2014 Ram 1500 Laramie on 2040-cars

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Chrysler to replace transmissions on 159 2014 Ram 1500s

Some recalls we report on are bigger than others. This one involves a big vehicle, but only 159 of them. No, not 159,000. Just 159.
The vehicle in question is the Ram 1500 - specifically the 2014 model, and more specifically than that, those made over the course of 12 days in late January and early February of this year. According to the statement below, Chrysler was notified by one of its transmission suppliers that a small shipment of gearboxes might have difficulty shifting into Park.
Although the Auburn Hills, MI-based automaker says it is unaware of any accidents or injuries having resulted from the issue, and has not received any specific complaints, it is notifying the owners of the 159 trucks in question to bring their pickups in for service and, if necessary, to have the entire transmission replaced.

Stellantis ready to kill brands and fix U.S. problems, CEO Tavares says

  MILAN — Stellantis is taking steps to fix weak margins and high inventory at its U.S. operations and will not hesitate to axe underperforming brands in its sprawling portfolio, its chief executive Carlos Tavares said on Thursday. The warning for lossmaking brands is a turnaround for Tavares, who has maintained since Stellantis was created in 2021 from the merger of Italian-American automaker Fiat Chrysler and France's PSA that all of its 14 brands including Maserati, Fiat, Peugeot and Jeep have a future. "If they don't make money, we'll shut them down," Carlos Tavares told reporters after the world's No. 4 automaker delivered worse-than-expected first-half results, sending its shares down as much as 10%. "We cannot afford to have brands that do not make money." The automaker now also considers China's Leapmotor as its 15th brand, after it agreed to a broad cooperation with the group. Stellantis does not release figures for individual brands, except for Maserati which reported an 82 million euro adjusted operating loss in the first half. Some analysts say Maserati could possibly be a target for a sale by Stellantis, while other brands such as Lancia or DS might be at risk of being scrapped given their marginal contribution to the group's overall sales. Stellantis' Milan-listed shares were down as much as 12.5% on Thursday, hitting their lowest since August 2023. That brings the loss for the year so far to 22%, making them the worst performer among the major European automakers. Few automotive brands have been killed off since General Motors ditched the unprofitable Saturn and Pontiac during a U.S. government-led bankruptcy in the global financial crisis in 2008. Tavares is under pressure to revive flagging margins and sales and cut inventory in the United States as Stellantis bets on the launch of 20 new models this year which it hopes will boost profitability. Recent poor results from global carmakers have heightened worries about a weakening outlook for sales across major markets such as the U.S., whilst they also juggle an expensive transition to electric vehicles and growing competition from cheaper Chinese rivals. Japan's Nissan Motor saw first-quarter profit almost completely wiped out on Thursday and slashed its annual outlook, as deep discounting in the United States shredded its margins. Tavares said he would be working through the summer with his U.S. team on how to improve performance and cut inventory.

VWerks Ram KTS is a Ram Runner aftermarket-style

Chrysler first introduced us to its Ram Runner exactly two years ago at SEMA, but for buyers of this Raptor-like truck who don't want to go through dealerships for the upgrades, VWerks has just the thing. Looking every bit as mean as the dealer-built Ram Runner, the VWerks Ram KTS gets a wide-body treatment and upgraded off-road performance suspension similar to its Mopar contemporary.
Starting life as your everyday Ram 1500, the Ram KTS on display at SEMA features a beefed-up KORE long-travel suspension system and off-road tires that allows the truck to tackle tough terrain at high speeds. From there, VWerks also added wider front and rear fenders, matte black 17-inch wheels and a Flowmaster performance cat-back exhaust system. For buyers looking for the rough and rugged look of the KTS but not needing the high-speed, off-road abilities, VWerks also offers the Baja Series kit that replaces the performance suspension system with a set of 20-inch wheels.
The VWerks Ram KTS and Ram Baja Series kits are available on any 2009 through 2013 model year Ram 1500, but there is no word on pricing for either kit yet. Scroll down for more information about both kits, and check out the KTS in our live gallery above.