2014 Ram 1500 Tradesman/express on 2040-cars

Auto blog

The AEV Recruit is a tough and capable Ram 1500, for a price

American Expedition Vehicles, or AEV, has been doing some wonderful things with Jeep and Ram trucks for the past 20 years. It's been the best source for the long-desired Jeep Wrangler pickup and for beefy overlanders like the Ram Prospector. The company's latest package, the Recruit, turns the already tough Ram 1500 into something that looks particularly fierce. Since it is an AEV product, you can be assured that it has the capabilities to back up the appearance. The Recruit package comes with a whole host of goodies like upgraded suspension and a huge snorkel. The AEV DualSport SE suspension uses Bilstein parts to increase wheel travel and adjust the suspension to balance on and off-road capabilities. The suspension, combined with the 35-inch tires, greatly increase the Recruit's ground clearance. A 4mm thick skid plate helps keep the engine from spilling its black, oily guts in the case that the increased height just isn't enough. A new hood provides better heat ventilation while a big, black filtered snorkel allows the Recruit to breathe easy, even if it's going for a swim. The AEV front bumper comes with Vision X fog lights and is capable of handling up to a 10,000 lbs winch. An optional Vision X LED light bar can provide even better visibility. Other optional features include a leather interior upgrade, a tonneau cover, retractable running boards, and a rear bumper step. All that kit doesn't come cheap. The Recruit starts at $14,950, and that doesn't include the price of the Ram 1500 that provides the canvas for AEV's artisans. Options can easily push the price to nearly $30,000. The good news is that AEV provides a 12 month, 12,000 mile warranty on their builds, so you're paying for quality from a company that stands behind its products. If you want a truck that's willing to go anywhere you want to push it, the new AEV Recruit is hard to beat. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.

Ram and Fiat Professional announce plans for new trucks, vans starting in 2015

Ram Trucks CEO and President Reid Bigland got his turn among the executives elucidating the near-term futures for brands in the Fiat Chrysler Automobiles umbrella, laying out the plans for both Ram trucks and Fiat Professional. After Bigland said that the company "will continue to invest heavily in commercial vehicles" for the Italian arm, he didn't give many specifics as to where that investment would go. What we do know for now is that a new Fiat Doblo will come next year - that's the truck we've been catching spy shots of and that will be the basis for the Ram ProMaster City.
In 2016 will come the next-generation Fiorino, a small cargo van sold in markets outside the US as a Fiat, as the Citroën Nemo and Peugeot Bipper. The European and South American markets will also get a new midsize pickup that same year.
Bigland's goal for Ram Trucks and Ram commercial is just a touch more ambitious: "Build the best pickup trucks and commercial vehicles in the industry" and increase NAFTA-market sales from 463,000 in 2013 to 620,000 in 2018. The waypoints along that road include a refresh for the Ram 1500 in 2015 and then a brand new 1500 to come two years later in 2017. Bracketing that, a refresh for the Heavy Duty lineup happens in 2016, and two years later it will also get an all-new generation.

FCA looking into Ram-based SUV, midsize pickup

Fiat Chrysler Automobiles (FCA) is looking into manufacturing a large SUV based on the Ram 1500 pickup truck's current platform, reports USA Today. If built, the SUV would compete against the Chevrolet Tahoe and could even spawn a smaller pickup. Ram already has most of the bases covered with its current lineup, but a smaller pickup truck would allow it to enter the booming midsize pickup segment where it would compete with the segment-leading Toyota Tacoma along with the Chevy Colorado and GMC, which are the newest entries. Mike Manley, head of Fiat Chrysler's Jeep and Ram brands, told USA Today that the current platform found in the Ram 1500 could be utilized for a body-on-frame SUV. With a large SUV, FCA would be able to capitalize on the ever-growing SUV market and go toe-to-toe with General Motors (GM) and Ford. The next-generation of Ram pickup trucks is expected to go on sale in early 2018, which would put a large SUV close behind. In an attempt to increase the automaker's production capacity, FCA also plans to move Ram's current production facility from Warren to Sterling Heights, MI. With Jeep continually posting healthy numbers, it makes perfect sense for FCA to build more SUVs. GM currently uses the same platform on a plethora of its SUVs with good results, which makes FCA's proposed plan a viable option. Related Video: News Source: USA Today, Scott Olson/Getty RAM Truck SUV