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Ford Manufactures 10 Millionth Engine, A 4.6 Liter V8
 After years of delivering power to two of Ford Motor Company’s iconic products, the Ford F-150 and Mustang, Romeo Engine Plant has reached a historic milestone – the production of its 10 millionth engine. The 10 millionth engine, a 4.6 liter 3-valve V-8, will be shipped to AutoAlliance International in Flat Rock, Mich., to be installed in a new 2010 Mustang GT. The V-8 engines manufactured at the plant build on two of Ford’s strengths – capability for the Ford F-150, the best-selling truck in America, and performance for Mustang, America’s favorite muscle car. In 2008 alone, the engines produced at the plant generated a combined 90 million horsepower, about 2,750 times the combined horsepower of this year’s starting field for the Daytona 500.Full Story... 
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| | Mitsubishi Kills Raider Pickup Truck
 The mid-size Raider pickup truck from Mitsubishi and Chrysler LLC sucks and both companies knows it, which is the reason why they have officially killed off the truck. Based off of the Dodge Dakota model platform, Mitsubishi sold less than 3,000 units in all of 2008 and will not be offering a new vehicle to fill the Raider's shoes. Peace out suck-truck.
Source: Detroit Free Press
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| Average Price Of Diesel Fuel Finally Drops, Cheaper Than Premium Gasoline
 Good news for you diesel truck owners out there, the average price per gallon of diesel fuel has finally dipped into gasoline price territory, cheaper than premium octane at $2.18 per gallon. Recently diesel fuel has taken a beating at the pump due to an increased cost of refinement, price of oil, and premium diesel engine costs, but those worries are starting to go away-for now. With pickup truck sales in the tank and massive discounts being given on new models, maybe now is the time to go out and buy that heavy duty diesel pickup you always wanted.
Sources: EIA, The Car Connection, Autoblog
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| | | Total Automotive Manufacturer Bailout Just Shy Of $100 Billion
 The Detroit Free Press have collected, analyzed, and tallied all of the automotive bailout related items and the total comes in at $97.4 billion dollars. That figure includes the initial $25.4 billion given out to automakers, a $25.5 billion issued from the Federal government for automotive suppliers, and a final $39 billion in loans for General Motors and Chrysler LLC. When you add up all those numbers and if the entire amount is paid out to all of the automotive companies, it has been computed that every single American citizen would have contributed $874 dollars to this clusterfuck bailout plan.
Sources: Detroit Free Press via Autoblog
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Friday Beerblog: Stinger Hitch Helper Helps Level Your Ride
 While posting up other stories this morning, a particular product popped up in our "Truck Swag" portion of the site that caught my eye and I instantly thought "What the hell is that?".
That product is called the Stinger Hitch Helper, a 55 pound hitch system that fits any 2 inch receiver and helps level your pickup truck. Made with a coil spring that provides a smooth ride and easy height adjustment, the single hitch is rated for 910 pounds capacity at 65 miles per hour. There's also a dually hitch available, rated at 1,800 pounds at 65 miles per hour.
Now here's the catch... the single wheel unit is available for a raping $599 dollars and the dually unit at $1,129. For that price you can get a whole different spring leaf pack and increase your load rating safely.
For more information about the Stinger Hitch Helper head on over to Truck Hownd.
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| General Motors Shipping Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra with 3.73 Rear Axle Option
 Good news for those enthusiasts looking to buy a new pickup truck from General Motors, the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra half ton trucks are now shipping with a 3.73 rear axle option and new 6.2 liter V8 engine. GM spokesperson Kelly Wysocki commented "The first GM full-size pickups with 6.2-liter V-8 engines and 3.73 rear axles started shipping from the factory in late January" and "they should start arriving at dealers very soon. The 3.73 can be ordered as part of the Max Trailering Package option". GM's new 6.2 liter V8 packs 403 horsepower and 417 foot pounds of torque, matched with a six speed automatic transmission, the new motor and axle combination is only available on crew cab configurations. The new 3.73 rear axle option replaces the standard 3.42, which was optimized for fuel economy standards.
Source: Pickuptrucks
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| | Honda Ridgeline and Pilot SUV Production Moved To Alabama
 Honda began rolling the first Ridgeline crossover trucks off their assembly lines in Lincoln, Alabama this week, where operations were moved from their previous plant in Alliston, Ontario. The reason for the move is part of Honda's restructuring efforts of North American manufacturing, adjusting production to demand. The Honda Pilot SUV also made the move to Lincoln, Alabama, where both vehicles also share the 3.5 liter V6 powertrain and can be installed all in one location.
Source: Birmingham News
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Brembo Forced To Lay Off 1,800 Employees
 Performance aftermarket brake system company, Brembo, are being forced to lay off more than 1,800 workers worldwide in Italy, Mexico, and Poland. Sources close to the company say that company orders have "fallen drastically" and any sign of recovery is grim.
Sources: Auto News & Autoblog
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Sirius XM Avoids Bankruptcy, Satellite Radio Continues
 New reports have confirmed that Sirius XM will avoid bankruptcy as speculated last Friday, due to a last minute deal between Sirius XM and Liberty Media. Liberty Media which owns numerous companies including Dish Network, QVC, and EchoStar, will pay Sirius' debt of $530 million in loans in two stages to help the company avoid bankruptcy. Sirius XM President, Mel Karmazin, commented on the last minute deal, “We are pleased to have come to this agreement with Liberty Media, particularly in light of today’s challenging credit markets”. Once all of the debts are paid, Liberty Media will own a 40 percent stake in the company. Satellite radio services remains uninterrupted to customers.
Sources: New York Times, Gizmodo
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| General Motors and Chrysler LLC Request More Bailout Money
 Yesterday morning, General Motors and Chrysler LLC submitted their "Viability" plans to the United States Treasury Department, requesting additional money in bailouts to help sustain their companies further into the year. GM requested an additional $16.6 billion dollars and Chrysler LLC requested an additional $2 billion, both as "immediate requests". GM also addressed the fates of Hummer, Saturn and Saab, three brands they are hoping to sell or phase out by March 31st.
After the requests were made, Chrysler issued comments about their 2010 model line up which includes a redesigned Jeep Grand Cherokee SUV, Dodge Charger, Chrysler 300 sedan, Dodge Durango SUV and a two mode hybrid Dodge Ram.
No official statements have been made yet by the Treasury Department.
Sources: Jalopnik, MSNBC, Autoblog, Yahoo News
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| 2010 Ford F-150 Harley Davidson Found With 6.2 Liter ''Boss'' V8 Motor
 At the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, you can find the brand new 2010 Ford F-150 Harley Davidson pickup truck we brought you last week sitting on the showroom floor. Underneath this custom F-150 though is Ford's highly anticipated 6.2 liter V8 motor nicknamed "Boss", which is slated for the F-150 SVT Raptor pickup truck sometime next year. The new motor produces 400 horsepower and 400 foot pounds of torque, much higher than Ford's conventional 5.4 V8 found underneath many F-150's today. A Ford spokesman commented on the status of the new motor and said "The only engine confirmed for the Harley-Davidson F-150 is the 5.4L V8 it will launch with". I suspect it will hit Harley trucks by the end of the year or sometime next spring.
Sources: Pickuptrucks via Autoblog
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| | Ford Recalls 11,000 2009 Ranger 4x2 Pickups Due To Spindle Hazard
 Ford has issued a recall of over 11,000 2009 Ranger 4x2 pickup trucks due to an improperly manufactured front wheel spindle that can possibly fracture while driving increasing the risk of a crash or even death. Owners of the brand new pickups are urged to contact their local dealer as soon as possible, where dealers will replace the part free of charge. Owners can contact Ford at 1-866-436-7332 or by visiting www.safecar.gov
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