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2020 Ram 1500 and heavy-duty trucks get Night and Black Edition packages

Ram traveled to the Texas State Fair to introduce a pair of pickups you might not be able to see in the dark. The murdered-out trucks are called Black Edition and Night Edition, respectively. The Black Edition is based on the range-topping Limited variant of the 2020 Ram 1500. It receives -- you guessed it -- a wide panoply of black accents on the grille, tow hooks, bumpers, door handles, and door mirrors. Ram also added black 22-inch alloy wheels and a tonneau cover. The Limited is only offered with a 5-foot-7 cargo box and four doors, but Black Edition buyers can choose two- or four-wheel drive. Engine options include the base gasoline-burning 3.6-liter V6, 3.0-liter EcoDiesel V6, and the mighty 5.7-liter Hemi V8. Rest assured if you plan to work on your own truck, none of the engines receive a coat of black paint, so you'll be able to see what you're doing.  Note that the 2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn and Laramie trim levels is already available with a Black Appearance package, which we reviewed this year. Effectively, the Black Edition extends that darkened courtesy to the range-topping Limited.  The Night Edition package is for the Heavy Duty line of trucks, but it looks a lot like the aforementioned Black Edition trim. It adds a black grille with a body-colored frame, black emblems, and black bezels around the lights, and black wheels. Single-axle trucks get 20-inch wheels, while dually models ride on 17-inch alloys with machined pockets.  The Night Edition package is available on the Big Horn and Laramie variants of the 2500 and 3500 models. Ram noted it can only be paired with a Crew Cab or a Mega Cab. Engine options include the 6.4-liter Hemi V8 and the 6.7-liter Cummins straight-six turbodiesel with 1,000 pound-feet of torque. FCA says the Ram 1500 Limited Black Edition will be reaching dealers late third quarter 2019, which would be any day now. Buyers who want the Heavy Duty-based model will need to wait until "later fourth quarter." The Black Edition starts at $55,385, including destination, a figure that represents a modest $75 premium over the more colorful model. The Night Edition model carries a base price of $39,690, including destination. Pricing for the standard 2020 Heavy Duty hasn't been announced yet, so we don't know how much the package adds to the truck's bottom line.

Chrysler called out over lackluster Ram Runner by racer who helped develop it

Fans of off-roading and desert blasting might recall that Chrysler offers an aftermarket conversion that can turn a Ram 1500 into a road-legal desert racer, called the Ram Runner. The kit, sold through Mopar, includes some significant suspension upgrades, body tweaks and a brawnier cat-back exhaust for the truck's 5.7-liter V8.
Considering all of this, comparisons with the almighty Ford F-150 SVT Raptor are common. Among the off-road community, that makes these two a sort of Chevrolet Camaro and Ford Mustang for people that prefer driving on dirt. In the Race-Dezert forum, the discussion as to which truck was better was proceeding as normal - Ram fans said their piece and Ford fans said theirs. Then, a man named Kent Kroeker offered up his two cents.
See, Kroeker is a Baja racer, and the man that helped develop the Ram Runner. Despite his association with the truck, though, he had some less than kind words for Chrysler and the Ram Runner.

Chrysler banks $507 million in Q2, trims 2013 earnings forecast

Chrysler has some good news and some bad news. First, profits were up 16 percent over the second quarter of 2012, bringing the Auburn Hills, Michigan-based manufacturer $507 million on the back of strong demand for trucks and SUVs (a recurring theme this quarter, particularly in the US). Q2 revenue was up as well, from $16.8 billion in 2012 to $18 billion in 2013. The bad news is that the Pentastar's overall earnings forecast for net income in 2013 has been trimmed from $2.2 billion to between $1.7 and $2.2 billion, according to Automotive News.
In addition to the adjusted net income forecast, Chrysler tweaked its operating profit from $3.8 billion to between $3.3 and $3.8 billion. This has gone largely unexplained by Chrysler, perhaps hoping the news of a three-percent increase in its transaction prices for Q2 will allow it to sweep this adjustment under the rug.
The star of the show for Chrysler has been its US sales, which saw a 10-percent jump, both bettering the industry average of eight percent and improving over the same stretch of 2012. As with the increase in transaction prices, Chrysler has the new Ram pickup and Jeep Grand Cherokee to thank. Perhaps most worrying from this report, though, is that every brand in the automaker's stable saw an increase in sales... except for the Chrysler brand itself.