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Ram heavy-duty pickup gets higher towing rating

Ram has fired the latest salvo in the ongoing pickup war between the domestic automakers, releasing what the brand claims is now best-in-class towing capacity for its 2013 heavy-duty pickups. The 2013 Ram 3500 is rated to tow a 30,000-pound trailer, up from a maximum towing capacity of 22,750 pounds for the same vehicle and powertrain setup in 2012. According to their respective Web sites, similarly equipped heavy-duty 3500 pickups from General Motors are rated at a towing capacity of 23,100 pounds, while Ford's F-350 similarly equipped is rated at 22,800 pounds.

BMW 2 Series tease begins (video)

New BMW 2 Series tease begins BMW’s plans to extend their model range continues, with the new BMW 2 Series due to join its larger sibling – the BMW 4 Series – as the 1 Class Coupe/Cabriolet. The official reveal for the new BMW 2 Series is expected at the end of next week, but ahead of that BMW has started to tease its new Coupe on video (below). We don’t get to see much – and what we do see isn’t a huge surprise – but we already know much of what to expect when the 2 Series starts to hit the road in 2014.

Consumer Reports releases 2013 reliability rankings

Japanese brands continue to dominate the Consumer Reports Annual Auto Reliability rankings, while some European brands gained and Ford Motor Co. continued to rank near the bottom of the industry. Lexus, Toyota and Acura swept the top three spots in the 2013 rankings and Japanese brands took seven of the top 10 places.