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GM already raising prices on 2014 Silverado and Sierra pickups

General Motors must be pretty pleased with sales of its two newest pickups, the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado, as it's announced price hikes for both models, as part of a planned price tweak.
Prices will be bumped by as much as $1,500, although weirdly, they'll be offset by as much as $1,500 in cash-back offers through the end of October. Fox Business reports that GM spokesman Jim Cain said of the price hike, "With the sell down of the '13 models nearly complete, this price adjustment was planned and is a normal part of business."
The move, as Fox is quick to point out, is an interesting one, as sales of the twin pickups struggled last month relative to the Ford F-Series, while both of GM's crosstown competitors have been aggressively undercutting Silverado and Sierra prices. The F-150 starts at $24,070 and the Ram 1500 comes in at $23,600, not counting any cash on the hood. A base Silverado, meanwhile, retails at $25,575.

Fiat Chrysler's profit boosted by Ram and Jeep in North America

MILAN/DETROIT — Fiat Chrysler took the market by surprise by sticking to its full-year profit guidance on Wednesday after a strong performance from its Ram pickup truck in North America helped it defy an industry slowdown. Chief Executive Mike Manley, in FCA's first earnings release since a failed attempt to merge with France's Renault, also left the door open to that or other deals. "We are open to opportunity," Manley said on a call with analysts. "I have no doubt why there still would be interest in it," he added, when pressed on what it would take to revive talks with Renault. Manley declined to comment further. FCA last month abandoned its $35 billion merger offer for Renault, blaming French politics for scuttling what would have been a landmark deal to create the world's third-biggest automaker. Manley said a merger was not a must-have and Fiat Chrysler's business plan was strong. The company said it remained confident its adjusted earnings before interest and tax (EBIT) would top last year's 6.7 billion euros ($7.5 billion). Given disappointing forecasts from other automakers this earnings season, FCA's confirmation of the outlook sent Milan-listed shares in the Italian-American automaker, whose other brands include Jeep, up over 4%. A broad-based auto sales downturn has rattled the sector, forcing FCA's competitors — including Renault, Daimler and Aston Martin — to cut their sales forecasts after second-quarter results, while U.S. carmaker Ford gave a weaker-than-expected 2019 profit outlook. Japan's Nissan, a long-term partner of Renault, said it would cut 12,500 jobs by 2023 after its earnings collapsed. In the second quarter FCA's adjusted EBIT totaled 1.52 billion euros, versus analysts' expectations of 1.43 billion euros, according to a Reuters poll. FCA's U.S. shipments were down 12% in the second quarter but the group said that the successful performance of its Ram brand resulted in an enhanced share of the large pickup truck market of 27.9%, up 7 percentage points from last year. Adjusted EBIT margin in North America rose to 8.9% from 6.5% in the first quarter, thanks to strong demand for the heavy-duty Ram and the new Jeep Gladiator pickup. Chief Financial Officer Richard Palmer also said FCA expected to report up to 10% margins in the region in both the third and fourth quarters.

2015 Ram Laramie Limited brings more luxury, tweaked style to Chicago

Once upon a time, the Chicago Auto Show was where truck manufacturers chose to introduce their wares. New HD truck? Go to Chicago. Entry level, midsize pickup? Chicago. Flagship dually? Chicago. While that's far from a rule nowadays, Ram still looked to the Windy City to introduce the new version of its flagship trim – the Laramie Limited. Featured in light-duty 1500, heavy-duty 2500 and I-need-to-tow-Australia 3500 bodies, the Laramie Limited is the latest proof that pickups are no longer limited to work, but are proper luxury vehicles in their own right. To reflect this, Ram has upholstered the Laramie Limited's cabin in gorgeous black Natura Plus leather. We're pretty fond of the Graystone piping on the seats, while the pinstripe theme found throughout on the Black Argento wood and contrast stitching certainly ups the styling ante. The center stack is home to most of the cabin's brightwork, with K-black Dark Metallic paint, while LED accent lighting is found throughout. Ram was liberal with the application of Liquid Graphite finishes, adding it to the center stack's bezels and the gauges and needles in the handsome instrument cluster. For the exterior, Ram has thrown the whole idea of subtlety out the window. There's plenty of inspiration from the Ram Rebel that was shown at the 2015 Detroit Auto Show, only instead of the dark finishes of that vehicle, the Laramie Limited features lots, and lots of chrome. Like the Rebel, the flagship truck gets a restyled grille, complete with a domineering "RAM" badge, although the nose of the Laramie Limited is nothing compared to its tailgate. The rear of the truck is home to an enormous, 20-inch wide "RAM" badge that the company hilariously explains away in its press release, saying it's there "so onlookers can clearly identify the truck." Okay. Beyond the borderline obnoxious badges, Ram has finished the front and rear bumpers and mirror caps in chrome, and opted for a stylish dark housing for the halogen-only headlights. Those units crown LED turn signals, while the taillamps are straight LED throughout. We have an extensive gallery of images detailing the new Laramie Limited, and you can bet that we'll be complementing the official shots with live images from the floor of the 2015 Chicago Auto Show. Until then, head into Comments and let us know what you think of Ram's not-so-subtle flagship.