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Do you like TRX? New Ram 1500 coming to rock the Raptor off-road

BOLOCCO, Italy — Since the brand was spun off in 2009, Ram sales have been on a roll. Although it had some of the oldest vehicles on the market, the automaker sold nearly 700,000 models in 2017, marking its eighth consecutive year of sales growth. At FCA's Italian proving grounds, Ram head Mike Manley talked loyalty, conquest and the brand's next five years. Look for models like the Ram 1500 TRX, new versions of the Ram Heavy Duty and increased electrification and autonomy. At FCA's last five-year extravaganza, we heard a lot of grand plans for Ram. Unlike a lot of things from other brands at that presentation, most of Ram's products hit the market, though not as soon as FCA would have liked. Still, things are looking positive for the automaker. While the product line isn't going to expand much in the North American market, FCA plans to expand the Ram nameplate to new markets worldwide. We'll see finally see new versions of the Ram Heavy Duty at the 2019 Detroit Auto Show. FCA promises the new truck will have the segment's most powerful diesel engine. By 2022, we'll see the debut of the production version of the Ram TRX, a performance-focused truck that should go head-to-head with the Ford F-150 Raptor. Related Video:

Mopar teases four of 'nearly 20' SEMA Show concepts

Yesterday it was Chevrolet. Today, Mopar has dropped some SEMA knowledge, releasing a quartet of teaser images that give us some indication of what kind of cars, trucks, and crossovers Fiat, Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep, and Ram will be showing in Las Vegas. Like Chevy, Mopar's concepts utilize both production and concept accessories, although Fiat Chrysler has gone a bit more indepth on at least one of its concepts. Immediately, the most tantalizing teaser is the one shown above. Yes, that's the back of a Challenger, and aside from the bright orange accents on the gray body, you should take notice of the badge mounted on the spoiler – yes, that says "GT AWD." To be honest, such a vehicle wouldn't be a huge shock, as both the Challenger's LX platform-mates, the Dodge Charger and Chrysler 300, are offered with all-wheel-drive options. Still, adding such a vehicle to the production cycle would give Dodge a leg up on the rear-drive only Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro. Aside from that concept, FCA has also released teasers of a Ram-based concept, a 300-based concept, and what we're guessing is a Fiat 500X. We can't wait to see what the actual Fiat concept has to do with kiteboarding. As for the 300 and Ram, there's not a lot of hints on what sort of styling details they'll contain. The Chrysler has additional LED accents and what we're guessing is matte blue paint, while the Ram is based on a Hemi-powered 1500 with Rebel styling cues. This is just a very tiny sample of Mopar's final SEMA roster, which include "hundreds" of parts. There should also be a total of 20 vehicles covering all four former Chrysler Group brands, as well as Fiat. Naturally, we'll have plenty to report on each vehicle once the SEMA show kicks off in the next couple weeks.

GM also sheds parts from its pickups to boost payload ratings

The row between Ford and Ram over who boasts the best-in-class tow rating for heavy duty pickups has revealed a number of things. Chief among them is a report that Ford removes items like the spare tire, jack, radio and center console from its vehicles in a bid to lower its base curb weight and therefore keep the truck's gross vehicle weight rating down.
For those that need a refresher, GVWR is the vehicle's curb weight plus its maximum payload. A lower GVWR allows Ford to station its F-450 among the so-called Class III pickups, despite the fact that internally, it has the makings of a more brutish Class IV truck.
Ford explains away these deletions, saying a customer could order their vehicle in such a manner. It has also come to light that Ford is not the only automaker to engage in such practices.