If you want to update a Chrysler model, then you have to head over to to Mopar and install some aftermarket parts. A good solution, sure, but wouldn’t be nicer to have these parts installed from factory? Chrysler seems to find this a better solution and is now considering of offering a high-performance RAM pickup truck that will target models like the Ford SVT Raptor.
Pat Dougherty, vice president-Mopar parts, said that the company is currently investigating how the Raptor does on the market. If customers start buying it up in high quantities, Chrysler will eventually decide to offer such a model. If the SVT Raptor falls on its face, the company "will continue to do it the way we do it."
RAM currently offers its customers the possibility to customize their models with blacked-out grilles and wheels, all-terrain tires, and a modified undercarriage. But all these changes are made by Mopar and not directly from the assembly line as Ford does with the SVT Raptor.
Ram has never been an automaker that prided itself on being the fanciest looking in the garage. As its name suggests, the automaker has preferred function over form since its split from Dodge.
And as such, its parent company, Chrysler, has used the 2013 Chicago Auto Show to introduce the newest Ram, the 2014 ProMaster.
With some help from Italian tag-team partner Fiat, Chrysler has come up with a full-sized cargo van that just about boasts of every class-leading category in the market. Or at least that’s what Chrysler claims.
Whether there’s validity to that really depends on what you’re looking for in a cargo van. Fortunately, we found enough things about the ProMaster that we actually like. So much so that we’re not going to brush aside Chrysler’s incessant promotion of it. Maybe they do make a point. Or maybe they’re just drumming up the hype machine.
Either way, the 2014 ProMaster is here and by the looks of things, it’s here to stay.
Find out more about the 2014 Ram ProMaster after the jump
The history of the Dodge Ram began back in 1981 when the original model was launched onto the market. Since then, many things have changed, with the Heavy Duty version to be unveiled in 2009. And now, for the 2013 model year the new Ram Heavy Duty has been updated with an all-new interior, next-generation Uconnect Access, Powernet, new frames and new suspension.
2013 model year also marks the debut of the 5.7-liter HEMI V8 engine as standard equipment. It delivers a total of 383 HP and a peak torque of 400 lbs-ft and is mated to a 66RFE six-speed automatic transmission. Next to it the renowned 6.7-liter Cummins High-Output Turbo Diesel I-6 is now available in three versions: 350 HP, 370 HP and 385 HP.
The 2013 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty will go on sale in the first quarter of 2013.
Hit the jump to read more about the new 2013 Dodge Ram Heavy Duty.
Chrysler kicked off its new sub-brand, SRT, with the unveiling of the new generation Viper and the cars will just keep coming from here on out. The sub-brand’s second model will be the new generation Barracuda that will join the line-up for the 2015 model year and, according to MotorTrend, SRT is already working on a third model for their line-up.
Details on the third model are a bit unclear at the moment, but it could be either a successor to the Dodge Ram SRT10 or a small, two-seat sports car. Obviously, our hopes lie in a new sports car. Chrysler has already teased us with a Dodge Demon Concept designed as a competitor for the Mazda MX-5 Miata, and now that Mazda and Fiat have teamed up to build a new RWD sports roadster, we are hoping that Chrysler will consider offering a production version of the Demon.
Any thoughts on what this new model could be? Hit us up in the comments section below!
So Chrysler has been aggravating all of us by doing its social media teasing via Facebook. Between the SRT Viper and the Ram 1500 teasing campaigns, we were about teased out. Just as it did with the Viper, Chrysler redeemed itself by finally releasing the actual production 2013 Ram 1500.
This new 2013 Ram 1500 made its debut on April 5th via a live webcast on, you guessed it, FACEBOOK! First and foremost, Chrysler’s focus with the new Ram 1500 was gas mileage, as pickups are falling drastically behind cars in this area, and soon buyers will not be able to fuel these monsters. Luckily, Chrysler has no plans to drastically reduce engine size or mess with the aesthetics of the Ram in order to increase mileage. There are just a few tweaks here and there.
The true test is if this pickup can catch up to its main competitors, the Ford F-150, Chevrolet Silverado 1500, and the GM Sierra 1500. The only way that Ram can hope to catch up to these models is to significantly increase its V-6 output and lower the fuel consumption on the V-8 models.
Hit the jump to read the full review on the Ram 1500.
In 2002, the first Dodge Ram Lone Star edition went on sale exclusively in Texas. You see, Dodge was banking on the idea that this special edition Ram would do well in terms of sales, since the Texas pickup market was so strong. Boy, were they right; the Lone Star model now makes up 30 to 40 percent of all Ram 1500s sold in Texas, and Ram has sold more than 80,000 units since the Lone Star’s debut.
Ram Truck has now unveiled a special 10th Anniversary edition of its Ram 1500 Lone Star. The 2012 Ram 1500 Lone Star 10th Anniversary edition will get an exclusive appearance package, which includes new, Texas-size “Lone Star” badges that will replace the “Ram 1500” badging. The truck is only available in Crew Cab configuration with bucket seats. Inside the 10th anniversary Lone Star, you’ll find Katzkin perforated leather seats with stylized Lone Star logos, as well as a 10th Anniversary Lone Star logos on the glove box and floormats.
The Ram Lone Star comes standard with the 5.7L HEMI V8, which delivers 390HP, 407ft.-lbs of torque, and 20 mpg. The power is transferred to the wheels by a 6-speed automatic transmission. The Lone Star also gets 20-inch aluminum wheels, a 115V auxiliary power outlet, a Class IV receiver hitch, a 10-way adjustable power driver’s seat, halogen quad headlamps, fog lamps, rear 60/40 split folding seats, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with audio controls. In addition to the many standard features, more than two dozen factory options and hundreds of Mopar accessories are available for buyers who want to make the Ram Lone Star reflect their personalities.
The Lone Star package is $1,500, giving the 2012 Ram 1500 Lone Star 10th Anniversary edition a starting price of $36,440. You will definitely see a lot of these trucks in Texas in 2012, since the Lone Star edition will be exclusively for sale in Texas at the end of second quarter.
The new Ram Laramie Limited is the kind of gargantuan truck that gets attention wherever it goes. Certainly, it doesn’t hurt that it’s got plenty of new digs to back up its claim as one of the best pick-ups on the market today.
At the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, Ram officially pulled the covers off of the Laramie Limited, giving us a good look at a pick-up that not only offers unmatched performance credentials, but also comes with plenty of plush amenities you rarely see in a pick-up truck like this one.
Should you have any interest in scooping up the Ram Laramie Limited - and really, if you had the purpose for it, why wouldn’t you? - Ram has pegged the pick-up’s arrival in dealerships later this year. The cost of the pick-up is still undetermined, but expect it to catch plenty of interest from a lot of people looking for a comprehensive cocktail of style and power.
UPDATE 03/22/12: Ram has officially announced pricing for the Laramie Limited. Here’s a hint: it’s the most expensive Ram trim yet. Check out the price of the limited edition pick-up after the jump!
Find out more about the Ram Laramie Limited after the jump.
