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2014 Promaster looks like a Fiat, hauls like a Ram

A new day is dawning, folks. The old-guard vans of our youth are being replaced with a new flock of European-inspired commercial vehicles from the likes of Ford, Nissan (Renault) and Mercedes-Benz. Here in Chicago, Ram pulled the covers off its entry into the reborn commercial van market with the 2014 Promaster, based on the well-known European Fiat Ducato.
Ram makes no bones about the Promaster's Fiat underpinnings, though the company claims it has beefed up the machine for US roads and uses with a re-engineered chassis, a more robust suspension setup, improved brakes (from Brembo), additional corrosion protection, improved climate control and additional safety systems.
Power comes from one of two powerplants options, one gas and one diesel. First up is Chrysler's well-known 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 rated at 280 horsepower and 260 pound-feet of torque mated to a six-speed automatic transmission. For a bit more pulling power and durability, Ram is offering a new 3.0-liter four-cylinder diesel engine pumping out 174 hp and, more importantly, 295 lb-ft of torque at just 1,400 rpm. That engine sends its torquey goodness through a six-speed electronically controlled automated manual gearbox.

Ram ProMaster City getting facelift courtesy of Fiat Doblo?

Our intrepid spy photographers have caught prototypes for a new Fiat Doblo. Now we know what you might be thinking (particularly if you didn't take note of the headline): why would we care about an automaker conducting a facelift on a European cargo van? Normally we wouldn't, only the Fiat Doblo has another name, under which it will be shortly be sold here in America: Ram ProMaster City.
Announced just months ago, the ProMaster City is the smaller counterpart to the Ram ProMaster, which itself is also a rebadged cargo van from Fiat Professional. Think of it as a Chrysler version of the Ford Transit and Transit Connect lineup - European vans being brought Stateside by automakers that operate on both sides of the Atlantic.
But despite the official announcement of the vehicle's pending arrival, we still haven't seen the PMC yet. The disguised Doblo prototypes pictured here appear to be wearing a completely new front end and some cosmetic revisions to their tail ends, too. We can't see anything in the interior, but the fact that it was completely covered up suggests that Fiat is working on overhauling that, as well.

Mopar Muscle is Monster Jam's first OEM monster truck in over a decade

New monster trucks seem to join the Monster Jam circuit every year, but it's not often that one gets the official blessing of an automaker. That's about to change, however, as Chrysler's truck division has teamed up once again with Hall Brothers Racing - which already fields the championship-winning Raminator and Rammunition trucks - to field the series' first new Original Equipment Manufacturer monster truck in over a decade.
Dubbed Mopar Muscle, the new Ram monster truck will debut at the Monster Jam in Detroit on Saturday at Ford Field, at the first of six such events in which Mike Miller (who, incidentally, named his son Hemi) will drive the truck throughout the year.
Here's what you need to know: Based on a 2014 Ram HD pickup (or at least made to look like one), Mopar Muscle stands 10 feet tall and weighs over 10,000 pounds, and it's powered by the legendary Gen II 426 Hemi that celebrates its 50th anniversary this year. But instead of leaving the massive 7.0-liter engine as is, Hall Brothers Racing enlarged it to 565 cubic inches - a mind-boggling 9.3 liters - and supercharged it to 2,000 horsepower. That's a whole lot of muscle no matter what it's packed into. Check it out in our high-res image gallery above. You can also check out the full schedule of events in the press release below to see if the truck is coming to your area this year.