New 2013 Ram 2500 4wd Crew Cab Laramie Diesel Msrp $60665 Maximum Steel Metallic on 2040-cars

Auto blog

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."

Chrysler recalling hundreds of thousands of Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander SUVs

The public might associated ignition switch recalls with General Motors - and with good cause - but that's not the only automaker calling its vehicles back in to fix that sort of issue.
Last month we reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was investigating an array of Chrysler Group vehicles for electrical-related safety issues. The administration and Chrysler subsequently issued a recall for 700,000 Dodge Journey crossovers, Dodge Grand Caravan minivans and Chrysler Town & Country minivans. But while the Jeeps that were also under investigation were not covered in that recall, they are being addressed in a separate one now.
Although Chrysler reports that it is only aware of a single accident stemming from this issue, it is "committing now to conduct a recall out of an abundance of caution." The recall affects the 2006-2007 Jeep Commander and 2005-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, of which it reports there are 792,300 on the road: 649,900 in the United States, 28,800 in Canada, 12,800 in Mexico and a further 100,800 outside of North America.

2015 Ram ProMaster City Tradesman First Drive [w/video]

From the perspective of a reviewer, there's a refreshing clarity to be hand when approaching a vehicle like a small commercial van. Where the inherent value equation for most vehicles is composed of both objective facts (price, fuel economy), and subjective opinions (looks, emotional response while driving), the reckoning of something like the new Ram ProMaster City is more straightforward. The light commercial van segment in the US has seen a remodel over the last half-decade, moving from paneled-over minivans to the versatile, economical, European-style boxes on wheels you see with increasing frequency today. Ford, Nissan and Chevrolet are all players here (though Chevy's City Express is essentially a rebadged version of Nissan's NV200), and though Ram's entry could be seen as late to the party, it also matches up very nicely in many of those straightforward areas of measure. Kindly, Ram brought along both the Nissan and the Ford for us to test alongside its new product, so we could get firsthand comparative impressions. The 2015 ProMaster City is roomier, more powerful and more maneuverable than its competition, though it trades those advantages for a higher price and a thirstier engine around town. We headed down to Texas where, between breaks for tacos and Topo Chicos, our goal was to see if Ram had created the new best box van in the US. Based on the already successful Fiat Doblo van from Europe, the baby ProMaster's visual transformation after its continental hop isn't radical. Ram has fitted a crosshair grille, new headlights and taillights, but largely the curvaceous, nose-forward styling remains the same. As we mentioned at the top: style is going to be very low on this list of priorities for a buyer of light commercial vans. Still, we'd rate the City as mid-pack for the options in the US; more attractive than the Nissan/Chevy twins and less so than the crisp Ford Transit Connect. (Though the optional five-spoke wheels of our test vehicle make it seem downright sporty in this group). Open the driver's side door and slide into the almost totally flat front seat, and any notion of "style" goes right out the window. Surfaces are almost exclusively black and gray, with workaday textures and frustratingly easy-to-scratch-plastics. This is a functional space though; trays, cubbies, cupholders and bins are far more numerous than you'd expect from a compact, two-seat cabin.