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Dongfeng and PSA extend Chinese joint venture

BEIJING/PARIS — China's Dongfeng and Peugeot maker PSA are extending their business cooperation, despite the Chinese company reducing its stake in PSA to help smooth the French carmaker's merger with Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA). Dongfeng said on Thursday it had agreed with PSA to extend the duration of their joint venture Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen Automobiles (DPCA). Under the deal, the venture could get the rights to PSA's new brands in China and will benefit from new technologies and intellectual properties, the Chinese company said. PSA was not immediately available for comment. The announcement comes a day after the companies said Dongfeng would reduce its 12.2% stake in PSA by selling 30.7 million shares to the French company. Analysts said the move could smooth U.S. regulatory approval for PSA's roughly $50 billion (GBP38.97 billion) merger with Italian-American carmaker FCA. The sale of Dongfeng's shares in PSA, worth around 680 million euros ($757 million), will leave the Chinese group holding around 4.5% of the merged PSA-FCA, which is set to become the world's fourth-biggest carmaker by sales volumes. "As the cooperation between Dongfeng and PSA deepens, we expect the joint venture to continue making good progress in China," a Dongfeng representative said. On a conference call, Dongfeng said DPCA would have exclusive rights to PSA's Opel cars should the partners agree to bring the brand to China, and enjoy lower prices on car parts imported from PSA. Earlier this year, a document seen by Reuters showed Dongfeng and PSA plan to cut jobs at Wuhan-based DPCA and reduce its number of car plants to try to make the venture more profitable. Chrysler Dodge Fiat Jeep RAM Citroen Peugeot China FCA PSA Dongfeng

Nissan Altima plows under Ram pulling trailer in bizarre accident

If you've ever wondered whether it's possible to wedge a Nissan Altima underneath both a Ram pickup and a camper trailer it was towing, well, here's your confirmation. The improbable accident happened earlier this month in Virginia Beach, Va., on westbound Interstate 264. Virginia State Police tell WAVY-TV the 2011 Ram and its four occupants was pulling a travel trailer when the trailer's brakes locked up, stranding them in the second lane of traffic. That reportedly caused traffic to back up on the freeway, with troopers called to the scene for help. But the call was soon updated to a crash situation, and when police arrived on the scene, they found the white 2013 Altima wedged underneath the truck and trailer, right underneath the hitch. Police say the woman driving the Altima was trying to slow down and merge right to avoid the traffic logjam caused by the trailer when she instead rear-ended it and drove underneath it like a wedge. Which is pretty impressive when you think about it — especially since no one was hurt in the crash. The woman was reportedly using a hands-free device on a cellphone call at the time of the crash, WVEC-TV reports. No charges were filed, and she was reportedly able to free herself from the pinned Altima. Roof strength FTW! Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

2022 Ram 1500 Review | Still great, but is it still best?

Things have gotten interesting. The 2022 Ram 1500 remains every bit the exceptional pickup it's been since being completely redesigned three years ago. From the humble Tradesman all the way up to the indulgent Limited (with the stupefying Ram TRX on its own high-octane plane of existence), the Ram is a thoughtfully designed truck with distinctive features and a compelling lineup of build combinations. It satisfies the nuts-and-bolts capability requirements of a serious truck, while boasting shockingly refined road manners and a knock-out interior. It's a winner. The wrinkle is that this winner's league just got a whole lot harder this season. Last year's updated Ford F-150 saw the addition of a hybrid powertrain Ram can't match, plus chassis refinements that wipe out much of the Ram's previous on-road advantages. For 2022, there's an all-new Toyota Tundra that counts a rear coil-spring suspension (just like the Ram) among its multitude of improvements, while the 2022 Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra see their laughable interiors get replaced by what appear to be cabins that are every bit the equal (if possibly better) than the Ram in terms of design, quality and feature content. Apart from the Ford, we have yet to spend enough time with these updated competitors to make any definitive statements about which is now the best (OK, so it's probably not the Tundra), but the Ram definitely remains in the running. Interior & technology   |   Passenger & cargo space   |   Performance & fuel economy What it's like to drive   |   Pricing & features   |   Crash ratings & safety features What's new for 2022? The new Uconnect 5 tech interface is added to the Ram 1500, starting with the Big Horn trim level. It's four times faster and has three times more memory than Uconnect 4 (which was one of the better systems out there as-is). The Trailer Tow Group adds four LED lights directly above the hitch, and a new Clean Air system is now standard, filtering out 95% of air particulates. Then there's the annual Ram tradition of new models and appearance packages, most of which are pictured in the above gallery. The new Laramie G/T and Rebel G/T (pictured above left) are fully described here. The BackCountry, which builds upon the Big Horn/Lone Star, adds a body-color grille surround, black-accented two-tone paint and various black-painted exterior parts. On the other end of the trim level spectrum, the mighty TRX gains an Ignition variant.