2014 Ram 3500 on 2040-cars

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New Barracuda, Grand Cherokee Trackhawk coming soon

As we write this, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles is conducting a major dealership event in sunny Las Vegas. New vehicles are being announced, redesigned offerings are being teased, and promises are being made to the sprawling company's dealer body. And, as all these announcements are meant to be tip-top secret, they're leaking out left, right, and center. Naturally. FCA is telling its dealers all of the vehicles shown at the Vegas gala will be in showrooms within 12 to 24 months, and that the product offensive will include at least 30 new or significantly refreshed models. Some of those we've known about since FCA boss Sergio Marchionne unveiled his highly ambitious five-year plan in May 2014, while we're hearing about others for the very first time. We've reached out to our sources within FCA, and will update this post as we learn more. It should be noted that while we've tried to rely on concrete sources or corroborations from multiple sources, some of the news here comes from people claiming to have been in attendance and posting in forums like Allpar and Jalopnik's Opposite Lock. Unless corroborated by a mainstream source or confirmed by our own sources within FCA, we're listing each item that comes from a forum. Have those grains of salt at the ready. Chrysler Dodge Durango-sized SUV with stow-and-go was shown. A poster on Allpar Forums claims it had a Durango's interior. New Aspen? Town and Country PHEV confirmed (again). A plug-in minivan was originally announced as part of five-year plan. No news on 200 or 300. Dodge The redesigned Charger will use the Alfa Romeo Giulia's rear-drive platform and, according Automotive News, draw inspiration from 1999's Charger concept car. We're wagering the 24-month time frame specified to dealers will move the new sedan's arrival up from 2018 to mid-2017. Jalopnik's Opposite Lock claims two new Challenger models are coming. Challenger ADR (American Drag Racer) and T/A. ADR should appeal to bracket racers and is more powerful than the SRT Hellcat, while T/A is for track rats, just like Viper T/A. Automotive News claims the legendary Barracuda nameplate will be revived as a Dodge. The Barracuda will be smaller than Challenger, offered as both a coupe and a convertible. Allpar claims it will feature modern styling. A Dodge Durango SRT was announced with 6.4-liter Hemi V8 and rear-drive. Sources within FCA confirmed its arrival with Autoblog. Apparently, dealers were shown an example in B5 Blue.

GM already raising prices on 2014 Silverado and Sierra pickups

General Motors must be pretty pleased with sales of its two newest pickups, the GMC Sierra and Chevrolet Silverado, as it's announced price hikes for both models, as part of a planned price tweak.
Prices will be bumped by as much as $1,500, although weirdly, they'll be offset by as much as $1,500 in cash-back offers through the end of October. Fox Business reports that GM spokesman Jim Cain said of the price hike, "With the sell down of the '13 models nearly complete, this price adjustment was planned and is a normal part of business."
The move, as Fox is quick to point out, is an interesting one, as sales of the twin pickups struggled last month relative to the Ford F-Series, while both of GM's crosstown competitors have been aggressively undercutting Silverado and Sierra prices. The F-150 starts at $24,070 and the Ram 1500 comes in at $23,600, not counting any cash on the hood. A base Silverado, meanwhile, retails at $25,575.

Ram introduces 33-mpg Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel

Ram announced Tuesday that its 2021 1500 Tradesman HFE EcoDiesel trim goes toe-to-toe (tow-to-tow?) with the segment's most efficient diesels, offering 23 mpg in the city, 33 mpg on the highway and 26 mpg combined. That's good enough for a first-place tie in the segment, as those numbers now match those of Chevy's Silverado 1500 with the 3.0-liter Duramax oil-burner.  "Ram is committed to innovation and powertrain leadership, and as the no-compromise benchmark for efficiency and performance, we continue to listen to customer input by offering unsurpassed fuel economy," said Ram boss Mike Koval Jr. "The Ram 1500 is America’s most powerful half-ton diesel pickup with 480 lb.-ft. of torque and the most capable light-duty diesel with towing capability up to 12,560 pounds, and delivers up to 1,000 miles of range on a single tank of fuel." From a glance at Ram's specs table, it appears the HFE EcoDiesel configuration (based on a Crew Cab Tradesman with the 5-foot 7-inch bed) is good for 8,210 pounds of trailering and 1,780 lbs of payload. It's worth noting that the Chevy matches the HFE's fuel economy while also providing more towing capability. You can trade the HFE's small fuel economy gain for a bit more towing capability by going to a 3.92:1 rear axle. That will buy you another 1,700 lbs of towing. Even more towing capacity (specifically, the 12,560 lbs maximum quoted above) comes with the Ram 1500 Quad Cab EcoDiesel.  Standard equipment for the HFE includes 20-inch aluminum wheels, a black grille and bumper cover, a tonneau cover, step rails and some perfectly decent cloth seats. The HFE EcoDiesel is available in one of a whopping two finishes: black or white. Exciting. Ram says the HFE will start to appear on dealer lots in the second quarter, and the truck will start at $43,935 (including $1,695 for destination). Related Video: