2013 Ram 3500 Tradesman Crew 4x4 Diesel Dually Longbed Texas Direct Auto on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2019 Ram 1500 gets vertical touchscreen infotainment system

Truck buyers have grown to expect more than class-leading payload, towing, and torque figures. Today's pickups entice buyers with roomy cabins, luxurious interior materials, and the latest technologies that automakers have to offer. In the case of Ram, that includes FCA's well-regarded UConnect infotainment system. And judging by this latest set of spy shots, the 2019 Ram 1500's UConnect 4.0 package will include an inverted LCD screen. Vertical-oriented touchscreens are already available in certain Tesla, Volvo, and Toyota Prius Prime models, but this is the first such system we've seen in a pickup truck. The tall screen is flanked by hard buttons – some of which duplicate on-screen climate controls – and an additional set of software buttons appear at the bottom. Toggle switches below the screen include an option to manually raise and lower the Ram's air suspension setup. And finally, two dials remain for audio volume and tuning functions. A look at the 2019 Ram 1500's key fob shows that it, too, will get buttons to adjust the truck's ride height. That should make it easier to bring the pickup closer to the ground for entry and to load the bed, even from outside the cabin. We expect to see the Ram 1500 to debut in production spec at the Detroit Auto Show in January of 2018. Related Video: Featured Gallery 2019 Ram 1500 interior: Spy Shots Image Credit: Brian Williams Spy Photos RAM Technology Infotainment Truck

Ram confirms Fiat Ducato vans to form new Promaster series for US

Chrysler has officially confirmed that Ram will develop an all-new large van for the US market based on the Fiat Ducato. The commercial rig will go on sale in the third quarter of next year, joining the Ram C/V on the company's professional van line. Expect to see the Promaster face off against the Ford Transit and revised Chevrolet Express.
Chrysler is pretty skimpy on details when it comes to the Promaster, but it has said the vehicle will make use of "familiar Ram Truck styling cues." The van will reportedly also bow with powertrains targeted specifically at the North American market.
Chrysler and Ram made the announcement ahead of the LA Auto Show alongside news that the company will launch a new Ram commercial truck division.

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.