2014 Ram 2500 Tradesman on 2040-cars

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2019 Ram ProMaster, ProMaster City vans lose the crosshair grille

Ram is updating its commercial van offerings with the 2019 Ram ProMaster and ProMaster City full-size and compact vans. They're very minor updates, mainly consisting of a new grille. The old crosshair versions are gone in favor of mesh grilles with the Ram logo in all caps. This brings them inline with the 2019 Ram 1500 pickup trucks. The compact ProMaster City doesn't get any other changes, but the big ProMaster sans-City gets some upgrades buyers may appreciate. The variety of van configurations has been expanded to include 136-inch wheelbase, low-roof options for the 2500 and 3500, and a high-roof 136-inch body for the 3500. With the current ProMaster, only 1500 models can be had with a low roof, and there are no 136-inch offerings for the 3500. View 7 Photos Ram has also increased payload capacities for each trim, with the 1500 now sitting at 4,000 pounds, the 2500 at 4,250, and the 3500 at 4,680. Towing capacity is also up, with a maximum weight of 6,800 pounds. The most a current generation van can tow is 5,100 pounds. All of this is done with the same 280-horsepower 3.6-liter V6 and six-speed automatic. One additional change to both the big ProMaster and little ProMaster City is pricing. Both vans see base price increases of $200. The ProMaster starts at $31,840, and the ProMaster City starts at $25,740 for the two-seat cargo van. The two-row wagon version is an extra $1,700. Featured Gallery 2019 Ram ProMaster Image Credit: Ram RAM Minivan/Van Commercial Vehicles ram promaster ram promaster city

Ram 1500 wins Consumer Reports fullsize truck test

Vehicles that perform well in road tests by some of the most popular automotive publications, such as Car and Driver, Motor Trend and Automobile, don't always score well in in Consumer Reports' more regimented, practical test procedures, so the Ram 1500's climb to the top of CR's scoreboard is a boon for the well-received pickup truck, which CR also put on its "recommended" list.
To start off with, the freshened 2013 Ram 1500 has a lighter, stiffer chassis than before, and the four-wheel-drive Crew Cab that CR bought and tested performed flawlessly and achieved class-leading fuel economy (15 miles per gallon) with the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 - the most popular engine choice for the 1500 - and the new eight-speed automatic transmission. The unique-in-its-class rear coil spring setup endowed the truck with "one of the best rides of any pickup," CR reports. That helped it earn its class-leading road-test score of 78, well ahead of the nearest competition still in production, the Toyota Tundra (69) and the Ford F-150 (68). It's worth noting, however, that the Chevrolet Avalanche outscores the 1500 by two points (80), but production of that vehicle ends after the current 2013 model year.
About the only things the publication could find wrong with the truck were a heavy tailgate and a high step up into the cabin. Get ready for the next round later this summer when CR is finished testing the 2014 Chevrolet Silverado, which is doing well so far in the publication's tests.

Fiat Chrysler will invest up to $1.5 billion to build EVs in Windsor

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles will invest between $1.35 billion and $1.5 billion in its Windsor assembly plant in Canada to build electric vehicles as part of a tentative deal with Canadian autoworkers, Unifor National President Jerry Dias said on Thursday. The auto union said FCA would invest in a state-of-the-art vehicle platform that will enable the assembly of plug-in hybrid and battery electric vehicles, with at least one new model in 2025. The announcement comes less than a month after Unifor said Ford would invest $1.46 billion in its Oakville and Windsor plants. "Not only is Fiat-Chrysler maintaining the current portfolio but they will be investing three derivatives to enhance the current portfolio," Dias said. Unifor also said it expects to extend the life of the Chrysler 300, a rear-wheel-drive luxury car and introduce multiple derivatives of the Dodge Charger and Challenger. The union said as many as 2,000 jobs would be added in 2024 at the Windsor plant. Market forecasting firm LMC Automotive on Thursday said it would take until 2024 for U.S. vehicle sales to recover from the coronavirus downturn and get close to the 17 million vehicles sold in 2019. Ratification meetings for the FCA deal will happen over the weekend, and members will vote on whether to accept the agreement on Sunday. The union is expected to begin negotiations with General Motors's Canadian unit next week. Related Video: Green Hirings/Firings/Layoffs Plants/Manufacturing UAW/Unions Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Coupe Electric Sedan windsor