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2014 Ram Promaster pricing starts at $26,030*

Looking to get back into the thick of things in the commercial van market, Chrysler has set the pricing for the Fiat Ducato-based 2014 Ram Promaster. When it goes on sale by the end of this year, the new Promaster will have prices that range from $26,030 for the Promaster 3500 chassis cab cutaway with a 136-inch wheelbase and topping out at $36,150 for the long-wheelbase, high-roof 3500 cargo van (*prices don't include the $995 destination charge).
While pricing was released for a total of 14 build configurations (including the addition of a 2500 cargo van equipped with rear windows that was not previously announced last month), Chrysler has still not announced how much it will cost to get the optional combination of the EcoDiesel engine and the six-speed automated manual transmission and if it will be available in all styles. To see the full pricing breakdown for each Promaster model and body configuration, scroll down for Chrysler's official press release.

China's Geely says it has no plan to buy Fiat Chrysler — as FCA stock leaps

HONG KONG — Chinese carmaker Geely Automobile denied media speculation on Wednesday that it planned to make a takeover bid for Fiat Chryslerk Automobiles (FCA), the world's seventh-largest automaker. Geely was one of several Chinese carmakers cited in by Automotive News, which said representatives of "a well-known Chinese automaker" had made an offer this month for FCA, which has a market value of almost $20 billion. "We don't have such a plan at the moment," Geely executive director Gui Shengyue told reporters at an earnings briefing, when asked if Geely was interested in Fiat. He said a foreign acquisition would be complicated, but he did not elaborate. "But for other (Chinese) brands, it could be a fast track for their development," Gui added. However, a source close to the matter said FCA and Geely Automobile's parent firm, Zhejiang Geely Holding Group, had held initial talks late last year, without disclosing their nature. The source confirmed Geely was no longer interested in FCA, noting that the parent company had only three months ago announced its first push into Southeast Asia with the purchase of 49.9 percent of struggling Malaysian carmaker Proton, a deal that also included a stake in Lotus. Geel's denial failed to dent FCA's stock. The price of its Milan-based shares has jumped more than 10 percent to a 19-year high since Automotive News first reported on Monday, citing unnamed sources, that FCA had rejected the Chinese offer as too low. FCA stock on the New York Stock Exchange rose sharply on Monday from $11.60 to $12.38 and on Wednesday was trading at $12.84. FCA declined to comment on Wednesday. FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne has repeatedly called for mergers as a way of sharing the costs of making cleaner, more advanced cars, but he has repeatedly failed to find a partner and retreated from his search for in April, saying FCA would stick to its business plan. He has also spoken of spinning the successful Jeep and Ram divisions off from FCA. Europe's largest carmaker, Volkswagen, and General Motors have both said they are not interested in talks with FCA. On Wednesday, Geely Automobile reported a doubling of first-half profit, above expectations, as cars designed with Sweden's Volvo won over domestic consumers. Volvo is a unit of the Zhejiang Geely group, and has recently announced it will share its technology with Geely.

Ram 1500 EV shown in more clarity with new teaser images

Besides the first electric Jeep and other product plans, Stellantis gave us yet another preview of the upcoming electric Ram 1500 pickup truck. The company isn't giving much away, but these new renderings do give us some more details on what the truck will look like. The most striking features of the front are the pairs of LED lights above and below that meet toward the middle in a sort of dog bone shape. In the middle is the updated Ram logo that's been featured for its "Ram Revolution" program that takes input from Ram fans for designing the truck. The hood has creases that are suggestive of the dual-level, semi-truck-inspired design that has stuck with the truck since the 1990s. It also seems to have a heat-extractor vent design, which we're not sure would really be functional on an electric truck. Along the sides, the fenders appear to be pushed far outward. The edge where the cab meets the bed has a jog in it that pushes into the cab. It has us thinking the cab and bed may be one piece, along the lines of the Chevy Silverado EV. That single piece will still ride on a separate frame, though, since the Ram 1500 EV will be built on the STLA Frame platform. Continuing on the topic of side styling, the window sill rises toward the rear pillar, and that rear pillar leans forward, again more like the GM electric truck designs. At the back, the electric Ram has taillights that connect into the tailgate like the Ford F-150 Lightning. The shape also echoes that of the headlights, along with the illuminated Ram logo. The rear shot also gives more clarity on the unique cab design. The electric Ram will go into production in 2024. As touched on, it will use the STLA Frame platform that features a traditional separate frame from the body. The platform can accommodate 159 to 200 kWh of battery capacity with a range of up to 500 miles. Early renderings also show the platform using independent suspension both front and rear. Furthermore, Ram has said it will offer a plug-in hybrid variant based on the electric model to go on sale the same year. And electrification won't stop at the 1500.