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2019 Ram 2500, 3500 Heavy Duty get the Lone Star treatment

Just like with most other pickup trucks, the 2019 Ram 2500 Heavy Duty and 3500 Heavy Duty models are getting a Texas-only special edition. It's called Lone Star, like its 1500 counterpart, and it's a midlevel trim roughly analogous to the Big Horn available in the rest of the country. What distinguishes it as a Lone Star are standard chrome door handles, bumpers and grille surround. The dead giveaway, though, will be the Lone Star badges that dot the exterior. The truck also gets some towing goodies such as a standard Class V tow hitch, electronic trailer brake controller and power trailer mirrors. Inside, buyers can choose from four color combinations including black and gray, black and brown, black and beige, and all-black with either bench or bucket front seats. There's also the option to have a door over the passenger side dash cubbie, and that door will feature the Lone Star badge. The Lone Star trim is available in just about any 2500 or 3500 configuration you desire. Regular, Crew and Mega Cabs are all available, as are both standard and long beds. The 6.4-liter gas engine is standard with the midrange Cummins diesel an option on the 2500, and the high-output Cummins diesel with its 1,000 pound-feet of torque an additional option on the 3500. Four-wheel drive and two-wheel drive are both available. The Lone Star Ram Heavy Duty models will go on sale in Texas during the second quarter of this year. The 2500 starts at $39,340 with destination, and the 3500 starts at $40,790. That's a price increase of about $4,000 over the base models.

Ram boss thinks midsize truck could fit in the lineup

The execs at Ram are changing their tune about the possibility of a midsize truck in the US. Nothing is certain yet, but the chances now look a little more favorable. "I think there's opportunity there in the US if you look at what's happened in the mid-size segment here – significant growth last year," Jeep and Ram boss Mike Manley told the Detroit News. "I think that space is big enough, certainly, to have two offerings there." The other product that Manley alludes to is the forthcoming Jeep Wrangler-based pickup that's due in 2017. However, there might not be much customer overlap between the Jeep and those looking for a more traditional Ram-branded model. Manley admitted the most likely candidate for a midsize Ram would be for the company to use an existing Fiat platform, according to the News. One possibility could be rebranding the Fiat Toro pickup, but it's rather small at 20-inches shorter than a Chevrolet Colorado. This greater openness to a midsize Ram is a complete change from the company's position in the past, though. Last spring, the brand's CEO for North America said he couldn't find a strategy to make the model work. FCA boss Sergio Marchionne made the same point in 2014, when he admitted the company showed a Ram 1000 at design clinics, but the response was "lukewarm." Over the past couple years, the midsize truck market has a renaissance of fresh products. The Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon are successes both critically and commercially. The latest Tacoma is on sale, and the new Honda Ridgeline is imminent. We know Nissan has a Frontier successor under development, and there are always rumors of Ford reviving the Ranger in the US. With so much development in the segment, it's easy to see why Ram would want to be at the party. Related Video:

Ram, Jeep redesigns on hold, Alfa Romeo models may come sooner

Last summer, FCA outlined an ambitious five-year plan that sketched out the company's product intentions for each of its brands through the end of 2018. However, even the best strategies sometimes need tweaking. According to Reuters after speaking with unnamed people at auto suppliers, FCA is now possibly delaying at least a dozen projects in North America for a variety of reasons. From vehicle to vehicle, these postponements allegedly last anywhere from just a few months to over a year. The sources from the suppliers claim that in some cases these tweaks are for engineering and design changes. The next-gen Ram 1500 reportedly has among the shorter delays and is being pushed from mid-2017 to November 2017, according to Reuters. Also, the much-discussed future Jeep Wrangler is allegedly moving a little later to July 2017. Among the vehicles purportedly seeing longer delays, the next-gen Grand Cherokee could get pushed back about a year to 2018. That then forces the launch of the three-row, luxury Grand Wagoneer to be even further away. Jeep's upcoming C-segment CUV and the all-new Chrysler 300, Dodge Charger, and Challenger might also see postponements. The one brand allegedly seeing an accelerated plan is Alfa Romeo. Without going into detail, the sources from these suppliers claim that the Italian automaker is getting even more vehicles for its lineup and could get them even faster than planned. "Those plans need to be flexible and fluid, with the potential to add some vehicles, pull some forward and extend the life cycle of others," FCA said to Reuters about all of these allegations. "We look at these programs on a vehicle-by-vehicle basis." Investment in the auto industry has been a major topic for FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne as of late. He believes consolidation is necessary so that companies aren't burning money on the same projects. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Bill Pugliano / Getty Images Plants/Manufacturing Alfa Romeo Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Sergio Marchionne FCA fca us