2020 Ram 2500 Tradesman on 2040-cars

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FCA joining virtual CES with in-depth tours and Jeep Wrangler 4xe in AR

CES is sort of, technically happening, but it won’t be the CES weÂ’ve all become accustomed to over the years. Automakers will be doing their best to participate virtually, assuming they decide to join in the festivities at all. FCA is one that will have a little nugget of tech to share with us. A few main experiences will be made available to anybody with a computer. FCAÂ’s main draw is meant to be “highly detailed interactive product tours” where you can get to know a number of vehicles in a virtual world and hear from a “virtual brand ambassador” throughout the tour. You wonÂ’t be able to sit in and crawl through the cars like a normal auto show for the public, but FCA is promising a rather immersive experience online. The guided tour through the cars and technologies will be available in 12 FCA vehicles, two of those being the new Jeep Grand Wagoneer Concept and Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio. FCA plans to offer in-depth talks about how it tests vehicles, too. There are demonstrations planned for wind tunnels, the four-post shaker, an advanced drive simulator and general performance testing. Additionally, FCA plans on providing more insight into Uconnect 5 and vehicle electrification systems. WeÂ’re guessing the latter will offer up details on the Wrangler 4xe. The plug-in hybrid Wrangler will also be the star of FCAÂ’s AR play at CES. Everybody will be able to scan a QR code on FCAÂ’s site, then have access to a Wrangler 4xe on their phone. YouÂ’ll be able to “put it” in your driveway virtually, change the colors and get up close and personal with the interior.  All of this will launch on fcaces2021.com at 9 a.m. ET on January 11 (official first day of the virtual CES show), so surf on over there next week if you want to check it out. Related video:

Stellantis wants to outfit cars with AI software to drive revenue

MILAN — Carmaker Stellantis announced a strategy Tuesday to embed AI-enabled software in 34 million vehicles across its 14 brands, hoping the tech upgrade will help it bring in 20 billion euros ($22.6 billion) in annual revenue by 2030. CEO Carlos Tavares heralded the move as part of a strategy that would transform the car company into a “sustainable mobility tech company,” with business growth coming from features and services tied to the internet. That includes using voice commands to activate navigation, make payments and order products online. The company is expanding existing partnerships with BMW on partially automated driving, iPhone manufacturer Foxconn on customized cockpits and Waymo to push their autonomous driving work into light commercial vehicle delivery fleets. StellantisÂ’ embrace of artificial intelligence and expansion of software-enabled vehicles is part of a broad transformation in the auto industry, with a race toward more fully electric and hybrid propulsion systems, more autonomous driving features and increased connectivity in automobiles. Ford and General Motors also are banking on dramatically increased revenue from similar online subscription services. But the automakers face immense competition for monthly consumer spending from movie and music streaming services, news outlets, Amazon Prime and others. Stellantis, which was formed from the combination of PSA Peugeot and FCA Fiat Chrysler, said the software would seamlessly integrate into customers' lives, with the capability of live updates providing upgraded services over time. New products will include the possibility to subscribe to automated driving features, purchase usage-based car insurance or even increase the power of the vehicle with a tune-up to add horsepower. As a baseline, Stellantis generates 400 million euros in revenue on software-generated services installed in 12 million vehicles. To meet the targets, Stellantis will expand its software engineering team of 1,000 to 4,500 in North America, Asia and Europe. More than 1,000 of the expanded team will be retrained in house. Stellantis also announced a new partnership with Foxconn to develop semiconductors to cover 80% of the companyÂ’s needs and simplify the supply chain. The first microchips from the partnership are targeted to be installed in vehicles in 2024.

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