Dive Brief:

• Note to self: When the Ram 1500 pickup with the fuel-miser 3-liter EcoDiesel engine is available again in March, put it on top of must-have list.
• Fiat-Chrysler says it allocated a little over 8,000 of the trucks for its 2014 model year, and they were gone in less than 72 hours – with the paid-for portion doubling the corporate average.
• The diesel 1500 is rated at 28 mpg for a two-wheel-drive, standard-cab model, which Ram is not hesitant to point out is the best result ever for a full-size, half-ton pickup.

Dive Insight:

Ram started producing the ballyhooed truck this month. It opened the door for orders in the afternoon of Feb. 7, and they were gone by the morning of Feb. 10. Those orders will be delivered next month, with the next allocation opening then as well. Simple lesson, Ram says: "Fuel economy is the No. 1 request of half-ton buyers," Reid Bigland, Ram CEO, said.