Trucks
Ram 1500 Tradesman Heavy Duty Revealed
lthough only offered as a no frills truck, which means just two-wheel drive, a regular cab and eight foot box, the Heavy Duty Tradesman is essentially a half-ton, entry-level rig with 3/4 ton cargo and towing capacity
2012 Ford Raptor Updated With Torsen Differential, Front-View Camera
Ford is continuing to update its F-150 SVT Raptor model, announcing some new equipment for 2012 that is sure to please off-roading enthusiasts. While a series Baja buggy, with incredible suspension travel and tremendous jumping capability the Raptor was less ideally suited to low-speed rock-crawling. That, however, is no longer the case with a new…
Toyota Tacoma TRD T/X Baja Series Limited Edition Unveiled at Texas State Fair
The opening of the Texas State Fair is always sure to usher in a new group of pickup trucks, with every automaker looking to use the event as a staging point for their latest vehicle. The venue couldn’t be more perfect, with pickup trucks making up one quarter of all vehicles sold in the state….
Safety Innovations Dramatically Reduce Car Versus Truck Crash Fatalities
A study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety revealed a significant drop in fatalities involving accidents between a car or a minivan versus an SUV of comparable weight. By comparing two sample sets, one used to record the number of crashes involving SUVs registered in 2000-2001 and another to record SUVs from 2008-2009, IIHS…
New Chevy Colorado Confirmed with Duramax 4-Cylinder Diesel
Having spent much time in Thailand during the vehicle’s development process, in order to gauge the kind of buyers found in the local pickup market as well as driving conditions many trucks are subjected to; Colorado chief engineer Roberto Rempel and his team believe that Chevy’s new mid-size pickup is more than up to the...
Ram Badged Fiat Doblo For The U.S. in 2013
The Fiat and Chrysler product osmosis continues. Chrysler first revealed its plan for a Fiat collaborated small commercial van for the North American market back in November 2009. Finally, here it is. Tofas Turk Otomobil Fabrikasi, Fiat’s Turkish joint venture, announced that it will supply Ram with 190,000 units of the Fiat Doblo small panel…
Ford Experiencing Success With Vista Roof Option
Ford is experiencing tremendous success with its new Vista Roof option, a large panoramic sunroof available on their crossover vehicles. Take rates for the inexpensive roof option are climbing as consumers opt for more airiness and light bathed cabins. Both the Ford Explorer and Flex are popular models featuring the Vista Roof. Almost half of…
Nissan Trucks, SUVs Suffer Transmission Woes
Owners of Nissan’s 2005-2010 Pathfinders, Frontiers and Xteras are experiencing failures to their automatic transmissions because radiator coolant is leaking into the system. The radiator cooler tanks are rupturing, which forces the coolant into the transmission through the transmission cooler lines. Nissan has offered an extended warranty for the radiators, but the coverage only applies to vehicles…
Ford And Toyota To Create Telematics, Hybrid System For Light Trucks And SUVs
Ford and Toyota shocked the automotive world with the announcement that the two companies will join forces to create a new hybrid system for light trucks and SUVs. The companies signed a memorandum of understanding, and will do further research and studies regarding the project. The new system is said to be rear-drive based, and…
Chevy Silverado, GMC Sierra to Get V6 Turbo Engines to Rival Ford F-150 EcoBoost
Ford was seen as taking a big gamble when it reintroduced V6 engines into its full-size pickup trucks. But the gamble has paid off and now the Blue Oval’s domestic rivals will look to do the same. With plans for the Ram 1500 to get Chrysler’s new Pentastar V6 engine, look for GM’s Silverado and…
Audi Q7 Pickup Truck is Real: New Spy Photos
When a single photo of an Audi Q7 pickup truck first hit the net, the almost immediate conclusion was that it was likely a photoshop. Claiming that it’s not, a tipster has sent AutoGuide three more images of the strange vehicle parked in a garage. Refusing to provide any more information on the luxury pickup,…
Ram Truck Brand Takes Marketing Push to Wal-Mart Stores [Video]
Chrysler’s Ram truck brand will expand its advertising into Wal-Mart stores throughout the U.S. this fall. Dodge Ram advertisements will be in thousands of Wal-Mart stores and will integrate Mossy Oak camouflage, another of Ram’s partners into the promotion. “We recognize the alignment between truck buyers, the hunting/fishing lifestyle and Wal-Mart,” said Marissa Hunter, head of Ram advertising….
Inventory Issues Plague Infiniti, While Nissan Continues To Increase Sales
Nissan and Infiniti are operating at very different sales levels because of the March natural disasters that struck Japan. Nissan’s sales increased 6 percent in July over July 2010 to 77,191 cars and trucks but Infiniti’s sales slumped, declining 24 percent to 7,410. Nissan North America’s combined sales increased 3 percent to 84,601 units, which…
VW Denounces New CAFE Regulations, Claims They’re Biased Towards Large Trucks
Most automakers have gotten in line with the White House and accepted (even welcomed) the new CAFE regulations. Not Volkswagen. In fact, they criticize the new CAFE standards as being biased towards trucks—which of course, they don’t build. The proposal “places an unfairly high burden on passenger cars, while allowing special compliance flexibility for heavier…
Ford Raptor Suffers Frame Bending Issues
The mighty Ford Raptor is indestructible, right? Sadly, it only looks that way: owners are reporting a drastic frame bending problem that threatens to destroy their trucks—and in one case, Ford refuses to honor its warranty. One owner on the Ford Raptor forums is reporting that a Ford engineer is citing his truck as voiding…
Jeep Grand Cherokee Wins NEMPA ‘Official Winter Vehicle Of New England’ Award [Video]
The New England Motor Press Association has voted and presented the ‘Official Winter Vehicle of New England Award’ to the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee. During the winter, a side by side test compared 4×4 SUVs in winter conditions and found the Grand Cherokee to exceed expectations. Jim Morrison, Head of Jeep Product Marketing, accepted the…
Next US-Bound Toyota Hybrid Will be a Truck
Introducing a variant of the Dutro hybrid to North America is part of Hino’s goal to quadruple sales in our market, to approximately 140,000 units annually by 2015.
Nissan And Chevrolet Drivers Have Highest Car-Crash Death Rates
In a report released today by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, drivers of sport-utility vehicles, had the highest instances of death in crashes because of rollovers, however they are now those with the highest probability of survival. In fact, drivers of Nissan’s 350Z sports car and the Titan pickup as well as GM’s Chevrolet…
2012 Ram 1500 to Get Pentastar V6 With Added Power, Fuel Economy
For 2012 the Ram 1500 pick-up will get an all-new base V6 engine, replacing the current unit with more power and improved fuel economy. According to a tweet by Ward’s Auto, Chrysler powertrain boss Paolo Ferrero has confirmed the Ram will get the new corporate Pentastar V6 next year. While 100 ccs smaller than the…
2012 Jeep Wrangler to Get More Powerful and Efficient Pentastar V6, 5-Speed Auto
The Jeep Wrangler will finally get the Chrysler 3.6-liter Pentastar V6 for the 2012 model year. Since 2007, the Wrangler has used the 3.8-liter V6 engine, which replaced the bullet proof 4.0-liter inline six. New transmission hardware has also arrived for the Wrangler as it will forgo the ancient four speed automatic for a five-speed…
Volkswagen Makes Bid For MAN Heavy Trucks
Both MAN and Scania are somewhat unique in the commercial vehicle sector in that they don’t rely on proprietary sources for major components such as engines, choosing instead to build their own. This aspect alone will give a new triumvirate a very solid position in the commercial vehicle market.
Kimi Raikkonen Places 27th In National NASCAR Debut
Kimi Raikkonen struggled to a 27th place on his NASCAR Nationwide Series debut at Charlotte Motor Speedway. Raikkonen, driving the #87 NEMCO Motorsports Toyota prepared by Kyle Busch Motorsports, suffered a pit road penalty and damage to the front of his car, dropping from 15th to 27th place. The iceman enjoyed a great run in…
Jeep Hires Lenny Kravitz To Boost Sales
Jeep has just hired and filmed a commercial with Lenny Kravitz to give the brand a new cool look. The commercial features Lenny Kravitz off- roading in the backwoods in a 2011 Jeep Wrangler Unlimited. The commercial also features Lenny Kravitz’s new song from his album “Rock Star City Life”. Check out the video for…
Truck Sales Hit All-Time Low in April
The Ford F-Series pickup isn’t just the best selling truck in America, but the best selling vehicle and it has been that way for almost as long as anyone can remember. That, however, may change, especially if gas prices continue to stay high and jobless rates don’t decline. According to data released by Ward’s Automotive,…
