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Ram Truck digs in with Laramie Longhorn-inspired Case backhoe

Some combinations seem natural immediately like chocolate and peanut butter, but others take a little more consideration before they begin make sense. That is exactly the situation with the new partnership between Ram and heavy equipment-maker Case to build a one-of-a-kind Ram 3500 with a matching, customized Case 580 Super N Wide Track Backhoe. The unique combo is currently on display at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG 2014 show in Las Vegas, NV, and afterwards will go on tour for the rest of the year at Ram- and Case-sponsored events.
While it is undoubtedly odd to see a modified backhoe, it almost gets cool when you se the interior. Both vehicles the same two-tone gold and black paint scheme, and the backhoe's cab has been refinished to match the truck with shades of brown leather, Laramie badges and chrome trim. If you have to be in a backhoe, this one looks like the one to choose. Plus, this might be the first backhoe ever with chrome wheels.
The truck that the backhoe is attached to a Ram 3500 Laramie Longhorn Crew Cab 4x4 with a 6.7-liter Cummins Turbo Diesel with 850 foot-pounds of torque, plus an improved transfer case and heavy-duty transmission. Like its matching heavy equipment friend, the truck is also supposed to offer a mix of luxury and working ability. Scroll down for the full press release on this very curious combo.

Truckmakers squabbling over who can sell Jimmy Fallon a pickup

Snagging a celebrity endorsement is a big deal for automakers, as evidenced by the recent efforts of the Detroit Three to try and woo The Tonight Show's newest host, Jimmy Fallon, into one of their trucks.
After announcing during Wednesday night's show that he was in the market for a pickup truck, Fallon set off a firestorm of efforts on Twitter, with both Ford and Chevrolet petitioning the funnyman to test out a truck. According to Ad Age, Ford recommended the King Ranch edition of its next-generation F-150 while the show was still airing. Chevy, meanwhile, waited until the next morning to pitch a Silverado to Fallon.
The winner of this social media feeding frenzy, though, was Ram. Promoting a variation of its "Guts, Glory, Ram" tagline, the Auburn Hills-based manufacturer created the hashtag #GUTSGLORYFallon. It even went so far as to park a Ram 1500 outside 30 Rockefeller Center in New York, where The Tonight Show is filmed. On the back of the Ram sat a sign, reading "Big enough, Jimmy? Test it out," referencing a joke from the Wednesday show.

Ram ProMaster City getting facelift courtesy of Fiat Doblo?

Our intrepid spy photographers have caught prototypes for a new Fiat Doblo. Now we know what you might be thinking (particularly if you didn't take note of the headline): why would we care about an automaker conducting a facelift on a European cargo van? Normally we wouldn't, only the Fiat Doblo has another name, under which it will be shortly be sold here in America: Ram ProMaster City.
Announced just months ago, the ProMaster City is the smaller counterpart to the Ram ProMaster, which itself is also a rebadged cargo van from Fiat Professional. Think of it as a Chrysler version of the Ford Transit and Transit Connect lineup - European vans being brought Stateside by automakers that operate on both sides of the Atlantic.
But despite the official announcement of the vehicle's pending arrival, we still haven't seen the PMC yet. The disguised Doblo prototypes pictured here appear to be wearing a completely new front end and some cosmetic revisions to their tail ends, too. We can't see anything in the interior, but the fact that it was completely covered up suggests that Fiat is working on overhauling that, as well.