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GM brands might not go under the ax, but competing models will

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/09/gm-brands-might-not-go-under-the-ax-but-competing-models-will/ Filed under: SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, GM, HUMMERIt's no secret that GM is looking to sell or kill its once valuable HUMMER brand, but the big question now is whether the General will do the same with other brands. Unfortunately for GM, there isn't much to be gained from either killing or selling most brands. Saturn, GMC, and Pontiac are all US-only brands that don't exist without Chevrolet, and the bow-tie is GM, so it's safe as can be. Buick is a Chinese gold mine, so it's off the market. Selling Saab, Vauxhall or Opel likely wouldn't result in the kind of cash the General is going to need going forward, but at the expense of losing its European market share. Killing any brand, as GM already knows from its experience with Oldsmobile, would result in lawsuits from dealers and a dip in sales, which the General can hardly afford.What is likely to happen is that GM will take the same road Chrysler is already traveling by cutting overlapping models. Do we need a G5 and a Cobalt? Not likely. How about four Lambda crossovers? Two or three would likely be sufficient. How many different flavors of GMT 900-based SUVs is needed? There are currently several different flavors of Tahoe, Silverado, and Yukon, and some are superfluous, not mention stagnating on dealer lots. In the place of those vehicles will go more efficient models ranging from the sub-sub compact Chevy Beat (supposedly) to more Cobalt-sized products. The trick will be keeping the ship afloat until those models, along with the Chevy Volt, become reality. GM is likely to unveil more details during its next board meeting in early August. [Source: Detroit News] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Get your 2009 Dodge Rams with zero-percent financing

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/10/get-you-2009-dodge-rams-with-0-percent-financing/ Filed under: Car Buying, Trucks/Pickups, Chrysler, LLC., DodgeUPDATE: We've been informed that the 0% financing for 72 months offer is only available for the 2008 Dodge Ram. Financing details for the 2009 Dodge Ram will be announced at a later date.The 2009 Dodge Ram appears to be a top-notch competitor in the light truck market, but that won't keep the soon-to-be-released model from feeling the pinch of high gas prices. Chrysler told dealers in a July 8th conference call that the new Ram would be launched with 0-percent financing... for 72 months. To put this into perspective, an all-new $30,000 vehicle with 7-percent financing would translate into a $511 per month car payment over 72 months. With 0-percent financing, the payment would be only $417, for a savings of nearly $7,000. When the 2009 Dodge Ram was unveiled to the public at the Detroit Auto Show, it was looked at as a potential savior for the Pentastar. Only seven months later and two months before its scheduled to go on sale, It's going to be launched with the same financing as the slow-selling outgoing model. Ouch. [Source: Automotive News (subs req'd)] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Prius production heading to Mississippi, Tundra to Texas

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/10/prius-production-heading-to-mississippi-tundra-to-texas/ Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, Plants/Manufacturing, Crossovers/CUVs, ToyotaToyota's got some changes and rearranges underway with its North American facilities to better serve the demands of the market. The biggest news is that Prius production will be coming Stateside, which will help unkink the supply pipeline, if not also lower costs. A new facility in Blue Springs, Mississippi is being readied for the battery-pack-mobile, though the location was initially meant to turn out Highlanders. With consumer desires shifting with the rise of fuel prices, cranking out more Priuses is a higher priority, and beginning in fall 2009, the Highlander will shuffle off to Princeton, Indiana. With the Highlander elbowing its way into the Princeton plant, the vehicle currently produced there, the Tundra, will see its production move under a single roof in San Antonio, Texas. The big-truck moves are of little consequence when the plants are scheduled to be idled beginning August 8th due to lack of demand. Huntsville, Alabama will also hold up on cranking out V8 engines. While Toyota is putting some plants in neutral, it pledges to provide employment to affected team members during the shutdown. All of this shuffling is an attempt by Toyota to avoid sustaining humongous hits as the market for new cars takes a dump, as well as ensuring that the products it remains building match up with consumer desires. Always a good thing to make the things people want. [Source: Toyota/Open Road]  Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Suzuki Carry drifter: it's O-KEI!

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/10/suzuki-carry-drifter-its-o-kei/ Filed under: Economy, Trucks/Pickups, Etc., Japan, SuzukiAs Autoblog's resident kei car fanboy, I like to share news and links about the diminutive forbidden-fruit rides whenever something interesting pops on the radar, like yesterday. Today, it's just a photo, courtesy of the gang at Speedhunters. The tiny kei pickup is a Suzuki Carry, which, in the hands of a normal business owner, does precisely that. This one's obviously a wee bit more specialized though, as the rear wing and roll bar suggest. This little work truck's job is drifting. It might look wrong, but there's something so right about it. Who says you need triple-digit horsepower to have fun?[Source: Speedhunters] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

HUMMER H3T starting at $31,495, sales begin September

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/11/hummer-h3t-starting-at-31-495-sales-begin-september/ Filed under: Car Buying, SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, HUMMERClick above for a high-res gallery of the HUMMER H3T.HUMMER is on the skids and pickups aren't flying off dealer lots, but if you're smitten with the H3 and need to haul more than its covered cargo bay can handle, the H3T is yours for the taking. Pricing starts at $31,495, including a $745 destination charge -- $850 less than a comparable H3.For that kind of cash, you get a five-foot-long bed covered with an integrated liner and built-in storage system, full-time electronically controlled four-wheel-drive, 32-inch tires, functional skid plates and the five-year/100,000-mile warranty. The base model will pack the 3.7-liter five-cylinder, but a 5.3-liter V8 will be available, along with Bluetooth integration and an upgraded OnStar system. GM hasn't released details on what that kind of kit will set you back, but you can hit up your local dealer to find out when the H3T goes on sale in September.Hit the jump for HUMMER's press release and check out our previous post on the H3T.Gallery: 2009 HUMMER H3TContinue reading HUMMER H3T starting at $31,495, sales begin September Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

Reefers ISO Containers

- posted: 20.07.08

European Trucks News

- posted: 20.07.08

Ford considering four-cylinder EcoBoost for F150

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/14/ford-considering-four-cylinder-ecoboost-for-f150/ Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, FordAccording to sources speaking with Pickuptrucks.com, Ford is considering offering an EcoBoost four-cylinder engine on its F-150 pickup in 2013. The boosted mill is expected to displace around 2.5-liters, produce 260 hp and 300 lb.-ft. of torque, and would only be available on the two-door Regular Cab F-150 4x2 and 4x4. Ford's rationale for equipping its workaday pickup with a turbo'd four is partially due to the rising cost of gasoline, but is primarily fueled by new CAFE regulations that will require light trucks to average 28.6 mpg by 2015. Ford has already decided to drop its 4.2-liter V6 for the 2009 model year, only offering the 4.6-liter V8, which produces more power and more torque, while still offering similar fuel economy.The EcoBoost range of engines are likely to find their way into several different models across Ford's line up, and according to Ford's director of powertrain research, Dan Kapp, EcoBoost engines could allow the automaker to reduce engine sizes by between 40- and 50-percent, so 3.0-liter V6s could be replaced by two-liter fours and a 2.5-liter four cylinder could be reduced to 1.5-liters.Before the EcoBoost four-pot debuts on the 2013 F-150, Ford will launch a turbocharged V6 in the pickup in 2010. Displacement is expected to be around 3.5-liters, with output estimated at around 350 hp and 390 lb.-ft. of torque. Partnered with a new six-speed transmission, fuel economy should be around 16 mpg city and 22 mpg highway.And what of the rumored F-100 pick-up? It's conceivable that the range-topping version of the compact truck could be packing the same turbo'd four as its big brother, while a naturally aspirated version would power the entry level model. [Source: Pickuptrucks.com] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

GM to cut 20% in overall white collar costs, cut truck production by over 300k

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/gm-to-cut-20-in-overall-white-collar-costs-cut-truck-productio/ Filed under: Hybrids/Alternative, SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Hirings/Firings/Layoffs, GMGM CEO Rick Wagoner announced sweeping organizational challenges designed to cut costs by $15 billion by the end of 2009. The Detroit automaker is looking reduce costs in an increasingly difficult market that could drop to 14 million units per year with fewer SUVs and trucks leaving dealer lots. Among the cost cutting measures, GM plans on reducing organizational costs by $10 billion, and another $5 billion by selling assets and working in the capital markets. Here are some of the highlights from the press conference: Reduce salaried employee expenses by 20 percent through retirements, voluntary separations, buyouts, and other separation initiatives Cut all salaried retiree health care after age 65, and use the over funded retirement fund to increase pension pay No raises through 2009 Executive discretionary bonus elimination Reduce sales and marketing expenses through reductions in events, motorsports, and ad spending Cut truck production by 300k units by 2009 Reduce product development budget for 2009 to $7b by delaying launches of next generation trucks and SUVs and cutting V8 development Increase spending on alternative powertrains Push back blue collar retirement VEBA payment from 2008 to 2010, saving $1.7b Eliminate stock dividend payouts effective immediately to save $800m Raise $4 billion to $7 billion through asset sales and financing using some $20 billion in assets as collateral Continue review of the Hummer brand GM is under quite a bit of pressure right now, and with stocks sliding to $9.63 per share, the General didn't have the luxury of waiting until its August shareholder meeting to unveil its plans. Now it's up to Wall Street to determine whether $15b in savings is enough to turn things around. UPDATE: Wagoner addressed GM employees and shed some light on what products are in the pipeline. The Chevrolet Cruze will begin production in the U.S. in 2010 The Chevrolet Equinox will go into production in May of 2009, equipped with a direct-injected 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine. The Cadillac CTS coupe has been green lit and is coming in the summer of '09. The Cadillac CTS Sportswagon will be on the market in next spring. The next Cadillac SRX, inspired by the Provoq concept, will go on sale globally in 2009. The rear-wheel-drive Buick Invicta will be released in the U.S. next spring. The Saab 9-4X is on its way in late 2009. Continue reading GM to cut 20% in overall white collar costs, cut truck production by over 300k Permalink | Email this | Comments

Spy Shots: Honda Ridgeline unmasked, hide the children

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/spy-shots-honda-ridgeline-unmasked-hide-the-children/ Filed under: Spy Photos, Trucks/Pickups, HondaClick above for more high-res shots of the 2009 Honda Ridgeline.After Honda showed its new schnoz on the redesigned Pilot, we knew what was bound to happen to the Ridgeline. And it's as unfortunate as expected. These newest spy shots show Honda's unibody pickup with a similar nose job as its fully enclosed sibling, complete with an upright grille framing an angular trim piece, and new headlamps. The only other discernable difference on the outside are redesigned taillights, and here's hoping that the interior gets some much needed material love when the new Ridgeline debuts later this year.Gallery: Spy Shots: 2009 Honda Ridgeline Permalink | Email this | Comments

More pricing details on the HUMMER H3T

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/more-pricing-details-on-the-hummer-h3t/ Filed under: Car Buying, SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, HUMMER, Earnings/FinancialsClick above for a high-res gallery of the HUMMER H3T.To say that HUMMER's launch timing for the H3T sport-utility-truck couldn't be worse seems like an understatement. Trucks which had been flying out of showrooms just a few short years ago are now languishing on dealer lots. What's more, the entire HUMMER brand could get the axe any day now from (current) parent company General Motors. Still, the H3T is coming to a dealer near you in September, and there's nothing that the General can do but price it competitively and hope for the best. We've got some detailed pricing information pasted after the break, but the short version is that the five-cylinder base model, which comes standard with a five-speed stick, will go for $31,495 and be equipped with the expected four-wheel drive along with 32-inch tires and a clothe interior. Upscale Alpha models get upgraded with the 5.3L V8 hooked to a four-speed automatic, a chrome appearance package and a Monsoon stereo for $36,760.Gallery: 2009 HUMMER H3T[Source: PickupTrucks.com]Continue reading More pricing details on the HUMMER H3T Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

We bet they have a great personality - PickupTrucks.com picks the 5 ugliest truck concepts

- posted: 20.07.08
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/07/15/we-bet-they-have-a-great-personality-pickuptrucks-com-picks-th/ Filed under: Concept Cars, Trucks/Pickups, Humor, Opinion/EditorialClick above to see what else was found hiding behind a rock.Not to mention any names or anything (*cough* Baja *cough*), but there have been some downright ugly trucks to go from the concept stage straight through to production. Usually, though, consumer reaction is properly gaged and the most egregious styling mistakes are usually swept quietly under the rug. Until, that is, somebody starts digging around for the most grossly misshapen models they can find... which is exactly what PickupTrucks.com decided to do. The results of their efforts have been ignominiously placed up on their website for the whole world to gaze upon in disgust. They are as follows: Nissan Nails Rinspeed Tatooo Nissan XIX Dodge MAXXcab Chevrolet Borrego Though these concept vehicles have been ranked, we hesitate to call any of them winners. See for yourself in the gallery below -- if you must.Gallery: Five Ugly Concept Trucks[Source: PickupTrucks.com] Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments

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