2024 Ram 1500 Tradesman on 2040-cars

Auto blog

Chevy ramping Silverado incentives after Ram beats it in March

General Motors isn't losing the pickup war without a fight. With the Silverado narrowly falling to third place in the truck segment in March, Chevrolet has announced that it is going to continue its Truck Month pricing through the end of April. In addition to those incentives, some Chevy pickups are going to see even deeper discounts, according to Automotive News.
General Motors Sales Reporting spokesperson Jim Cain says the reason for extending the sale is simple. "It worked," he said. The Silverado's sales were up 6.8 percent for March, which is a big win for a truck with sales down 7.6 percent for the year so far. "Last month we handily beat expectations," he said. Cain attributed the success to having "a simple, straightforward message." He also claimed that the pickup was also able to see growth with lower incentives than competitors. With the weather warming and the economy improving, he thinks the Silverado has the momentum to improve further.
The Truck Month incentives knock as much as $7,541 off some Silverado models, and Chevy is planning even more incentives on top of that in April. "Okay - time to take the gloves off and go back and take back what rightfully belongs to every one of you ... Silverado truck sales," said an email sent to dealers from GM's district manager in the Northeast, received by Automotive News, announcing lower lease rates.

Chrysler set to make $266M-investment into 8-speed transmission production

Chrysler will shortly make a significant $266-million investment into its Kokomo, IN transmission factory in a bid to expand production of its eight-speed automatic transmissions. The gearboxes, which are built under license from Germany's ZF Friedrichshafen, have been well received by customers and critics, and according to an SEC filing obtained by Automotive News, the transmissions will eventually find their way to all of Chrysler's rear-drive offerings (Viper and heavy-duty Ram models, aside). According to AN, a Chrysler spokesman says the investment has not been confirmed, but once it is, it'll mark the company's latest in a growing line of investments at the facility. Chrysler has poured $1.5 billion into Kokomo since 2009.

Is Ram working on an HD Hellcat pickup truck?

Ram already offers an off-road-oriented Power Wagon pickup truck based on its heavy-duty 2500 chassis, and that's no slouch with a 410-horsepower, 6.4-liter Hemi V8. But add a 707-hp Hellcat to the mix and our interest goes through the roof. But is that what we're actually looking at in the spy photos above? Even a cursory glance at the shots proves these aren't ordinary Ram 2500 trucks. The most obvious visual hint is the big ram-air hood, but we also see a definite lift kit and heavy-duty suspension components underneath. The removal of the front and rear bumpers indicates that these trucks have good approach and departure angles, but it could also mean that whatever is underhood needs major airflow. Notice, too, that the two trucks seen here aren't traditional Crew Cab models, which is how the Power Wagon comes standard. Instead, there's a single cab and a massive Mega Cab sitting side by side. Is Ram going to unleash two new Power Wagon variants? Seems possible. It's really not possible to talk about a potential Ram HD Hellcat pickup truck without mentioning the Ford Raptor. The Blue Oval's SVT division has created one heck of a factory off-road monster, and it's set to get even better for the 2017 model year with an EcoBoost engine and four full-size doors. How could Ram, one of Ford's biggest truck competitors, answer Ford's latest assault? How about a Hellcat! Based on FCA's desire to put a Hellcat engine into anything that can hold it, it wouldn't be shocking to see an overpowered Ram model. And if that does happen, the Power Wagon platform is a great place to start. We don't know if that's what we're looking at, or if these trucks are test beds for future parts for the Mopar catalog, but either way we like what we see. Related Video: Featured Gallery Ram Hellcat: Spy Shots Design/Style Spy Photos RAM Truck Off-Road Vehicles ram power wagon