It looks as if Ford and General Motors will have more aluminum to themselves over the next several years. Ram won’t be picking up any of it with its horns for quite a while.
The truck company will extensively facelift the 1500 in the spring of 2017, but it will stick with primarily steel body panels. That jives with Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne’s statement earlier this year that his company has better uses for aluminum than pickups. Industry sources recently told Reuters that Chrysler Group “has no firm plans to follow [its] rivals … in replacing steel body panels with aluminum until a complete redesign after 2020.” Chrysler spokesman Rick Deneau said the automaker hasn’t made any decisions regarding Ram’s future incorporation of the lightweight wonder metal.
That means it will have to focus on using more efficient engines and transmissions; the EcoDiesel V6 and eight-speed automatic currently used by the manufacturer are great starting points. However, Ram will need to improve upon those to comply with the new U.S. emissions and fuel economy regulations coming down the pike.
Derek Shiekhi's father raised him on cars. As a boy, Derek accompanied his dad as he bought classics such as post-WWII GM trucks and early Ford Mustang convertibles.
After loving cars for years and getting a bachelor's degree in Business Management, Derek decided to get an associate degree in journalism. His networking put him in contact with the editor of the Austin-American Statesman newspaper, who hired him to write freelance about automotive culture and events in Austin, Texas in 2013. One particular story led to him getting a certificate for learning the foundations of road racing.
While watching TV with his parents one fateful evening, he saw a commercial that changed his life. In it, Jeep touted the Wrangler as the Texas Auto Writers Association's "SUV of Texas." Derek knew he had to join the organization if he was going to advance as an automotive writer. He joined the Texas Auto Writers Association (TAWA) in 2014 and was fortunate to meet several nice people who connected him to the representatives of several automakers and the people who could give him access to press vehicles (the first one he ever got the keys to was a Lexus LX 570). He's now a regular at TAWA's two main events: the Texas Auto Roundup in the spring and the Texas Truck Rodeo in the fall.
Over the past several years, Derek has learned how to drive off-road in various four-wheel-drive SUVs (he even camped out for two nights in a Land Rover), and driven around various tracks in hot hatches, muscle cars, and exotics. Several of his pieces, including his article about the 2015 Ford F-150 being crowned TAWA's 2014 "Truck of Texas" and his review of the Alfa Romeo 4C Spider, have won awards in TAWA's annual Excellence in Craft Competition. Last year, his JK Forum profile of Wagonmaster, a business that restores Jeep Wagoneers, won prizes in TAWA’s signature writing contest and its pickup- and SUV-focused Texas Truck Invitational.
