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There's an impending shortage of new trucks in America's heartland

URBANDALE, Iowa — Jerry Bill is worried the novel coronavirus could hurt business at the Des Moines auto dealership he runs, but not because of a shortage of buyers for the big Ram pickups on his lot. "Our biggest issue will be if we don't get more inventory," said Bill, general sales manager of Stew Hansen Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram, which sells around 2,700 new vehicles a year in Urbandale, a suburb of Iowa's capital Des Moines. After a drop in sales in April when consumers stayed home, Bill expects pickup truck sales to end May similar to where they were a year earlier. And if demand remains strong, Bill said he will run out of popular models in June. Fiat Chrysler began slowly restarting Ram truck assembly lines on Monday after a two-month shutdown. The U.S. economy contracted in the first quarter at its sharpest pace since the Great Recession of 2007-2009 because of lockdown measures aimed at slowing the spread of the coronavirus. Economists warn the second quarter will be much worse. Still, far from the lockdowns of states like New York, Michigan or Ohio, dealerships like Stew Hansen have provided FCA and Detroit rivals General Motors and Ford a rare bright spot: strong sales of pickup trucks in America's heartland. Overall U.S. sales of cars and light trucks crashed to the weakest pace in 50 years last month. But sales of big Detroit brand pickups, particularly in southern and western states less affected by the outbreak, significantly outperformed the market, industry executives and analysts said. Pickup trucks are one of the most profitable automotive segments in the world. They account for a huge portion of the Detroit automakers' profits and formed a huge lure for Peugeot, which expects to merge with FCA by early 2021. The pressure is now on to boost pickup truck production and send vehicles to dealers in parts of the country with dwindling supplies. That is particularly true for GM, which is running short of certain truck models after losing 40 days of production to a strike last fall. "If you don't have what someone wants, they can choose to go to another brand," said Cox Automotive analyst Michelle Krebs. 'Easiest swap ever' Detroit automakers in March rolled out large discounts — such as interest-free loans for seven years — to keep vehicles rolling off dealer lots.

2019 Ram 1500 prototype gives us better glimpse of grille

Though we've managed to see most of the 2019 Ram 1500 from previous spy shots, we're still discovering new details here and there in spy photos. The latest batch shown above feature a truck with camouflage that covers most of the body, but curiously leaves the grille practically bare. The grille appears to be a version of what we saw on the nearly uncovered example from a few months ago. This time, that central bar is uncovered. In some ways, it looks like a sleeker version of the grille found on current Laramie Rams; the holes on either side of the emblem area are slimmed way down, and fit a single line. We can also see that those holes line up with the turn signal/daytime running light elements in the headlights. If you're not a fan of this new grille, the good news is that there will probably be a variety of different designs available, just as there are on current Rams. There aren't many other details to glean from this prototype, though. It appears to be the longer of the four-door models and has an impressive amount of glass area. The tailgate is fully covered, so we can't tell if this has a conventional drop-down gate or the split version we've seen on another prototype. We should know much more in about a month when the Ram 1500 is expected to appear at the 2018 Detroit Auto Show. For more about the Ram including renderings of the final truck, check out our post on what we know so far. Related Video:

Ram offers Rebel 1500 Black in any color you want but especially black

The new Black edition is a natural extension of the Ram 1500 Rebel idea: making a good truck look a little more badass. So on top of the Rebel appearance goodies, which includes that distinctive grille and a bunch of (new for 2016) extras like beefier fender flares, the Black brings a lot of dark accents to the mix. But don't assume that you have to get one with a black exterior. You can get the Black edition in any color the Ram 1500 Rebel is normally offered in. What the Black edition adds to the mix is darkened wheels, brush guard, and an interior that is totally blacked-out. The heated, embroidered seats can also done up with Katskin leather. Bits like the door bezels, instrument panel and gauge rings, and grey accent stitching class up the cabin. Like a regular 1500 Rebel, buyers have a choice of the 5.7-liter Hemi V8 or 3.6-liter Pentastar V6, either paried with the Rebel's standard 33-inch offroad tires and air suspension. If you want one, prices start at $46,910. The Rebel Black will be at dealers by March. Related Video: