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2019 Ram 1500 eTorque First Drive Review | The un-hybrids

Misinformation is already being passed around about the 2019 Ram 1500 eTorque – reports calling the new electrified version of the full-size half-ton pickup truck a hybrid and saying its eTorque system adds torque to the truck's engine increasing payload, towing capacity, and performance. Don't believe a word of it – this isn't a hybrid in the conventional sense of the word. eTorque does not increase the truck's power or capability. Instead, the system feeds in some electric torque at low RPM, which helps with fuel efficiency by spinning up the engine during start/stop operation, smoothing gearchanges, and harvesting some energy from braking – that's basically it. Ram is partially to blame for the hybrid confusion. Although the "h"-word does not appear anywhere on the truck or the vehicle's window sticker, the automaker has chosen to call eTorque a "mild-hybrid system", which implies that it might be able to propel the truck on electric power. But the Ram's small battery pack and single electric motor cannot – it's more similar to the original GM Parallel Hybrid Truck system than the later two-motor, two-mode hybrid system circa 2009. Also, eTorque applies power to the engine and the wheels briefly at very low engine speeds and during gear changes. These applications of power only last for fractions of a second at any given time, some as quick as the blink of an eye. So it's a labeling fiasco, but Ram's explanation of the eTorque system's operation and its benefits, which are significant, can also be perplexing. And the resulting discombobulation is unfortunate, because eTorque is clever, and it really does work. Earlier this week we drove two Rams with the system, one a V6 and one a Hemi, through Kentucky horse country, and came away impressed by its measurable contributions to the truck's fuel efficiency, drivability and smooth operation. We also interviewed Mike Raymond, the Chief Engineer on the Ram 1500, and Brian Spohn, Ram's Vehicle Electrification Manager, Powertrain Engineering, to better understand what it is and how it functions. How eTorque works Ram will offer the 3.6-liter 24-valve V6 with eTorque as the standard engine in most models. The V6 will not be available without eTorque, although we'd be surprised if it wasn't added to the menu at a later date.

Ram/Jeep Ecodiesel engine has Maserati roots

The 3.0L turbodiesel V6 in the 2014 Ram 1500 EcoDiesel earned a slot on Ward's Automotive 2014 10 Best Engines for its power, fuel economy and refinement. In a piece looking at how Fiat subsidiary VM Motor developed the engine, Ward's also makes note of the fact that the same lump goes in diesel versions of the Maserati Quattroporte and Ghibli. They're tuned a bit differently, naturally, with the QP putting out 275 horsepower and 442 pound-feet of torque, the smaller, lighter Ghibli making do with the same number of horses but a lower torque output of 420 lb-ft.
The 240 horsepower and 420 pound-feet put out by the oil-burning six-cylinder in the Ram was tamed with a host of advances, but it appears that Ram hasn't tamed demand: the initial allocation of 8,000 engines was spoken for within three days of the truck going on sale. Head over to Ward's to read the story of how Ram worked out the equation light-duty-pickup + diesel = success.

Hyundai reportedly eyeing a takeover of FCA

The CEO of Hyundai Motor Group plans to launch a takeover bid for Fiat Chrysler ahead of the planned retirement of FCA Chief Executive Sergio Marchionne next spring, Asia Times reports, citing unnamed sources close the situation. CEO Chung Mong-koo will wait for an expected decline in the Italian-American automaker's shares to make his move. Hyundai isn't commenting on the rumors, unsurprisingly, but would presumably stand to benefit by gaining Chrysler's dealer network and the lucrative Jeep brand and probably Ram, too. An FCA spokeswoman in Auburn Hills told Autoblog the company had no comment. But like any story about a possible takeover, this one gets complicated with inside players — and President Trump's posturing on international trade issues. FCA has been the subject of takeover interest before, including by Hyundai, but Marchionne has denied a merger was likely, instead saying his company was in talks with the Korean automaker about a technical partnership. In 2015, Marchionne lobbied General Motors hard, but unsuccessfully, for a tie-up; he was also spurned by Volkswagen. Marchionne had repeatedly stressed the need for car companies to merge to decrease overcapacity and better afford the massive investments needed for things like autonomous and electric vehicles. In the case of Hyundai's reported interest, there is a cast of characters. One is Paul Singer, principal of the hedge fund Elliott Management, an activist shareholder with a $1 billion stake in Hyundai and a major owner of equities in Fiat's home turf of Italy. Then there is FCA Chairman John Elkann, who reportedly disagrees with Marchionne on a successor as CEO of Fiat Chrysler but has little interest in running the company himself and would prefer a merger. Compounding things is what the Trump administration would think of a further blending of Fiat Chrysler's international DNA, though a deal with a Korean automaker is thought to be more palatable to the president and members of Congress than by a Chinese conglomerate like Great Wall Motor, which has confirmed its interest in taking over all or parts of FCA. The full Asia Times piece is here. Related Video: News Source: Asia TimesImage Credit: REUTERS/Rebecca Cook Chrysler Fiat Hyundai Jeep RAM Sergio Marchionne FCA merger takeover