At the 2018 Dallas Auto Show, Fiat-Chrysler Automotive showcased a Texas-oriented Lone Star appearance and interior package for the 2019 Ram 1500.
Lone Star joins the Sport and Black packages already on the market and instead offers a selection of chrome and mock chrome accents to the truck’s exterior, as well as an upgraded interior. Chrome is used on the door handles, and mock chrome (“bright”) is featured on bumpers front and rear, as well as the grille’s edging. Aluminum wheels 18-inches across, fog lights, and a Lone Star tailgate complete the exterior, while the interior is improved with rear bench seating, Lone Star badges, and a leather steering wheel with controls for the radio.
Additional package options for towing, off-roading, and bed storage will be offered. Individual parts, such as air suspension, a rear e-differential, blind spot monitoring, and 20-inch aluminum wheels are available separately. Base pricing has not yet been revealed, though the 2017 Ram 1500 Lone Star started at $31,395.
Another special-edition Ram pickup, the high-dollar Laramie Longhorn, was announced in January at the Houston Auto Show.
Ram truck and Jeep sales are the backbones of FCA’s profitability at present, though even strong Jeep sales are unsatisfactory for the Italian-American car conglomerate. Both eponymous Fiat and Chrysler brands are in dire straits in some markets. Chrysler offers only two vehicles, the 300 sedan and Pacifica minivan, in its home market, and Fiat’s sales are tanking in North America. Fiat intends to lure compact car customers back to the aging 500 and its variants with an all-turbo lineup for 2018 and beyond, but boost probably won’t solve the problem that drivers the world over are buying SUVs again, and even companies less troubled than FCA are struggling to keep up with demand.