Jump to content
Server Move In Progress - Read More ×
News
Reviews
Discussons
Activity
Create New...
Close
  • William Maley
    William Maley

    By William Maley •

    The Problematic Launch of the 2019 Ram 1500

      And the headaches continue for Ram Trucks

    It is no secret Fiat Chrysler Automobiles has been dealing with a number of issues with the 2019 Ram 1500 launch. As we reported back in April, the  Sterling Heights Assembly plant was only operating at 60 percent of where the company wants it to be due to various issues. FCA announced that it would be investing $300 million to try and get production back on track, along with extending the production schedule to six days a week and running though Independence Day and Labor day.

    But as Automotive News reports, there is a new issue that is likely driving customers away from the 2019 Ram 1500. Currently, the 1500 is only available with the 5.7L HEMI V8. The 3.6L V6 and 5.7L HEMI V8 with the 48-volt mild hybrid system are no where to be seen.

    "I have customers looking for them and asking about them every week," said an unnamed Ram dealer in Michigan.

    It is unclear why neither one of these powertrains are available. Automotive News has two possible guesses. One is that FCA engineers are still doing some fine-tuning work to the mild-hybrid system before putting them into production. The other comes down to the EPA becoming more  stringent with automakers in terms of emission and fuel economy testing.

    While FCA is quick to point out that retail sales were up 18 percent in May to 27,011, we can't help but wonder if that increase is due to the massive incentives that are being put on the last-generation model. Through May, the average incentive on a last-generation Ram 1500 stood at $6.578 according to Autodata Corp. But the lack of new engines for the 2019 Ram 1500 is hurting, as year-to-date sales are down 8.4 percent. Dave Sullivan, a senior analyst with AutoPacific says the lack of V6 this long after the launch is becoming a problem.

    "In the old truck, the V-6 represented about 20 percent of sales," he said.

    Source: Automotive News (Subscription Required)

    Go to articles

    User Feedback

    Recommended Comments

    David

    I have to think that the lack of modern powertrains along with a mild 48 volt hybrid system that is vaporware right now is hurting them more than helping them. They should have held off till they had the hybrid system worked out before talking about it.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    ccap41

    Well they never gave any public numbers on it. They just said it's coming and gave us info on what it will do.

    That's like saying Ford and GM shouldn't talk about future EV products until they're shipping to dealership lots, kind of an absurd thing to think. 

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    David
    1 hour ago, ccap41 said:

    Well they never gave any public numbers on it. They just said it's coming and gave us info on what it will do.

    That's like saying Ford and GM shouldn't talk about future EV products until they're shipping to dealership lots, kind of an absurd thing to think. 

    A little bit different as when Ford and GM announce they are building their 2019 products and shipping them they actually do. FCA announces building and the start of shipping and then very little has actually shown up. FCA might need to get a bit more control on actual delivery. Tesla approach does not work for them. :P 

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    Robert Hall

    I see no direct mention of a hybrid option on the Ram website, so I assume it's all hypothetical at this point (or is the 'eTorque' system what they mean by hybrid? ).

    Oddly, I see mention of a 3.6 and a 5.7 eTorque VVT engine, but on most of the pages the 3.6 seems to not be clickable.  The 5.7 gives a popup w/ a list of specs..

      More importantly, though, is that they claim the '19 Ram 1500 Limited or Laramie Longhorn has 58% more leather than comparable F150s or Silverados. 

    Edited by Cubical-aka-Moltar
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    David

    @ccap41 @Cubical-aka-Moltar Yes Ram's eTorque system is their 48 volt hybrid system based on all my reading at other sites and from FCA own news releases.

    http://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=18753&fIId=18758

    Or if you cannot get to the website here is the PDF version to read.

    2019_Ram_1500_-_Powertrain.pdf

    Comparison including pricing by FCA against Ford and Chevy.

    http://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=18914

    Like Bill wrote in the story, people are going to the Dealerships and asking for the Hybrid truck. One would think if you announce it, state you are building and shipping the trucks that they would show up on the lots then.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    regfootball

    The FCA Pacifica had a very troublied 2017 launch / model year.  Our 2018 seems to have been free of all these quality / design glitches.  I wonder if FCA isn't purely beta testing with their new launches first model years lately.

    Ask me why i would lease a Sergio mobile and not buy it, that's about the best way I can explain it to you.  Do you feel lucky punk?  The hybrid rollout on the Pac has been I would say bad.  Regular Pac's have had all sorts of issues.  Issues in the new truck doesn't surprise me.

    IF Sergio doesn't want these trucks to go out until there is fewer issues, bless em.  GM has had a rep like this in the past.

    And its not like its the Tesla Model 3 launch, just sayin.

     

    Edited by regfootball
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    ocnblu

    ocnblu 3,552

    Posted (edited)

    5 hours ago, dfelt said:

    @ccap41 @Cubical-aka-Moltar Yes Ram's eTorque system is their 48 volt hybrid system based on all my reading at other sites and from FCA own news releases.

    http://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=18753&fIId=18758

    Or if you cannot get to the website here is the PDF version to read.

    2019_Ram_1500_-_Powertrain.pdf

    Comparison including pricing by FCA against Ford and Chevy.

    http://media.fcanorthamerica.com/newsrelease.do?id=18914

    Like Bill wrote in the story, people are going to the Dealerships and asking for the Hybrid truck. One would think if you announce it, state you are building and shipping the trucks that they would show up on the lots then.

    Wrong-o.  They are asking for the V6 truck.  The hybrid system is the bitter pill shoved down the throats of V6 buyers.  Thank God for the good ol' red-blooded, unadulterated Hemi.

    Edited by ocnblu
    Link to comment
    Share on other sites
    David
    2 hours ago, ocnblu said:

    Wrong-o.  They are asking for the V6 truck.  The hybrid system is the bitter pill shoved down the throats of V6 buyers.  Thank God for the good ol' red-blooded, unadulterated Hemi.

    Clearly Buck-o you not only did not read Bills write up nor any other web site as people are coming in asking for the V6 and V8 Hybrid system called eTorque and they are nowhere to be found. FCA is late to the delivery of this system.

    Per Bills write up:

    The 3.6L V6 and 5.7L HEMI V8 with the 48-volt mild hybrid system are nowhere to be seen.

    "I have customers looking for them and asking about them every week," said an unnamed Ram dealer in Michigan.

    Link to comment
    Share on other sites


    Join the conversation

    You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
    Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

    Guest
    Add a comment...

    ×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

      Only 75 emoji are allowed.

    ×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

    ×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

    ×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

    ×

  • google-news-icon.png



  • Community Hive Community Hive

    Community Hive allows you to follow your favorite communities all in one place.

    Follow on Community Hive

  • google-news-icon.png

  • Subscribe to Cheers & Gears

    Cheers and Gears Logo

    Since 2001 we've brought you real content and honest opinions, not AI-generated stuff with no feeling or opinions influenced by the manufacturers.

    Please consider subscribing. Subscriptions can be as little as $1.75 a month, and a paid subscription drops most ads.*
     

    You can view subscription options here.

    *a very limited number of ads contain special coupon deals for our members and will show

  • Similar Content

  • Posts

    • Drew Dowdell
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By Drew Dowdell · Posted

      The two big things you need to know are How Acidic and how well it drains or not. I took a class last year on how to grow the American Chestnut. American Chestnuts like to be high on hilltops with very well-drained soils. There's a geomapping tool in Pennsylvania that uses known land and altitude data to populate the best places for Chestnut plantings, and my property is one of the best in the county.  What I used was a mix of planter soil and something called Pittmoss, better than Peatmoss. Its manufactured here and is mostly recycled newspaper. It's good for containers because it holds moisture better than peat.  Just put them in some 5-gallon buckets and let them go.  I need to move them around a bit soon. True genetic American Chestnuts are very hard to find. If you find them online, they are most likely crossbred with something else that is blight-resistant. I got my seeds directly from the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Chestnut Foundation at one of their research centers at Penn State.
    • Drew Dowdell
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By Drew Dowdell · Posted

      They look like sticks right now, lol. Their leaves are just starting to come back. But here's what they looked like going in.
    • David
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By David · Posted

      My wife gets starter trees for landscaping, and we use 5-gallon plant buckets that have the holes already, but you could use a normal 5-gallon bucket and drill some holes and put it in a planter plate to hold water to help with feeding. We always just use miracle grow soil and the trees are doing really well. We have a bunch of Leyland Cypress trees to be planted once I finish the yard retaining wall and new fence.
    • ccap41
      Random Thoughts Thread

      By ccap41 · Posted

      Speaking of growing trees in buckets/pots, did you over-research what type of potting soil/media to use? I think I'm going down a wormhole of too much information and overthinking.  What did you end up using? 
    • ccap41
      What did you do to your ride today?

      By ccap41 · Posted

      Interesting. I'm using my work computer so I can't exactly download anything to edit them, but I'll probably just try from my phone next time. 

  • Who's Online (See full list)

    • There are no registered users currently online

  • My Clubs

×
×
  • Create New...

Hey there, we noticed you're using an ad-blocker. We're a small site that is supported by ads or subscriptions. We rely on these to pay for server costs and vehicle reviews.  Please consider whitelisting us in your ad-blocker, or if you really like what you see, you can pick up one of our subscriptions for just $1.75 a month or $15 a year. It may not seem like a lot, but it goes a long way to help support real, honest content, that isn't generated by an AI bot.

See you out there.

Drew
Editor-in-Chief

I've whitelisted
Continue without support

Write what you are looking for and press enter or click the search icon to begin your search

Change privacy settings