One Owner '98 Dodge Ram In Excellent Condition on 2040-cars

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Watch the video that inspired Ram's Farmer Super Bowl commercial

Chrysler may have the Super Bowl's most popular commercial for a third year in a row. Eminem and Eastwood helped it earn that distinction the last two years, and while Oprah did the voiceover for this year's Jeep ad, it's Chrysler's other spot that's in the running for Most Valuable Ad after the big game this year.
So where did the Ram brand's commercial about farmers come from? As it turns out, the ad appears to be inspired, shall we say, by a video produced by Farms.com that was uploaded to YouTube in June, 2011. Greg Mitchell of The Nation pointed out the similarities between the two in an article published this morning. The video uses the same speech given by famed radio broadcaster Paul Harvey played over a slideshow of farming images. It's the same concept as Ram's ad, though the truck brand did go out and commission its own images shot by very well-known photographers for its version.
Did Ram steal the idea? That does not appear to be the case. A message left on the Farms.com YouTube video says "Farms.com is pleased to be working with Ram Trucks and support the 'Farmer' Super Bowl commercial." When you play the video, a link even pops up to watch Ram's version.

Ram thinks EcoDiesel will lure small-pickup buyers into fullsize 1500

One of the more curious developments at the Los Angeles Auto Show this week was the return of the Chevrolet Colorado pickup truck. General Motors ended production of the Colorado and its cousin, the GMC Canyon, early last year. At the time, the decision seemed to be the final curtain for small and midsize domestic pickups, as it followed Ford's decision to kill the Ranger and Chrysler's decision to end production of the Dodge Dakota.
Bigland argues the Ram 1500 EcoDiesel is essentially competing for the same buyers as the Colorado.
Does Chevy's revival of the Colorado mean a new dawn for the segment overall? Yes and no. The Colorado's reinvention essentially provides a peek at how automakers tackle the same problem in two different ways. GM's approach is to create a new midsize pickup. Chrysler's approach, on the other hand, would seem to focus more on the prospective buyer than the product itself.

2014 Ram Promaster reporting for duty

We already knew Chrysler would be getting its own version of the Fiat Ducato for use as the 2014 Ram Promaster, but it was just a question of when and what changes would be made. Well now we know. Though far from conventional-looking, the new Promaster should give Chrysler a fullsize van that is more competitive than the old Ram Van and more affordable than the Mercedes-based Dodge Sprinter.
Chrysler says it made numerous changes to transform the Ducato into the US-friendly Promaster, and the biggest changes were made to the powertrains. Standard equipment on the Promaster 1500 is the widespread 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 rated at 280 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque paired, which, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission, offers a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 11,500 pounds. Other models will get the 3.0-liter diesel inline four-cylinder producing 174 hp and 295 lb-ft of torque, giving this version a GCWR of 12,500 pounds, and this engine is mated to a six-speed automated manual transmission.