#customization

The amount of limited editions that Ram puts out seems limitless. Yet the brand doesn’t stop.

Here’s one that’s intended to honor the people who serve in our military. Without getting political, I think whether you’re liberal, conservative, libertarian, or somewhere else on the political spectrum, saluting the troops for their service is a good thing. Even pacifists likely acknowledge the sacrifices troops are asked to make.

Ram sure does.

As it soaks up newfound love from an absentee parent, Maserati plans on bringing its best to the New York International Auto Show. The Italian marque recently announced it intends to cart its entire vehicle lineup to the venue — with a special focus on a new customization program and the Levante SUV, which it calls a “New York favorite.”

We consider every Maserati a New York favorite, as you rarely see them anywhere but along the coastal United States. While the company does have dealerships in places like St. Louis and Kansas City, you only need a quick peek at a national dealer map to realize which side of the bread holds the butter.

Toyotas mostly don’t show up in the big self-service wrecking yards until about age 15, so discarded Scion xB s are just beginning to appear in U-Wrench-It inventories. Here’s a Scion Toaster covered with totally brutal airbrush murals, spotted in a Denver-area yard a few months back.

How do you grow your business if you are allowed to sell only 7,000 cars a year? Ferrari is in that tough spot. Last year, they sold 6,500 cars with the prancing horse. To protect Ferrari from being mistaken for a brand that everybody drives, a ceiling of 7,000 has been established. (Don’t ask me why 7,000.) So how do you grow your business if you can’t sell more cars? Simple: Charge more. “Personal touches like cashmere-covered seats and gold-colored exteriors” can add 20 to 60 percent to the price, writes Bloomberg.