12 Ram 2500 Laramie Crew Cab 4x4 Long Box Heated Leather Seats Sunroof Bed Liner on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Fiat Chrysler posts record Q3 profit thanks to U.S. trucks and Jeep

MILAN — A rebound in car production in Fiat Chrysler on Wednesday reported record third-quarter earnings as production returned to nearly pre-pandemic levels. The Italian-American automaker, which is finalizing its full merger with French rival PSA Peugeot, reported a net profit in the three months ending Sept. 30 of $1.4 billion (1.2 billion euros). That compares with a loss of 179 million euros a year earlier. The carmaker reported adjusted earnings before tax and interest in North America of 2.5 billion euros. That offset deepening losses in Europe, Asia and at its Maserati luxury marquee. Latin America, the only other region to post a profit, saw it narrow by two-thirds to 46 million euros. “Our record results were driven by our teamÂ’s tremendous performance in North America,” CEO Mike Manley said in a statement. Overall, the carmaker said global earnings before tax and interest were a record 2.3 billion euros despite a 6% fall in revenues to 26 billion euros. Global shipments were down 3%, due largely to plant retooling in North American to produce the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer in the luxury SUV segment and the discontinuation of the Dodge Grand Caravan classic minivan. Fiat Chrysler announced earlier Wednesday that its merger with PSA Peugeot is on track to be finalized by the end of the first quarter of 2021, as planned. To meet regulatory concerns, the French carmaker is selling a small stake in a components maker to get below 40% ownership. The new automaker, to be called Stellantis, will be the fourth biggest producer in the world. Earnings/Financials Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot

Ford F-150, Chevy Silverado, Toyota Tundra flunk IIHS headlight test

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety put pickup truck headlights to the test and found that the majority of them were equipped with subpar units. The 2017 Honda Ridgeline was the only truck to earn a rating of "good." The large pickup truck test was comprised of the: 2016 to 2017 GMC Sierra, 2017 Nissan Titan, 2016 Ram 1500, 2016 to 2017 Chevrolet Silverado, 2016 to 2017 Ford F-150, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tundra. The Sierra's headlights earned a rating of "acceptable," the headlights found on the Titan and Ram 1500 were found to be "marginal," and the ones on the Silverado, F-150, and Tundra were rated as "poor." IIHS claims the F-150 was the most disappointing out of the large pickup trucks as both its halogen and optional LED headlights failed to provide adequate visibility during testing. The Ridgeline (which earned a "good rating"), is usually considered a midsize or small truck, though IIHS included it in the field of large pickups. The headlights on the 2016 Chevrolet Colorado, 2016 GMC Canyon, 2016 Nissan Frontier, and 2016 to 2017 Toyota Tacoma, which made up the small pickup truck group, all earned a rating of "poor." The IIHS claimed the Colorado had the worst headlights of any truck that was tested, as the base vehicle's units were only able to illuminate up to 123 feet in front of the car. The Ridgeline's headlights, for reference, were able to illuminate up to 358 feet in front of the vehicle. To conduct its test, the IIHS utilizes a special tool to measure how far light is projected out of the headlights in different driving situations. The trucks' headlights were tested in a straight line and in corners, while vehicles with high-beam assist were given extra praise. The headlights on the pickup trucks also mimic the testing that was done on small SUVs and cars earlier this year. Next year, automakers will need to fit their vehicles with headlights that earn a rating of either good or acceptable to earn the IIHS Top Safety Pick+. Related Video:

2020 Ram HD trucks revealed in spy shots, along with interior

It looks like FCA isn't too concerned with keeping its redesigned Heavy Duty trucks under wraps before their reveals. Our spy photographers managed to catch a fleet of 2020 Ram HDs running around completely undisguised. Not only do we get to see exterior design details, but there are also shots of the HD's interior in Laramie trim. Shots of the new Power Wagon went up a few days ago, but now we get to see the truck in both Laramie Longhorn and Limited trims. It's clear the trucks are following in the footsteps of the 2019 Ram 1500 redesign for their inspiration — we like the new Ram, so that's a good thing. The departure from traditional Ram HD styling means the retirement of the crosshair grille. We can see this first in the brown Laramie Longhorn at the top here. Thankfully, Ram didn't go as far as GM did with its crazy grille design on the freshly released Silverado HD. That being said, it's still pretty large. It appears more upright and tough-looking than the similarly styled 1500 Laramie Longhorn, but still adopts the same design language. 2020 Ram 2500 Limited View 12 Photos The 2500 Limited doesn't exactly look finished, but it's clear we're looking at a more luxuriously appointed truck from the photos. There's more chrome, and the grille design is much more complex than the Laramie Longhorn. In fact, there might even be a bit too much chrome for our taste — tow hooks probably aren't in need of any shiny bling. 2020 Ram 2500 Power Wagon Tradesman View 8 Photos Finally, we also get to see the Tradesman trim of a Power Wagon. The red looks good on the big truck, but the trim we saw the other day had a much meaner front-end design. This one would be better for those who want a more discreet Power Wagon. Interior shots surfaced alongside these new trucks too. We wouldn't have imagined much difference between the 1500 and HD interiors, and that seems to be the case. The model we're looking at here has the 8.4-inch screen with Uconnect, but the massive 12-incher will undoubtedly be available too. We expect an "official" debut of this truck early next year, with the Detroit Auto Show being the most likely of places for that to happen. Related video: