12 Ram 2500hd 4x4 Laramie Longhorn 6.7l Cummins Turbo Diesel on 2040-cars

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Chrysler and Hyundai join Pepsi and Coke as top Super Bowl spenders [w/ video]

Super Bowl XLVIII is barely a week away, and some of the early ads are already leaking out. It's timely then that The Street has released rankings of the top five Super Bowl advertisers since 2009, showing Chrysler and Hyundai/Kia taking two of the spots with $131.7 million in cumulative spending.
Since 2010, the cost to air a 30-second Super Bowl ad has risen from $3 million in 2009 to about $4 million in 2014, and about a fifth of advertisers opt for a one-minute ad, which doubles costs. Last year, the ads brought in $292 million, and they have brought in roughly $2 billion since 2010.
Chrysler has spent $64.3 million since 2009 to make it the fourth highest spending company in the last five years. In that time, the company has rebranded itself as it emerged from bankruptcy with the Imported from Detroit ad campaign that premiered in 2011 and last year's God Made a Farmer Ram Trucks ad. Its 2012 Halftime in America sparked national debate about whether it was also a reference to the upcoming presidential election.

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:

Ram boosts Heavy Duty truck claims for 2015 [w/video]

The heavy-duty truck segment boasts some of the tightest competition of any automotive niche in the US. Being able to tout just one best-in-class figure can be a marketing advantage over competitors, and Ram Trucks is adding one more accolade to its tally with a powertrain update for the 2015 Ram 2500 and 3500 Heavy Duty pickups. Ram now claims best-in-class ratings for torque, towing and payload, depending on configuration.
The major change comes for the 3500 HD with a boost in torque for its Cummins 6.7-liter, inline-six diesel engine. It now produces a meaty 865 pound-feet of twist, a boost of 15 lb-ft, which is the best figure in its segment, according to the company. To eek out the extra power, the mill has more aggressive fuel delivery, and the turbo has been recalibrated. Of course, more grunt would be meaningless if drivers couldn't do anything with it, and the tweaks help allow payload to grow to 7,390 pounds, up from a rating of 7,320 pounds last year. The max towing rating remains unchanged at 30,000 pounds, though.
The rest of the powertrain lineup carries over from last year. The base HD mill is the gasoline-fed 5.7-liter V8 with 383 hp and 400 lb-ft and a six-speed automatic. The next step up is a 6.4-liter V8 with 410 hp and 429 lb-ft. There are also three trims of the 6.7-liter Cummins diesel starting with 350 hp and 660 lb-ft with a six-speed manual gearbox. If buyers opt for a the 68RFE six-speed auto, they get 370 hp and 800 lb-ft. Finally, there's the updated, top-rung version with 385 hp and 865 lb-ft with an Aisin six-speed automatic transmission.