Ram truck gets new V6, eight-speed transmission

The Ram pickup scheduled to be introduced in April will offer both the Pentastar 3.6-liter V6 and an eight-speed transmission, according to a Chrysler Group filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The voluntary annual filing--which appeared Tuesday on the automaker's corporate Web site, chryslergroupllc.com--laid out many new features of the upcoming version of the automaker's top-selling vehicle.

The new eight-speed transmission "reduces fuel consumption by up to 12 percent over our current five-speed transmissions," such as the one now in the Ram, the filing said.

It also said that this year Chrysler "will add the Ram pickup to the list of our vehicles that offer the Pentastar V6." Ram currently offers a 3.7-liter V6 that produces 215 hp. The new 3.6-liter Pentastar delivers 285 hp.

The filing also revealed Chrysler's use of new lightweight axles for the pickup, an effort to reduce weight.

Together, the three powertrain changes promise to improve significantly the pickup's current EPA estimated fuel economy of 14 city/20 highway mpg, perhaps even threatening Ford Motor Co.'s class-leading fuel economy of 16 city/22 highway mpg.

Chrysler has been tight-lipped about details of the upcoming Ram, so revelations of those details in a corporate filing seemed to surprise a company spokesman, who declined to comment.

Chrysler already has briefed automotive journalists on the new Ram but the information about the vehicle was given on an "embargo" basis, meaning journalists had agreed not to release stories until April.

But Chrysler's filing made many of those details public.

Since Chrysler is not a publicly traded company it is not required to file SEC reports but does so voluntarily as it prepares to go public next year.

By Larry P. Vellequette- Automotive News