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Chrysler's Woodward Dream Cruise festivities include Ram concept truck debut

The streets will be crowded next weekend along Woodward Avenue in Royal Oak, Michigan for the 19th Annual Woodward Dream Cruise. As part of the run-up to the festivities, Chrysler has announced that all of its brands - Chrysler, Jeep, Dodge, Ram, Fiat, SRT and Mopar - will bring along their latest vehicles. Also included will be a collection of classic American cars and various activities for attendees at the official Chrysler location on the corner of Woodward and 13 Mile Road.
Special to this year, Ram brand director Bob Hegbloom and head of design John Dehner will unveil a Ram concept truck on Saturday. Chrysler will also bring Ryan Friedlinghaus of West Coast Customs fame along to show off a few custom Chrysler-made vehicles of his own. Fans of the brand on Facebook will get the chance to virtually customize a vehicle from the automaker's portfolio, with the winner getting their dream car built for them by Chrysler. Pretty cool stuff, no?
As in past years, Ford and General Motors will have an official presence at the event as well, and you can expect to see plenty of cars of all makes and models from all parts of the globe. The madness starts this Friday, August 16, from 4:30 PM to 10 PM, with the main event taking place on Saturday, from 9 AM to 9 PM. For more details on the show, including events and their times, check out the press release below.

2015 Ram Laramie Limited brings more luxury, tweaked style to Chicago

Once upon a time, the Chicago Auto Show was where truck manufacturers chose to introduce their wares. New HD truck? Go to Chicago. Entry level, midsize pickup? Chicago. Flagship dually? Chicago. While that's far from a rule nowadays, Ram still looked to the Windy City to introduce the new version of its flagship trim – the Laramie Limited. Featured in light-duty 1500, heavy-duty 2500 and I-need-to-tow-Australia 3500 bodies, the Laramie Limited is the latest proof that pickups are no longer limited to work, but are proper luxury vehicles in their own right. To reflect this, Ram has upholstered the Laramie Limited's cabin in gorgeous black Natura Plus leather. We're pretty fond of the Graystone piping on the seats, while the pinstripe theme found throughout on the Black Argento wood and contrast stitching certainly ups the styling ante. The center stack is home to most of the cabin's brightwork, with K-black Dark Metallic paint, while LED accent lighting is found throughout. Ram was liberal with the application of Liquid Graphite finishes, adding it to the center stack's bezels and the gauges and needles in the handsome instrument cluster. For the exterior, Ram has thrown the whole idea of subtlety out the window. There's plenty of inspiration from the Ram Rebel that was shown at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, only instead of the dark finishes of that vehicle, the Laramie Limited features lots, and lots of chrome. Like the Rebel, the flagship truck gets a restyled grille, complete with a domineering "RAM" badge, although the nose of the Laramie Limited is nothing compared to its tailgate. The rear of the truck is home to an enormous, 20-inch wide "RAM" badge that the company hilariously explains away in its press release, saying it's there "so onlookers can clearly identify the truck." Okay. Beyond the borderline obnoxious badges, Ram has finished the front and rear bumpers and mirror caps in chrome, and opted for a stylish dark housing for the halogen-only headlights. Those units crown LED turn signals, while the taillamps are straight LED throughout. We have an extensive gallery of images detailing the new Laramie Limited, and you can bet that we'll be complementing the official shots with live images from the floor of the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. Until then, head into Comments and let us know what you think of Ram's not-so-subtle flagship.

Stellantis reports surprising 2020 results, is 'off to a flying start'

MILAN — Low global car inventories and cost cuts should boost Stellantis's profit margins this year, though a shortage of semiconductors and investments in electric vehicles could weigh on results, the newly-formed automaker said on Wednesday. The forecast came as Stellantis, created by the January merger of Peugeot-maker PSA and Fiat Chrysler (FCA), reported better-than-expected results for 2020 that sent its shares up around 3% in morning trading. "Stellantis gets off to a flying start and is fully focused on achieving the full promised synergies (from the merger)," Chief Executive Carlos Tavares said in a statement. Stellantis is the world's fourth largest carmaker, with 14 brands including Fiat, Peugeot, Opel, Jeep, Ram and Maserati. It said 2021 results should be helped by three new high-margin Jeep vehicles in North America and a strong pricing environment there. The U.S. market has driven profits for years at FCA and starts off as the strongest part of Stellantis. The group's guidance assumes no more significant lockdowns caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, which shuttered auto plants around the world last spring. Stellantis should also get a lift as its starts to implement a plan aimed at delivering over 5 billion euros a year in savings, without closing any plants. Tavares has also pledged not to cut jobs. But a pandemic-related global shortage of semiconductors, used for everything from maximizing engine fuel economy to driver-assistance features, could hurt business. Auto industry executives have said the shortage should ease by the second half of 2021. Stellantis said its "electrification offensive" could also weigh on results this year. Automakers are racing to develop electric vehicles to meet tighter CO2 emissions targets in Europe and this week Volvo joined a growing number of carmakers aiming for a fully-electric line-up by 2030. Stellantis plans to have fully-electric or hybrid versions of all of its vehicles available in Europe by 2025, broadly in line with plans at top rivals such as Volkswagen and Renault-Nissan, although Stellantis has further to go to meet that goal. The carmaker is targeting an adjusted operating profit margin of 5.5%-7.5% this year. That compares with a 5.3% aggregated margin last year: 4.3% at FCA and 7.1% at PSA excluding a controlling stake in parts maker Faurecia, which is set to be spun-off from Stellantis shortly.