a rebadged Mitsubishi against the developing stiff competition. That segment is quickly becoming crowded with the impending arrival of the Ford Ranger and the already successful Colorado/ Canyon twins and venerable Toyota Tacoma. Ram could try using the Dakota name to jumpstart sales, but it looks like it'll be last to the party in this midsize truck renaissance. Its Jeep cousin is expected to be revealed later this year and on the market in 2019, and we've already seen a lot of it in spy shots, and even on the Rubicon Trail. The report predicts we'll see a midsize Ram as a 2021 model, going on sale sometime in 2020. However, back in June this year, FCA's presentation pegged the smaller Ram's arrival for 2022. It's a long ways out either way, so we'll keep you up to date as the small Ram saga continues. Related Video:

Fiat Chrysler profit up as it closes in on retiring its debt

MILAN — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles reduced its debt by more than expected in the first quarter, putting the carmaker well on course to become cash positive later this year. Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne expects to cancel all debt during 2018 — possibly by the end of June — and generate around 4 billion euros ($5 billion) in net cash by the end of the year. Marchionne has said that forecast does not include any one-off measures, nor the impact of the planned spinoff of parts maker Magneti Marelli, which he hopes to execute by early 2019. The world's seventh-largest carmaker said on Thursday net debt had fallen to 1.3 billion euros ($1.6 billion) by the end of March, well below a consensus forecast of 2.6 billion euros in a Thomson Reuters poll of analysts. FCA said capital spending fell 900 million euros in the quarter due to "program timing," which analysts said implied higher investments for the rest of the year. The Italian-American group said first-quarter operating profit rose 5 percent to 1.61 billion euros, below a consensus forecast of 1.74 billion, as a weaker performance from its North American profit center weighed. Shipments there were higher due to the new Jeep Wrangler and Compass models. But currency moves hit revenues and earnings, and costs related to new product launches added to the pressure. FCA's shift to sell more trucks and SUVs boosted margins yet again in North America to 7.4 percent from 7.3 percent in the same quarter a year ago, although they were down from the 8 percent recorded in the preceding three months. Marchionne, preparing to hand over to an internal successor next year, is close to his goal of ending a margin gap with larger U.S. rivals General Motors and Ford. The 65-year-old has said becoming debt free and being able to compete on a par with U.S. peers would mean FCA no longer needed a partner to survive and could well succeed on its own. The CEO has previously said tying up with another carmaker would help to meet the huge costs in an industry investing in electric vehicles and automated driving. FCA shares fell immediately after the results, but recovered to trade up 3 percent at 19.71 euros by 1150 GMT, outperforming a 0.4 percent rise in Europe's blue-chip stock index. ($1 = 0.8214 euros) Reporting by Agnieszka FlakRelated Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2019 Ram 1500 Classic Warlock adds Mojave Sand Package

Fiat Chrysler earlier this year brought back the old Warlock name from its Mopar division as a special edition for the Ram 1500 pickup truck. Now, the company is trotting out a new appearance package to go with the Classic Warlock. It’s called the Mojave Sand Package, and it adds a sport performance hood, 20-inch aluminum wheels painted black and the namesake exterior color. That pairs with the Warlock package, which is based on the Ram 1500 Classic and brings the R-A-M logo bluntly displayed on the heavy black grille, powder-coated bumpers front and rear, Warlock decals on the sides of the bed and a one-inch lift over the factory version. ItÂ’s available on the quad cab or crew cab models and comes with a choice of engines: either the 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, which makes 305 horsepower and 269 pound-feet of torque, or the 5.7-liter Hemi V8, which puts out 395 hp and 410 lb-ft. Warlock, of course, harkens to the custom version of the old Dodge pickup that was built from 1976 to 1979, having been introduced following positive public response to a truck originally designed as an auto show concept. It had chrome-plated running boards, oak sideboards and gold striping, wheels and upholstery. 2019 Ram 1500 Warlock View 14 Photos None of those features make it to the modern Warlock, unfortunately, but it does provide some value for truck lovers. The Mojave Sand Package adds to 10 color options on the Classic Warlock. All versions go on sale late in the third quarter starting at $37,040, including the $1,695 destination fee.