2025 Ram 1500 Big Horn/lone Star on 2040-cars

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May 2016: FCA wins, Ford and GM stumble on weak car volumes

The May 2016 sales numbers are in, and it looks as though FCA is getting some vindication for boldly cancelling two slow-selling car models. Meanwhile, Ford saw overall sales dip and GM's May volume took a big dive versus the same month in 2015. While Marchionne's decision to axe the Chrysler 200 and Dodge Dart has drawn criticism as being short-sighted, it's working for FCA so far. Although the Dart and 200 aren't out of production yet and no capacity has been shifted to crossover or trucks, May's numbers show that the emphasis on Jeep and Ram models makes sense right now. FCA's US sales rose 1 percent last month compared to May 2015, putting the year-to-date total at 955,186 vehicles, an increase of 6 percent compared to the same period last year. Standouts included the Jeep Renegade, Compass, and Patriot, and the Fiat 500X. Ram pickup sales were down 3 percent. And your fun fact is that Alfa Romeo sales were up precisely 10 percent, for a total of 44 4Cs sold versus 40 in the same month last year. At FoMoCo, the Ford brand took a hit to the tune of 6.4 percent from May 2015 to 2016, registering 226,190 sales last month. Lincoln showed improvement on its modest numbers, going from 9,174 to 9,807, a 6.9 percent increase. Overall, Ford was down 5.9 percent for the month to 235,997; despite the slump, year-to-date total Ford sales are up 4.2 percent to 1,112,939. Strong sellers included Escape, Expedition, F-Series, and Transit - big stuff. Most small and/or efficient models (Fiesta, Focus, Fusion, C-Max) saw sales slides. Fusion sales were also down, likely due to effects of model changeover to the freshened 2017 model. Ford has promised four new crossovers and SUVs by 2020 and if things keep trending this way the company will be able to sell them, but things could change in the next four years. GM saw the worst of it for domestic brands. Retail and fleet sales were down for each of the four divisions, with the May 2016 total dropping 18 percent to 240,450 vehicles. GM's year-to-date sales are down 5.0 percent in 2016 to 1,183,705. Both the Sierra and Silverado were down significantly, and the majority of Chevy, Buick, GMC, and Cadillac nameplates saw sales decreases, with both small cars and larger utilities included. Not even big stuff could help GM this month, it seems. We'll have more on the rest of the industry's May sales as those figures trickle in.

2017 Ram Rebel Mojave Sand preaches subtlety, revived 1500 Ignition Orange Sport doesn't

The traditionally green Los Angeles Auto Show isn't normally the place for pickup trucks, but that's not stopping Ram from bringing a pair of limited-edition trims for its popular 1500 pickup to sunny SoCal. First up, we have the 1500 Rebel Mojave Sand. Limited to just 1,500 units, this truck gets its name from its Mojave Sand exterior paint, which looks nothing like the identically named color Jeep sells on the Renegade. The cute ute's shade has a lot more tan than the almost-white color coming to the Ram Rebel. Of course, the Renegade doesn't get the Rebel's neat black graphics on the performance hood. Inside, the special-edition Rebel replaces the Radar Red seatbacks with all-black thrones, while Light Slate Gray stitching covers the IP, doors, and seats. Black anodized touches round out the cabin changes, and contribute to what is quite frankly a very business-like cabin. It feels out of place for a vehicle like the Rebel, but that doesn't mean it looks bad. If you think the Rebel Mojave Sand looks too muted, the new 1500 Ignition Orange Sport is anything but. A revival of a previous limited-edition package from 2015, the new truck brings back the bright orange exterior color, body color grille surround, black hood decals – which are identical to the Mojave Sand – and black badges. The main exterior difference between 2015 and 2017 are the wheels. Presumably 20-inchers, the five-spoke design is black for 2017 rather than silver. The cabin gets "Copperhead" accents and stitching throughout the cabin, with anodized orange trim pieces on the door panels and trim rings. Prices for the Rebel Mojave Sand start at $46,910 including $1,320 in destination charges. Deliveries should start in December. The Ignition Orange Sport, meanwhile, is only available on the 5.7-liter, V8-powered Crew Cab and kicks off at $45,060, also sans destination. The Jack-O-Lantern-themed trucks are hitting dealers now. Related Video:

Pony cars, trucks and Italian SUVs | Autoblog Podcast #552

On this week's Autoblog Podcast, Editor-in-Chief Greg Migliore is joined by Senior Editor Alex Kierstein and Associate Editor Reese Counts. We discuss the updated 2019 Chevy Camaro Turbo 1LE variant, the new 2019 GMC Sierra Denali, and the Ferrari-powered Maserati Levante GTS. We also debate whether Volkswagen should build the Atlas-based Tanoak pickup truck and what a delay means for the next-gen Ford Mustang. Finally, we answer a reader question about the state of Lexus.Autoblog Podcast #552 Get The Podcast iTunes – Subscribe to the Autoblog Podcast in iTunes RSS – Add the Autoblog Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator MP3 – Download the MP3 directly Rundown 2019 Chevy Camaro Turbo 1LE 2019 GMC Sierra 2019 Maserati Levante GTS Should Volkswagen build the Tanoak? Next-gen Ford Mustang delayed The past, present and future of Lexus Feedback Email – Podcast@Autoblog.com Review the show on iTunes Related Video: Podcasts Chevrolet Ford GM GMC Lexus Maserati RAM Truck Coupe SUV Luxury Performance