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2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel gets 9,200-pound tow rating

The current-generation Ram 1500 is entering its fifth year on the market, but Ram's half-ton truck is not showing its age whatsoever. While we continue to wait for the fuel economy figures for the all-new EcoDiesel V6, Ram has released towing figures for trucks equipped with this new engine, as well as models fitted with the upgraded gasoline-powered V6.
The EcoDiesel - a $2,850 option - will help the Ram compete with V8-powered trucks with its max towing capacity of 9,200 pounds, which is just 50 pounds shy of the 2013 Ram 1500 with the 5.7-liter V8. The true benefit here is that the diesel should return impressive fuel economy in the process, and even though official estimates have yet to be released, Chrysler has promised that it will achieve more than 25 miles per gallon on the highway.
But even with the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6, upgrades to the eight-speed automatic transmission have resulted in an increase in towing capacity, now up to 7,450 pounds. This number is expected to be best in class for base-engine trucks.

FCA shifts Ram Heavy Duty trucks from Mexico to U.S., creating 2,500 jobs

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles said on Thursday it will shift production of Ram Heavy Duty pickup trucks from Mexico to Michigan in 2020, a move that lowers the risk to the automaker's profit should President Donald Trump pull the United States out of the North American Free Trade Agreement. Fiat Chrysler said it would create 2,500 jobs at a factory in Warren, Michigan, near Detroit, where the Ram 1500 is currently built, and FCA will invest $1 billion in the facility. The Mexican plant will be "repurposed to produce future commercial vehicles" for sale global markets. Mexico has free trade agreements with numerous countries. Fiat Chrysler Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne a year ago raised the possibility that the automaker would move production of its heavy-duty pickups to the United States, saying U.S. tax and trade policy would influence the decision.If the United States exits NAFTA, it could mean that automakers would pay a 25 percent duty on pickup trucks assembled in Mexico and shipped to the United States. About 90 percent of the Ram pickups made at Fiat Chrysler's Saltillo plant in Mexico are sold in the United States or Canada, company officials said. Negotiators for the United States, Mexico and Canada are scheduled to meet later this month for another round of talks on revising NAFTA. Canadian government officials earlier this week said they are convinced that Trump intends to announce his intention to quit the agreement. Trump has threatened to force the rollback of NAFTA, which enables the free flow of goods made in the United States, Canada and Mexico across the borders of those countries. He also has criticized automakers for moving jobs and investment in new manufacturing facilities to Mexico and prodded them to add more auto production in the United States. View 31 Photos On Wednesday, Toyota and Mazda announced they would build a new $1.6 billion auto assembly plant in Alabama, drawing praise from Trump. Vice President Mike Pence praised Fiat Chrysler's announcement. "Manufacturing is back. Great announcement. Proof that this admin's AMERICA FIRST policies are WORKING!" Pence said in a Twitter posting. Chrysler raised its output in Mexico by 39 percent in 2017 to 639,000 vehicles, according to Mexican government data. That made Fiat Chrysler the third-largest producer of vehicles in Mexico in 2017, after Nissan and General Motors.

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: