2013 Ram 1500 4wd Quad Cab Express on 2040-cars

Auto blog

2014 Ram 1500 Diesel

Remember when Mahindra & Mahindra was close to offering a compact diesel pickup here? A million voices from the truck-and-bed-loving tribes of the Internet cried out at once in anticipation, only to be silenced in disappointment when it didn't happen. And this was for a jitney with a bed that didn't exactly look robust in its press photos. The message these fans had was clear: light-duty truck + a diesel engine = a prayer answered for a significant contingent of truck buyers.
Ram tells us a fullsize diesel half-ton has been the number-one demand from customers, and it will be the first manufacturer to grand the wish when the 2014 Ram 1500 goes on sale early next year - "late availability" in Q1 of 2014 is the official word - with a 3.0-liter, six-cylinder turbodiesel provided by VM Motori. If you're wondering about the engine source, VM Motori has been a Chrysler supplier since 1992. DaimlerChrysler bought VM Motori in 2000, and after a few ownership-stake changes since then, it is presently a 50-50 joint venture between General Motors and Fiat. That will change shortly, however, with Fiat recently announcing it will buy GM's share and take full control of the company.
Driving Notes

Ram bringing Rumble Bee Concept to Woodward

The 2013 Woodward Dream Cruise is taking place this weekend, and will see the arrival of over 1.5 million people and around 40,000 vehicles of seemingly every make in history. It's also a huge event for the manufacturers that call Detroit home, with Chevrolet setting up shop in Birmingham, Ford and its Mustang Alley locating itself in Ferndale and Chrysler hunkering down at 13 Mile in Royal Oak.
Ram will take advantage of the captive audience (if you think we're joking with the use of the term "captive," you've never tried to get off of Woodward during The Cruise) to show a new concept truck. And, judging from these teasers, it's going to be.. the Rumble Bee. In the past, Ram offered a Rumble Bee edition Ram 1500 that was mainly a styling treatment, but they were kinda cool trucks for those that wanted a muscle car but needed the room and utility of a big vehicle.
Details on the new Rumble Bee are scarce, but judging by the images seen here, it will sport bright yellow paint and a pair of large, black, five-spoke wheels wrapped in low-profile tires. The hood sports a set of hoodscoops for a bit more aggression, while the interior gets a reinterpreted dial shifter for the eight-speed automatic. We also see what may be a button to let a bit more rumble emanate from what we'd assume is a large Hemi engine underhood. Take a look at the gallery below to see both teaser images, and check back here for more as soon as we get it.

NHTSA investigating power modules on Chrysler Group SUVs and minivans

The Center for Auto Safety is officially petitioning the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to begin scrutinizing alleged problems with the totally integrated power module (TIPM) on about 24 Chrysler Group SUVs and minivans. The advocacy group claims that the part's failure can cause affected vehicles to stall or not start at all. NHTSA is still looking into the accusations and deciding whether a full investigation is actually warranted.
The CAS petition claims at least 70 TIPM failures, but according to NHTSA, six of the complaints are for models that don't have the modules. In 34 of the reported cases, the vehicles refused to start, and in 17 of them the engine stalled. There were also two allegations of smoke and one of a fire. However, none of these affected airbag deployment or resulted in a crash.
This petition isn't the first TIPM-related problem for Chrysler Group. A recent report in the New York Times alleged that it found 240 complaints potentially related to the issue on NHTSA's website alone. In September, the automaker also recalled 230,760 examples worldwide (188,723 in the US) of the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee and Dodge Durango replace the fuel pump relay circuit inside of the TIPM-7 with one external to the unit. The original part could allegedly cause the models to stall without warning. Even earlier, the company also recalled about 80,000 examples of the Jeep Wrangler and Dodge Nitro in 2007 to have the module reprogrammed.