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Ram boss says not to expect midsize pickup in America

Remember that mysterious midsize four-door pickup FCA was spotted testing recently? It may be sold as a Fiat in markets overseas, but don't expect it to join the Ram lineup in North America. At least not according to the latest word from the truck brand's new boss. Speaking with Automotive News at the New York Auto Show, Ram CEO Bob Hegbloom outlined four criteria for a successful midsize pickup, particularly in the North American marketplace: they have less capability than a fullsize truck, but return with a more compact form, lower price and considerably higher fuel economy. "I've been able to develop a strategy to come up with three of the four," said Hegbloom, but "I haven't seen anyone who can deliver on all four." Smaller and less capable are easy, but getting both the price and the fuel consumption down at the same time is where it gets tricky. As it is, a Ram 1500 with the diesel engine and rear-wheel drive delivers 29 miles per gallon on the highway, which is already more than the 27-mpg rating on the midsize Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon. But Hegbloom figures that in order to justify a midsize pickup, American buyers would expect at least 35 mpg on the highway, and in order to do so, FCA would have to employ some trick tech, which would in turn raise the price beyond an attractive level. The last time Chrysler offered a midsize truck in America was with the Dakota that was discontinued in 2011. Ford similarly ceased offering the Ranger in North America in 2012, leaving the new Colorado and Canyon to take on the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier in the compact/midsize pickup market in the US. With the prospect of a Ram version apparently off the table, then, Fiat's midsize four-door pickup is likely take on the likes of the Volkswagen Amarok, Mitsubishi Triton and Toyota Hilux in markets like Europe and South America. But like those trucks, it will likely never see the inside of an American showroom.

Fiat trademarks '124', '124 Spider'

On December 18 Fiat submitted two trademark applications to the US Patent Trade Office, one for "Fiat 124," the other for "Fiat 124 Spider." AutoGuide suspects these are the names that will be applied to the Fiat version of the 2016 Mazda MX-5 Miata. The new Miata was at one time going to provide a new roadster platform for Alfa Romeo. Then Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said that Alfas had to be built in Italy, which, in terms of production ease, put the kibosh on using the Mazda platform. That led to the expectation that the vehicle would move to another brand in the Fiat stable, and recently Alfa Romeo CEO Harald Wester told Car that "The Far East import will probably find a new home with Fiat-Abarth." This would be a redux of the 124 name, last used from 1966 to 1974 on a dowdy but much praised sedan, and from 1966 to 1985 on a convertible known as the 124 Sport Spider (pictured). Having trademarked both names - assuming the company uses them - hardtop and convertible versions of a new 124 are expected, but we're unsure about a variant with four doors.

Fiat diesels might also cheat emissions tests

Et tu, Fiat? Fiat is the latest automaker to come under suspicion for excessive emissions from its diesel vehicles. So far the trouble is only in Germany, as opposed to VW's trouble in multiple countries. And instead of using VW's method of installing software that identifies when the car is undergoing an emissions test and only then turning on emissions control devices, Fiat is running out the clock. Because the German emissions test lasts around 20 minutes, Fiat is accused of having its NOx emissions control systems operate only for the first 22 minutes when the car starts up. This potential new bombshell was first reported by Bild am Sonntag, a German newspaper. Bild says that the Italian automaker is under investigation by German authorities after a test of a 500X revealed this time-based method. Bild also says that Bosch tipped off the German authorities about Fiat's strategy. German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt released a report of new tests of 53 diesel cars and highlighted Fiat's numbers, saying, "We will need to carry out further tests on Fiat models." In February, the environmental lobby group DUH found that a 500X that had been running for a while emitted more NOx than one with a cold engine. Fiat said at the time that it had conducted an internal review and found that its diesel engines comply with the law. Of course, thanks to VW's diesel scandal implosion last fall, questions have been emerging from regulators around the world about diesel emissions from passenger vehicles. Mitsubishi was recently suspected of diesel emission irregularities in Japan. A recent lawsuit in the US accuses Mercedes-Benz of using a cheat device. Greenpeace has raised questions about the testing method that German authorities are using to test diesel vehicles. And on and on and on. Related Video: News Source: ReutersImage Credit: Sajjad Hussain/AFP/Getty Images Government/Legal Green Fiat Diesel Vehicles vw diesel scandal diesel emissions fiat 500x 500x