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Superman-themed Ram Power Wagon hits the block for charity

If you were tired of seeing Batman get all the cool cars while your favorite superhero was left to his own considerable devices, you may have been intrigued when Chrysler unveiled a special Ram Power Wagon last summer. Tied in to the premier of Man of Steel, the unique truck packed a blueish-grey vinyl wrap (textured like Superman's outfit), gloss-black accents, anodized red trim, 17-inch alloys and an interior decked out with Superman logos.
It was a nice tribute to the superest of superheros, but Ram only made the one, and it wasn't offered for sale. That is, at least, until now. With the movie's debut now long behind us, the one-off Power Wagon is being auctioned off to benefit LA Family Housing, a charity dedicated to helping disadvantaged families in Southern California.
Citing our favorite car site, the online auction page places the donated vehicle's value at $112,674, but bidding as we go to press currently stands at $47,500 with three days remaining. Head on over to Charity Buzz to help out a worthwhile cause and give yourself the chance to get your hands on a one-of-a-kind vehicle and piece of cinematic history.

2014 Ram ProMaster 2500

Front-wheel drive is what sets the all-new Ram ProMaster full-size commercial van apart from its competition. In a segment still choked with thirsty, rear-wheel-drive, ladder frame, pickup truck-based cargo vans, the American automaker is introducing something entirely new - well, new to our domestic market, as Europeans will recognize Ram's fresh entrant as a made-for-USA Fiat Ducato.
While the big ProMaster doesn't have a traditional body-on-frame chassis, it isn't a pure unibody either. Consider it a hybrid of both, with a unibody cab up front and a reinforced high-strength steel subframe in the rear. The platform employs double A-arms and MacPherson struts on the front axle, while the rear uses a simple tubular beam axle. Tires are 225/75R16 at all four corners. The steering is hydraulic rack-and-pinion (allowing an impressive 36-foot turning radius) and there are disc brakes with two-piston calipers all around. It is a solid, if unsophisticated, setup.
This game-changing van, which has already arrived in showrooms with a starting price of $28,630, is propelled by either a gasoline-powered 3.6-liter Pentastar six-cylinder (280 horsepower and 258 pound-feet of torque) or a new turbocharged 3.0-liter four-cylinder diesel (174 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque). Ram will offer a traditional six-speed automatic or a new six-speed automated single-clutch manual transmission that drops the hydraulic linkage to improve fuel economy - details are still emerging on this unique gearbox.

Ram ramping up MI truck production, does deal with Texas Rangers

Thanks to a host of upgrades at the Warren Truck Assembly Plant in Michgan, Ram Trucks is boosting production of the already strong-selling Ram 1500 to build 28,585 more of them a year. That works out roughly to five more per hour, or an additional 100 per day. The major key to the improvements was redesigning 353 assembly workstations to allow employees complete their tasks more efficiently. According to Ram, the expansion was done to meet growing demand for the pickup.
These kinds of comprehensive changes can't happen over night, obviously. From the end of 2013 through the summer shutdown in August, the Warren Truck plant received automation tweaks in the body shop and upgrades to the color booths in the paint shop.
However, the biggest shift was working with "UAW-represented team leaders and operators" to examine every workstation for efficiency improvements. In that analysis, the company identified and altered over 100 problems that could have caused an injury. What really helped to boost the production rate so significantly was moving about 300 parts, or grouping them into kits for better ergonomics, and eliminating walks to grab tools. Once everything was done, about 63 percent of workers at the factory got updated training.