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2017 Ram EcoDiesel trucks hitting dealerships again, finally

If you've been patiently waiting for 2017 Ram EcoDiesel trucks to hit dealerships near you, you're in luck. According to Automotive News, the diesel-powered pickups are now hitting showroom floors after FCA received approval from the Environmental Protection Agency in late July to begin producing them again. And you may want to get in line now, because the EPA has yet to approve the EcoDiesel for the 2018 model year. The EPA, along with the California Air Resources Board, accused FCA in January of 2017 of using eight undeclared pieces of software code in certain Fiat Chrysler diesel vehicles. That, naturally, led to "substantially" higher than allowable levels of nitrogen oxide emissions. The violation applies to about 104,000 vehicles sold between 2014 and 2016. EcoDiesel production was stopped in late 2016. FCA says it's continuing to cooperate with the EPA and CARB. Assuming the two agencies approve the plan, the automaker will recall 2014-2016 Ram and Jeep Grand Cherokee vehicles to install the new code. We'd assume that same updated software will be used in 2018 EcoDiesels, too, again assuming they get EPA approval. Related Video:

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.

The Ram Macho Power Wagon concept is totally in your face with its cool rack system

The Ram brand isn't being very subtle with this year's SEMA concept. It's called the Macho Power Wagon, and it's painted in Macho Mango. Yeah, it's for dudes. We apologize if you start hearing a Village People song in the back of your head. This bigger, badder Ram is a throwback to the Macho Power Wagon of the late 1970s. Along those lines, it bears the retro, vertical Power Wagon graphics that line the C-pillar, and it also has vintage-style eight-spoke beadlock wheels inspired by its '70s namesake. Those wheels are shod in huge 37-inch tires, which fit thanks to a four-inch suspension lift, and custom, conceptual fender flares. View 20 Photos The truck is powered by the normal Power Wagon's 6.4-liter V8, rather than the crazy TRX concept's supercharged Hemi, and it has the stock front winch. This Ram also sports quite a few concept parts besides the wheels and fender flares. Starting at the front and moving rearward, the Macho Wagon gets custom bumpers with skid plates and tow hooks, a new hood with big heat extractors, an LED light bar, a roof rack, single-piece running-boards, and five-inch exhaust tips. There's one more custom piece in back. Immediately behind the C-pillar is a sport hoop, under which hides another hoop that can slide along tracks on the bed. These hoops together are called the Ramrack, and when the second hoop is moved back along the bed, it works together with the cab's roof rack to create a long utility rack. It's a thoroughly clever way of adding practicality without sacrificing appearances. We would love to see something like this reach production, since it could be very handy on quad cab pickups with short beds, allowing them to carry long objects without having to drop the tailgate to get them to fit. Because there's nothing macho about that. Related Video: