2014 Ram 3500 Laramie on 2040-cars

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Ram to debut electric truck concept this fall

Another day, another tease. Ram is clearly enjoying the super-slow reveal of its upcoming electric pickup truck, but at least this time they've included a date. Sort of; it's actually a season, not a specific date. We assume the exacting timing will be clarified in the coming months, but in a tweet today, Ram says we should expect the teasing to end and will debut an electric concept in the fall of 2022. This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings. We also get a new and predictably dark view of the truck, this time a straight-on shot of the EV hauler's face. As before, the highlights are all lit up, which we are currently assuming means they are the actual lighting elements. The R-A-M lettering in the middle of the grille is similarly radiant, which again makes us think it will be that way for the production version. We don't yet know its official name. We've been told the truck will go into production in 2024, that it will use the STLA Frame EV platform with a battery capacity up to 101-118 kWh and a range of up to 500 miles. That means prospective buyers will have quite a wait ahead of them even after it makes its official debut. By that time, the Ford Lightning should be a fairly common sight on America's roadways, the Hummer EV will have been on sale for a couple of years and the Chevy Silverado EV will similarly be ready to make its appearance. Ram is also promising to have a range-extended electric truck to show off, but we don't yet know if that will make its online debut this fall alongside the full EV. Lastly, we're not entirely sure what "thunder" Ram is stealing with its teaser and date announcement today. It could be a little shade thrown in the direction of the electrified Corvette, which was also announced today, or it could just be a play on words since Ford's truck is called the F-150 Lightning. We suppose it doesn't much matter, though. Thunder, shade, rain or snow, we're just happy to see the electrified truck game continue to intensify. Related video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

1968 Dodge D200 'Lowliner' adds low-down diesel torque to a lowrider

When Mopar does a custom classic car, it's always spectacular, whether it's a Dodge muscle car like the 1,000-horsepower Super Charger or the monster Jeep Five-Quarter off-road pickup. For SEMA this year, Mopar skipped another Dodge sports coupe in favor of a 1968 Dodge D200 pickup truck done up as a lowrider, but with a twist. Or more accurately, with lots of twist. Under the gorgeous candy red metallic body is a 5.9-liter 24-valve Cummins turbodiesel straight-six. It makes an estimated 325 horsepower and 610 pound-feet of torque, and it's paired with a six-speed manual transmission. Representatives from Chrysler estimated the weight of the engine and transmission alone at 1,100 pounds. The diesel engine's power goes to the rear wheels, which are 22 inches in diameter and 11 inches wide with fat 325-mm tires. The front wheels are a tad narrower at 9.5 inches. 1968 Dodge D200 View 7 Photos As cool as the powertrain is, the exterior and the interior of the truck can't be ignored. This generation of Dodge pickup is already intriguing with its distinct character line with a little kink at the end and ribbed and louvered hood. These unique styling cues are accented now that Dodge removed various other details from the body such as the door handles, metallic trim and such. The bumpers were also reshaped to better fit the contours of the body, and the front wheels were pushed forward to reduce the long overhang of the stock truck. The bumpers, grille, and "smoothie" style alloy wheels were also painted in a solid cream color rather than chrome, which both accents the deep red body and gives the truck a more workmanlike feel, as low-trim cars typically had painted trim instead of chrome or stainless steel. The red paint also features subtle Cummins logos on the fenders and Dodge block lettering on the tailgate. The interior continues the simple and classy theme. The original bench seat remains, but with saddle brown leather upholstery. Leather trim has been added throughout, and exposed metal parts have been painted in the same color as the exterior. Simple gray cloth floor mats cover the bottom of the cab, and the instrument panel uses new Mopar gauges in a machine-turned metal housing. The original steering wheel remains, but a custom shifter with red Cummins shift knob sticks through the floor.

Dongfeng and PSA extend Chinese joint venture

BEIJING/PARIS — China's Dongfeng and Peugeot maker PSA are extending their business cooperation, despite the Chinese company reducing its stake in PSA to help smooth the French carmaker's merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Dongfeng said on Thursday it had agreed with PSA to extend the duration of their joint venture Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobiles (DPCA). Under the deal, the venture could get the rights to PSA's new brands in China and will benefit from new technologies and intellectual properties, the Chinese company said. PSA was not immediately available for comment. The announcement comes a day after the companies said Dongfeng would reduce its 12.2% stake in PSA by selling 30.7 million shares to the French company. Analysts said the move could smooth U.S. regulatory approval for PSA's roughly $50 billion (GBP38.97 billion) merger with Italian-American carmaker FCA. The sale of Dongfeng's shares in PSA, worth around 680 million euros ($757 million), will leave the Chinese group holding around 4.5% of the merged PSA-FCA, which is set to become the world's fourth-biggest carmaker by sales volumes. "As the cooperation between Dongfeng and PSA deepens, we expect the joint venture to continue making good progress in China," a Dongfeng representative said. On a conference call, Dongfeng said DPCA would have exclusive rights to PSA's Opel cars should the partners agree to bring the brand to China, and enjoy lower prices on car parts imported from PSA. Earlier this year, a document seen by Reuters showed Dongfeng and PSA plan to cut jobs at Wuhan-based DPCA and reduce its number of car plants to try to make the venture more profitable. Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot China FCA PSA Dongfeng