2014 Ram 2500 Tradesman on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2020 Ram 1500's new EcoDiesel horsepower and torque revealed

Following on the reveals of Ford and GM's light-duty diesel full-size pickup truck engines, Ram has finally revealed its second-generation EcoDiesel V6 for the 2020 Ram 1500 and 2019 Ram 1500 Classic. The engine is once again a 3.0-liter V6, but it now makes 260 horsepower and 480 pound-feet of torque. That's an increase of 20 horsepower and 60 pound-feet of torque over the previous engine. Ram notes a number of changes were made to achieve these numbers, including adding a water-cooled variable geometry turbo, reducing compression ratio from 16.5:1 to 16:1, adding lighter pistons, revising the intake ports, and using a new fuel injection system and exhaust gas recirculation system. Those numbers also put the new Ram diesel at the top of its class for torque. Just behind it is the 3.0-liter inline-six in the 2020 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra that makes a bit more power at 277 horsepower but less torque at 460 pound-feet. Then there's the 2019 Ford F-150's 3.0-liter V6 that makes 250 horsepower and 440 pound-feet of torque. The Ram engine also hits peak torque at 1,600 rpm, which is sooner than the Ford engine at 1,750 rpm. The Chevy engine's torque arrives even earlier than both at 1,500 rpm. The Ram's maximum towing capacity of 12,560 pounds also tops the F-150 diesel's 11,400 pounds. There are still a number of unknowns regarding the new EcoDiesel engine, though. Ram hasn't announced payload capacity, pricing or fuel economy for the engine. We expect fuel economy will be slightly improved over its predecessor's 20 mpg in the city and 27 on the highway. But we don't know if it will match or surpass the F-150 diesel's 22 mpg in the city and 30 on the highway. All these numbers should be announced closer to the engine's release window of fourth quarter of 2019. The engine will also be available in every single trim and configuration of the 2020 Ram 1500 including the Rebel, which used to be a gas-only trim. The engine will even be available on the 2019 Ram 1500 Classic. This should also be the engine that will soon appear in the Jeep Gladiator and Wrangler.

Prosecutors indict three FCA employees in alleged emissions-cheating case

Federal prosecutors indicted three Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA, now Stellantis) employees as part of an investigation into alleged emissions cheating. Charges unsealed on April 20, 2021, accuse the defendants of helping rig the emissions control system fitted to the 3.0-liter turbodiesel V6 used in some models during the 2010s. Prosecutors claim Emanuele Palma, Sergio Pasini, and Gianluca Sabbioni played a determining role in developing a defeat device that allowed the V6 to obtain certification from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) while polluting too much in normal driving conditions. Jeep and Ram began making the engine available in the Grand Cherokee and the 1500, respectively, in 2014, but the charges state plans to game the EPA started in 2011. Palma, Pasini, and Sabbioni knowingly mislead federal regulators, the charges claim; they called it "cycle beating," according to The Detroit News. While the three men were part of FCA's research and development department, they started the project while working for an Italian supplier named VM Motori, which FCA purchased in 2013. Pasini and Sabbioni are each charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to violate the Clean Air Act, one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud, and six counts of violating the Clean Air Act. They could spend several years behind bars if they're found guilty. Both are currently in their home country of Italy. Palma's legal troubles are more serious. He was charged with several counts in September 2019, though four wire fraud charges were dropped in November 2020. He lives in Bloomfield Hills, a city located on the far outskirts of Detroit. Prosecutors claim motorists spent over $4 billion on over 100,000 trucks and SUVs fitted with the non-compliant engine between January 2013 and September 2017. FCA has already agreed to pay $800 million to resolve civil claims from the Justice Department, state officials and customers, though it significantly has not admitted guilt. It stressed that "it did not engage in any deliberate scheme to install defeat devices to cheat emissions tests."

Stellantis not looking for further mergers, including with Renault

MILAN — Stellantis Chairman John Elkann on Monday denied the carmaker was hatching merger plans, responding to press speculation about a possible French-led tie-up with rival Renault. Elkann said that the Peugeot owner, the world's third largest carmaker by sales, was focused on the execution of its long-term business plan. "There is no plan under consideration regarding merger operations with other manufacturers," said Elkann, who also heads Exor, the Agnelli family holding company that is the largest single shareholder in Stellantis. After abandoning the Russian market, at the time its second largest after France, and reducing the scope of its global cooperation with Nissan, Renault has been seen as a potential M&A target. Speculation intensified after an electric vehicle market slowdown forced it last week to cancel IPO plans for its EV and software unit Ampere. Its market cap remains stubbornly low at little over 10 billion euros ($10.8 billion) despite a financial recovery over the past few years. Stellantis, the product of a 2021 merger between France's PSA and Fiat Chrysler and one of the most profitable groups in the industry, has a market cap of more than 85 billion euros when unlisted shares are factored in. It has a 14 brand portfolio also including Citroen, Jeep, Opel and Alfa Romeo. NEWSPAPER REPORT Italian daily Il Messaggero had said on Sunday that the French government, which is Renault's largest shareholder and also has a stake in Stellantis, was studying plans for a merger between the two groups. A spokeswoman for Renault said on Monday the group did not comment on rumors. France's Finance Ministry had declined to comment on Sunday. Stellantis has crossed swords with the Italian government, which has accused it of acting against the national interest on occasions. Industry Minister Adolfo Urso last week raised the prospect of the Italian government taking a stake in Stellantis to help to balance the French influence. Renault shares pared gains after Elkann's comments to stand 1.2% higher by 1220 GMT, having initially risen more than 4%. Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares, a Portuguese-national, last week said in an interview with Bloomberg that the group was "ready for any kind of consolidation" and that its job was to make sure that it would be "one of the winners". Analysts, however, question the rationale of a Stellantis-Renault merger, which would also expand the group's excess capacity in Europe.