Autoblog

Ford announced earlier this summer that it would delay the launch of its ultra-important F150 full-size truck by a few months to help dealers clear out left over 2008 inventory. For the record, the new truck's launch was originally scheduled for October before being moved to December. Finally, Ford has split the difference and will begin marketing its F150 in November. Jim Farley, main marketer at the Blue Oval, cites two main reasons for the revised decision. One: its dealerships culled their old supply faster than anticipated, and two: Dodge just launched its new-for-'09 Ram. Ford obviously doesn't want its cross-town rival to steal all its thunder.

Expectations for the new F150 seem appropriately timid. Current market conditions, including the relatively high price of fuel and the difficulty in securing credit, mean the the days of Ford selling a million tucks a year are over. Still, there is a large market left of users who depend on their trucks for work, and Ford's targeting them. We'll see how it goes beginning next month.


[Source: Inside Line]

Of all the wild-ass rumors we hear on a weekly daily hourly basis, this one has that special air of cow manure. According to Automotive News, Volkswagen is considering a pickup truck for the U.S. based off the second generation Beetle, which is due out around the turn of the decade.

The rationale behind this implausible idea stems from VW's goal to boost annual vehicle sales in the U.S. from its current 230,000 units to 1 million vehicle sales per year by 2018. Other derivatives of the new new Beetle could also include a crossover and a wagon.

Although the recently revealed VW Pickup Concept is only bound for markets outside the U.S. and Europe, a compelling case can be made for a light-duty truck for occasional haulers here in the States. But we somehow doubt that the U.S. consumers could warm up to a Beetle-based truck – nostalgia can only go so far.

[Source: Automotive News (sub. req.) via Pickuptrucks.com | Image: CargoFun]

If the super-tuned F-350 Striker diesel dually doesn't float your boat, the specialty tuners at Performance West will have a tire shredder of smaller proportions for you at SEMA next month. The F-150 Striker R will be unleashed on attendees of the Las Vegas tuner spectacular with Shelby GT500KR-inspired styling similar to its big brother and a power story all its own. Our friend Mike Levine from Pickuptrucks.com gave us the low-down on the Striker R's power numbers, and they're pretty impressive. It gains motivation from Ford's 5.4L V8 mated to a massive 2.4L Kenne Bell Blowzilla supercharger and intercooler, giving it a healthy 500 ponies. Other power enhancers include a cold air intake, Boost-a-Pump, Optimizer II electronic engine management system and a Corsa Cat-Back exhaust.

The Sriker R will be kept pinned to the pavement with a Bell Tech suspension package, and the rear differential will receive a Striker R alloy cover. Stopping force for this powerful pickup comes via 15-inch Big Bite cross-drilled rotors. A vehicle isn't SEMA-worthy without great-looking wheels and tires, and Performance West went to Pirelli for the proper equipment – stylish 22-inch alloy wheels and Scorpion Zero Asimmetrico ultra-high-performance tires.

In our humble opinion, the GT500KR treatment translates better to the F-150 than the F-350, as the Striker R incorporates big upper and lower front air dams and two imposing hood scoops to keep the air flowing. No GT500KR look-alike would be worth its weight in spit without dual racing stripes, and the Striker R uses the Badass Blue variety with contrasting silver paint directly from the Shelby Mustang concept.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]

Another one bites the dust, and this time its International, that's decided to drop its line of non-commercial big rigs. Considering the tough times that automakers have been having moving traditional pickups off dealer lots and into driveways, you can imagine the problems that International must be having with its CXT, MXT and RXT consumer-grade semis. Current fuel prices alone may have been enough to bring the Internationals to a grinding halt, but the faltering economy, which has made luxury toy purchases much harder to justify, may have been the final nail in the XT's coffin. In any case, this isn't a death-blow to International, as the company didn't sell too many of these leviathans anyway, and their demise will allow the company to focus its attention back on the heavy-duty hauler segment that is its bread-and-butter, along with the military segment, which surely is more profitable than the others.

[Source: Kicking Tires]

To anyone who's spent any time in the vast desert stretches of the southwestern United States, lifted and stretched Pink Jeeps are likely a familiar sight. The company has been around for nearly 50 years taking passengers across very rough stretches of land where pavement is but a distant memory. Ask anybody what it's like to ride for a few hours in a highly-modified Jeep Wrangler and you could hear a few shocking expletives. So, when Pink Jeep Tours needed another vehicle that was capable of moving lots of people and gear over great distances, a Jeep didn't quite seem to fit.

So, how do you out-Jeep a Jeep? You don't, but you can always try a Dodge Ram 3500 with its 6.7-liter Cummins turbo-diesel engine. To make it resemble one of its Jeeps, Pink Jeeps hired Prefix Corporation to add a classic seven-slot grille -- completely approved and licensed by Chrysler no less -- along with the requisite Pepto-like hue. A lift-kit, air suspension, 35-inch tires and a luxurious (by Wrangler standards anyway) interior with reclining leather captains chairs, 15-inch LCD screens with DVD players, and foam insulated side walls to keep the cool air inside completed the transformation. Jeep purists need not worry, there's still no better way to explore the outdoors than in an open-air Wrangler, but when a bit more comfort is needed, you can always slap a slotted-grille on a Ram.


[Source: The Detroit News]

Cowboys and truck-lovers unite for the Texas State Fair every year around this time. It's where big-time truckmakers often release special editions of their pickups just for the Texas market, again underscoring just how important the Lone Star State is for sales. So it is this year with the 2009 Dodge Ram Lone Star edition. Starting life down the assembly line as a Ram Crew 1500 SLT in either two- or four-wheel drive, various chrome accents, 20-inch wheels (either painted or chromed) and big 4-inch dual exhausts integrated into the rear bumper have been added. Inside, a lighting group is standard equipment along with an up-level leather steering wheel. Lest those following you don't know what or where you're driving, a Lone Star badge is affixed to the tailgate left of the huge Ram-head logo. Very subtle. The good news is that Texans won't be charged an arm and a leg for the Lone Star edition, as it adds just $1,500 to the price of a HEMI-equipped Ram, a big savings over the $3,560 it would cost to replicate otherwise. If all of this is enough to make you want one, and you live in Texas, expect the Lone Star to reach your favorite dealer sometime next month.


[Source: Dodge]

Today Ford added two new co-branded models to its F-Series Super Duty line-up, the F-450 Harley-Davidson and FX-4 Cabela edition. The 2009 HD model continues a long tradition of collaboration between the Blue Oval and builder of hogs, but is the first time this co-branding has been applied to the mightiest of F-Series pickups, the F-450. It comes with a blue-flame paint job that's carried through into the interior on the gauges. And, of course, it wouldn't be a Harley-Davidson edition F-Series if there weren't a plethora of commemorative badges on the truck to remind you.



For those looking for a truck that is perhaps a bit more mild, Ford offers the Cabela edition FX-4. Cabela is an outdoor retailer that appeals to hunting and fishing types, so this co-branding deal puts Ford right in front of their faces. The Cabela edition FX-4 gets a two-tone paint scheme that can be ordered up in a number of colors, cloth seats, dark Paldeo wood trim and lockable storage units to hide your hunting rifle, fishing pole or whatever.

Ford has also announced the availability of new options for the Super Duty line like a spray-in bedliner called Tough Bed, SYNC, voice-activated nav system with SIRIUS Travel Link, and the Ford Work Solutions package.

It must be pretty hard to unload an unwanted truck business these days. Just ask General Motors, which has attempted to sell its medium-duty truck operations first to Navistar and then Isuzu. Both heavy-duty diesel makers have passed on the offer. Isuzu had been rumored as a possible buyer for the unit after Navistar let the non-binding agreement pass by unsigned. Now, Isuzu President Susumu Hosoi tells Reuters, "There will be no such acquisition happening" from his company either, suggesting that the market for heavy-duty trucks has not yet hit the bottom.

GM and Isuzu still have dealings together as the two companies jointly develop and build the Duramax engines that power the General's most powerful full-size trucks, SUVs and vans. This cooperation is expected to continue on as it has with neither Isuzu or GM buying out the other to gain full control of the operations.

[Source: Reuters]

Suzuki has chosen a rather dubious time to enter the pickup truck market with the 2009 Equator. As you are surely aware, trucks and SUV sales are way down from their apogee a few years back, and small cars like the ones that have historically filled Suzuki showrooms are all the rage. So, why would the Japanese automaker even bother with a mid-sized pickup truck based on the Nissan Frontier? That's a good question, and we aimed to find out when we grabbed the keys to Team Yellow's first-ever real pickup contender in the U.S. Read on to see what the Suzuki Equator has to offer.


All Photos © Copyright Jeremy Korzeniewski / Weblogs Inc.

Volkswagen's entry into the "one-ton" truck fray has officially hit the Web before its proper unveiling at the 62nd IAA Commercial Vehicles Show, and although it's only called the "Concept Pickup" for now, this spartan work truck is what consumers in South America and other emerging markets (not the U.S. and Europe) will likely know as the Robust when it goes into production In Pacheco, Argentina next year.

Blending V-Dub style with a profile reminiscent of the Honda Ridgeline, the double-cab concept is tarted up with SAR badges, a functional light bar and all the life-saving tools that you'd find in a coastal search-and-rescue-mobile, include a Baywatch-style "can" in the bed.

We're partial to the massive grille and deep air dam that spans the fascia, along with the bars flanking the bed and the incredibly production-ready interior. Both gasoline and diesel powerplants will be available when the production version goes on sale next year, and if it were 1995, we'd loved to see the VW pickup available in the U.S.


[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]