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Ram 1200 small pickup rumored on its way to fight Ford Maverick

A report out of Brazil from Auto Segredos (translated), picked up by CarBuzz, claims the U.S. is going to get a baby Ram pickup. The outlet was part of a group of local car media speaking to Antonio Filosa, president of Stellantis South America. Filosa's big announcement was that there'd be a new Ram 1200 truck for our neighbors in the next hemisphere, part of a product onslaught involving 16 new models and 26 revised models over the next three years. The key Auto Segredos line for us is, "The pickup will also be sold in the American market to face the Ford Maverick." If it's true, then this is enormous news. Other details in the report leave us a touch cloudy on what such a pickup will look like for the American market, though. At one point, the AS article says the truck will be built on the Small Wide 4x4 platform used by Stellantis family products like the Jeep Renegade and Alfa Romeo Tonale. The architecture will be resized in Brazil "to be a medium-sized pickup" competing with the segment including the Chevrolet S10 (which is still on sale down there), Toyota Hilux, and Ford Ranger. Ram had a 1200 pickup on sale in the Middle East that was based on the Mitsubishi L200 and fought the Hilux and Ranger, but the Mitsu has always been body-on-frame and we'd wonder at Ram sending a cushy-riding pickup to battle hardcore work trucks. In the U.S., however, we're told the Ram 1200 would fight in the class below that, in the growing field of compact pickups dominated at the moment by the Ford Maverick. The most confusing bit: AS writes, "In the U.S., there are plans for the Ram 1200 to have a chassis-mounted version." The way the piece is translated, Brazil would be getting a midsized Ram unibody pickup to challenge midsized body-on-frame pickups while the U.S. would get a compact Ram body-on-frame pickup to compete against a compact unibody pickup. Something's either been lost in the Google translation, or Ram is truly operating in the fourth dimension if this comes to pass as we're reading it.

Ram 2500/3500 Heavy Duty trucks rustle up more luxury with Rodeo Edition

Now there's an even more luxurious version of Ram's Heavy Duty 2500/3500 pickup called the Ram Rodeo Edition. This takes the already highly-appointed Laramie Longhorn heavy duty work truck and gives it even more features for the 2018 model year. On the outside you get body-colored bumpers and side-steps. For single-rear-wheel trucks you'll get 20-inch aluminum wheels, and dual-rear-wheel trucks will have 17-inch polished aluminum rims. The Longhorn name will stretch across the tailgate in a more subdued fashion than we thought it would have. A suede headliner is the main change over the base Longhorn on the inside. Functionality is where the your money really goes for the Ram Rodeo, because it'll come with the gooseneck trailer prep package and bed-view camera. In addition to that you'll get a rear air suspension to aid in load-leveling when hauling payload or a trailer. A set of skid plates and the Mopar bed step round out the Ram Rodeo Edition changes. You'll be able to get the Ram Rodeo with the crew cab or mega cab configurations. Both the 6.4-liter V8 and the 6.7-liter Cummins I6 diesel are fair game as well. A base 2500 Longhorn will run you $56,440 including destination, but the Ram Rodeo Edition starts at $62,485. The 3500 bumps that up to $72,955. Luxury trucks are not cheap. Ram says the Ram Rodeo Edition will be available in the third quarter of 2018, so essentially, they've arrived. Featured video:

Fiat Chrysler and the UAW reach tentative labor deal

DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler Automobiles and the United Auto Workers (UAW) union on Saturday announced a tentative agreement for a four-year labor contract, a boost for the automaker as it works to merge with France's Groupe PSA. Italian-American Fiat Chrysler and PSA, the maker of Peugeot and Citroen, last month announced a planned $50 billion merger to create the world's fourth-largest automaker. The tentative agreement with Fiat Chrysler, which is subject to ratification by the union members, follows contracts that the UAW already concluded with Ford Motor Co and General Motors Co. The deal with GM followed a 40-day strike in the United States that virtually shuttered GM's North American operations and cost the automaker $3 billion. The UAW on Saturday said the contract with Fiat Chrysler included a commitment from FCA to invest $9 billion, creating 7,900 new jobs over the course of the four-year contract. Of the $9 billion, $4.5 billion was announced earlier this year, to be invested in five plants and creating 6,500 jobs. Detailed terms of the tentative agreement were not released, but they are expected to echo those under the new contracts with GM and Ford, as the UAW typically uses the first deal as a pattern for the others. "FCA has been a great American success story thanks to the hard work of our members," UAW acting President Rory Gamble said in a statement. "We have achieved substantial gains and job security provisions for the fastest growing auto company in the United States." Ratification is not a sure thing. Rank-and-file UAW members at FCA in 2015 rejected the first version of a contract. In addition, a lawsuit related to a federal corruption probe could also raise doubts among union members about the terms agreed. The federal corruption led GM to file a racketeering lawsuit against FCA, alleging that its rival bribed union officials over many years to corrupt the bargaining process and gain advantages, costing GM billions of dollars. FCA has brushed off the lawsuit as groundless. Under the UAW's deal with GM, the automaker agreed to invest $9 billion in the United States, including $7.7 billion directly in its plants, and to create or retain 9,000 UAW jobs. Ford's contract included commitments to invest more than $6 billion in its U.S. plants and to create or retain more than 8,500 UAW jobs. The deals with GM and Ford also created a pathway to full-time employment for temporary workers and left healthcare insurance coverage unchanged.