Ram‘s new Laramie Limited luxury package pickup bowed yesterday at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show in true American fashion: with a pretty girl smiling at its’ side.

“The launch of the Ram Laramie Longhorn edition gave us a boost in the ultra-premium pickup segment and exceeded our expectations,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO of the Ram Truck Brand. “Ram Laramie Limited offers customers an even wider selection of luxury models. We expect a lot of interest in the Laramie Limited.”

The Laramie Limited is to be one of two high-end packages available from Dodge subsidiary, Ram. It offers customers the luxury found in their Longhorn version, but without the cattle rancher theme that might scare people away who don’t wear ten gallon hats.

Style-wise,  you get a body colored front fascia, fog lamps, a chrome grill and 20-inch forged aluminum wheels. All HEMI, Cummins, and Ram badges are also replaced by small “Limited” badges. Climb into the cab and you’ll find the interior dressed in leather and lined with greystone piping. The center stack wears a piano black high gloss and gets chrome vent rings with liquid graphite side bezels.

Luxury features are also abound here, including a remote start system, backup camera, a heated steering wheel, adjustable pedals and front vented seats to keep you cool on those hot summer days at the job site. Don’t worry, we won’t tell the guys you’re using them.

GALLERY: RAM Laramie Limited

Dodge is jumping on the bikini band wagon, but can you blame them? There’s no denying that sex sells, especially with most of the pickup truck crowd.

That’s why Ram pairing up with Sports Illustrated and releasing a teaser ad just makes sense. The 37-second spot features a slender woman clad in diving gear and a black bikini walking out of the ocean and pulling a cloth from a Ram pickup. Nearly all the footage focuses directly on the model. The ad actually cuts out before you see more than a silhouette, but it’s got us wondering what’s up the shirt sleeves over at the Ram division.

You can watch the video after the jump.

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Despite Ford’s efforts to stop GM, the apocalypse-surviving Chevy Silverado commercial aired last night during the Super Bowl.

According to GM, the advertisement was intended as a “good-humored” spoof on the Mayan calendar predictions. Depicting a band of Silverado owners that are navigating across a “completely over-the-top, outrageous version of the devastation and destruction predicted to occur this year by the Mayan calendar,” the ad also features giant attack robots, meteors, and frogs that are falling from the sky. The punch line is when the gang of Silverado owners realized one of their friends did not survive because they drove a Ford rather than “the longest lasting, most dependable truck on the road.”

Ford took issue with the ad and we now know what the company said in a formal letter sent to GM requesting for the ad to be pulled. Representing lawyer Lynne M. Matuszak wrote, “Ford demands that Chevrolet immediately cease and desist from making any unsubstantiated and disparaging claims regarding Ford’s pickup trucks.” Matuszak’s letter further demanded that GM, “permanently remove the commercial from its website, its YouTube and Facebook pages and any other internet sites.”

Ford’s letter then warned, “If Chevrolet does not comply with the above terms prior to the start of the Super Bowl, then Ford will take all appropriate steps to enforce and protect its reputation.”

Taking it a step further, Ford called out the Silverado’s safety record, noting that the 2012 Ford F-150 earned an IIHS Top Safety pick while the Silverado received less than impressive side impact, rear crash, and rollover results.

GM’s global chief marketing officer Joel Ewanick and GM are committed to broadcasting the ad and sharing it on YouTube. Joel Ewanick said, ”We stand by our claims in the commercial, that the Silverado is the most dependable, longest-lasting full-size pickup on the road. The ad is a fun way of putting this claim in the context of the apocalypse. We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize. In the meantime, people who are really worried about the Mayan calendar coming true should buy a Silverado right away.”

Like Coca Cola versus Pepsi, the clash of Ford vs. GM will last for many years to come. We will be expecting a humorous and entertaining rebuttal ad from Ford soon.

[Source: Detroit News]

Why not watch the ad again below:

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Things just got mighty interesting with the Super Bowl ads, with Ford sending a cease-and-desist over to both General Motors and NBC in hopes that the Chevrolet Silverado apocalypse ad won’t air during the big game.

It’s probably too little, too late considering the commercial has already been seen several million times on the Internet, but the impact it could have being played during the big game clearly still worries Ford. The American automaker has asked NBC to pull the $7-million, one-minute ad from the Super Bowl but it appears that NBC will not be respecting that request. At the time of this writing, the ad will still be played and we can’t imagine NBC pulling it at this point in time.

GM Global Chief Marketing Officer, Joel Ewanick, is clearly finding the situation a little on the lighter side, releasing this in a statement: ”We can wait until the world ends, and if we need to, we will apologize,” Ewanick said. “In the meantime, people who are really worried about the Mayan calendar coming true should buy a Silverado right away.”

Ford spokesman Mike Levine has confirmed that Ford did send a letter to Chevy in regards to the ad and that Ford has a gripe with the durability claims that GM is putting out about their products.

In case you’ve missed the ad, check it out after the break.

[Source: Yahoo! Autos]

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Honda has announced a recall in the United States for 206 Ridgeline trucks built from 2011 through 2012. This recall is to address a possible mismatch between the Ridgeline’s spare tire and the FMVSS mandated tire information placard installed on the vehicles’ driver-side doorjambs.

Honda Ridgeline trucks sold in the United States are fitted with a compact spare tire and, in some cases, placards may incorrectly indicate that the Ridgeline came with a full-sized spare tire instead. To solve this matter, Honda will either provide Ridgeline owners with a spare that will match the information provided on the vehicle’s placard or it will install a new placard that reflects the spare tire installed by the factory. While this issue may not seem like an urgent safety hazard, the recommended cold inflation pressure for the tire may not be correctly indicated.

No crashes or injuries have been reported due to spare tire failures but Honda’s recall encourages owners of all affected Ridgelines to take their vehicles to an authorized dealer when they receive a recall notification in the mail. Recalls notifications will begin to reach Ridgeline owners by mid-February 2012. An owner could also take the initiative by contacting www.recalls.honda.com or by calling (800) 999-1009, option 4.

After much speculation, Lamborghini has finally officially confirmed development and production for its new super-SUV, its first truck since the original Rambo Lambo LM002.

According to a well-placed source at Audi, its Italian supercar subsidiary is hard at work on the project and are aiming to make a grand unveiling of its brand new SUV/crossover concept for the 2012 Beijing Motor Show. The Audi manager could provide little information but did respond, “I can’t comment in detail but the speculation in the press is largely correct.” Lamborghini itself has yet to make any statements.

Initial speculations on the Lambo-ute suggested a version of the V10 powerplant sourced from the Gallardo. What’s more, while alternative-energy power plants go against the Italian supercarmaker’s traditions, a possible hybrid drivetrain capable of 700-hp has also been rumored. As an upmarket competitor rivaling the high performance Porsche Cayenne, Maserati Kubang, as well as the statement making BMW X6, the new Lamborghini SUV is projected to produce less than 1,500 examples a year and is expected to command a steep retail price no less than $200,000 in North America.

During the 2008 Paris Auto Show, Lamborghini revealed a sleek four-door Estoque and although Lamborghini denies the concept will make it to production, a successful Lamborghini SUV just might make room for a sedan as the fourth model in the line-up.

[Source: Autoweek]

Things changed this year when the three finalists listed for the North American Truck of the Year Award were actually crossovers. In fact, the winner of the award was the 2012 Land Rover Range Rover Evoque which by all means hardly defines what we believe a truck is.

And thus a change to the name of the award has come. Starting with next year’s award, the North American Truck of the Year will now become the North American Truck/Utility of the Year. Not only will it now encompass SUVs and crossovers such as the Range Rover Evoque, but the word utility will also help make vehicles like the Ford F-Series Super Duty and the Dodge Ram 2500 HD more acceptable as they have become competent daily drivers.

We have to give credit where credit is due. One thing that the Chinese automakers are clearly excelling at is perfecting the art of copying existing vehicles. The newest victim is the Ford F-150 which JAC Motors out in China has just pulled off with surprising accuracy.

Set to debut in April at the Beijing Motor Show, the JAC 4R3 looks almost identical to the Ford F-150 SuperCrew from bumper to bumper. What’s worse is that JAC is not one of Ford’s partners. What’s most humorous is that the 4R3 will be powered by a 2.8-liter diesel engine with just 108 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque. The 4R3 obviously won’t warrant the same heavy duty work as the F-150 and is probably lighter weight which allows it to get away with such a weak powerplant.

What’s next from the Chinese automakers? A clone of a Rolls-Royce Phantom?

GALLERY: JAC 4R3

[Source: Auto Home]

Set to bow at the 2012 Chicago Auto Show, Ram trucks has released details on a new luxury package called the Laramie Limited.

The Laramie Limited will be one of two top of the line packages available for Ram trucks and alongside the Laramie Longhorn edition will offer the same luxury but without the niche market that the Longhorn caters to with its specific south-western cowboy like theme.

The Laramie Limited will come with a body colored front fascia, fog lamps, a chrome grill, 20-inch forged aluminum wheels complete with Ram logo in the center, and will remove all HEMI, Cummins, and Ram badges to be replaced by a small italicized Limited badge. The interior is, as expected, completely adorned with leather from the seats to the center console, all complete with medium greystone piping along the edges. The center stack is trimmed in piano black high gloss finish and adorned with bright chrome vent rings and and liquid graphite side bezels.

The Limited package will also include all the typical comforts we have come to expect from a luxury automobile such as heated seats, navigational radio, remote start, back up camera, heated steering wheel, adjustable pedals and even front ventilated seats meant for cooling you down.

“The launch of the Ram Laramie Longhorn edition gave us a boost in the ultra-premium pickup segment and exceeded our expectations,” said Fred Diaz, President and CEO of the Ram Truck Brand. “Ram Laramie Limited offers customers an even wider selection of luxury models. We expect a lot of interest in the Laramie Limited.”

GALLERY: RAM Laramie Limited

At present, save from slight trim and equipment (such as the Denali trim package shown above) there really isn’t much to differentiate the GMC Sierra from it’s Chevy Silverado counterpart. However, that’s set to change.

During an interview in Detroit, Mark Reuss, GM’s North American President said that for the next generation of GM full-size pickups, due for launch as 2014 models, the plan is to move the Sierra more upmarket with a greater list of standard equipment, more distinctive sheetmetal and corresponding higher sticker prices; a similar strategy has so far proved quite successful for GMC’s line of SUVs.

Such a move finally sweeps away the last vestiges of badge-engineering at America’s biggest automaker, something the “old” General Motors was notoriously known for.

“I think you will see equipment and models attacked very differently,” Reuss declared. “If we are going to carry two brands, we are going to make them pay their way.”

[Source: Autoweek]