10 Biggest News Stories of the Week: Ram 1500 Leaves Volkswagen ID. Buzz, Kia EV9 Out in the Cold
When is a hybrid not a “hybrid”? When it’s an EREV. The forthcoming 2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger is an extended-range electric vehicle (hence the acronym) that primarily uses its gas engine as a generator to charge its battery, which sends power to two electric motors at the front and rear axles. That’s not to be confused with conventional hybrids with gas engines that send power to the wheels via a transmission. The result for this electrified Ram 1500 is a 145-mile all-electric driving range and 690 miles of total range while boasting burly performance and pulling specs like 647 horsepower and 610 pounds-feet of torque, as well as 2,625-pound payload and 14,000-pound towing capacities.
Related: 10 Biggest News Stories of the Month: Genesis Electrified GV70 Luxuriates, Hyundai Palisade Pops
In Cars.com’s most popular news article of the past week, we run down the Ramcharger’s (mostly) next-level bona fides in anticipation of its on-sale date sometime in the second half of 2025. Given its purportedly pragmatic DC fast-charging times and promising payload-to-performance ratio, the Ramcharger could surge ahead in the emerging electrified half-ton truck market.
For our full specs breakdown and early assessment of the 2026 Ram 1500 Ramcharger, follow the link below to the No. 1 news story on this week’s countdown of most-read articles.
Elsewhere in electric-vehicle news, we tested two comparably efficient family-ferrying EVs — a 2024 Kia EV9 SUV and a 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz minivan — on a standardized 100-mile route in the brutal Midwest winter to determine which was more suited to the cold. Long story short: Both vehicles’ efficiency was challenged by freezing temperatures, mitigating their driving range and necessitating stopping at uncomfortably brief intervals to recharge at less-than-conveniently located stations. But ultimately, the EV9 offered slightly better efficiency and significantly greater driving range — thereby reducing the number of times someone has to get out in the bone-chilling cold to hook up to a DC fast charger.
For the specific efficiency and range figures our editors observed in their frigid efficiency face-off of the 2024 Kia EV9 and 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz, follow the link below to the No. 2 news story of the week.
Beyond all that, we’ve got headlines on the Kia Seltos, Audi A5 and A4, Chevrolet Equinox EV, Mitsubishi Outlander and much more — so don’t stop reading till the digits double. Here are the top 10 news stories Cars.com readers couldn’t get enough of in the past week:
2. 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Vs. 2024 Kia EV9: Cold-Weather Efficiency Test
3. What Are the Most Reliable Cars and Brands?
4. 137,000 Kia Seltos, Soul SUVs Recalled for Engine Damage, Fire Risk
5. Here Are the 11 Cheapest Electric Vehicles You Can Buy
6. All-New 2025 Audi A5 Replaces Previous A5 and A4
7. Which Electric Cars Are Still Eligible for the $7,500 Federal Tax Credit?
8. Is the 2025 Chevrolet Equinox EV a Good Electric SUV? 5 Pros, 3 Cons
9. 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander Review: Affordable Utility
10. Is the 2025 Volkswagen ID. Buzz Really a Minivan?
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