Just like the scene from Office Space when Dom Portwood asks Peter if he received the memo about his TPS reports, today I ask you Truckblog fans, did you get that memo from last week about Truckblog TV and our other huge stories? If you didn't, below is a list of our top blogs from last week for you to read this Monday morning. "So if you could just remember to do that from now on, that'd be great. All right!".
Autoweek is reporting that General Motors has announced they have told their dealers of suspended production of some of their 2008 full size trucks and SUVs, due to the American Axle & Manufacturing Holdings strike. The vehicles effected are the GMC Yukon, GMC Denali, GMC Sierra heavy duty regular and extended cab configurations, GMC commercial heavy duty, Chevrolet Tahoe, and Chevrolet light duty pickup trucks. GMC spokesman, Randy Fox, said "Essentially, we're not accepting any more orders", referring to the lack of available parts because of the continued strike. General Motors is saying they have a 102 day supply of 3500 heavy duty trucks and a 178 day supply of 2500 heavy duty trucks. "The truck business is so slow in general right now it's hard to measure it".
Transporting your toys from A to B is as easy as LGA. Let's Go Aero, manufacturer of innovative Gear Management Solutions, offers a variety of compact trailers ideal for your next sand dune, lakeside, mountain camp or winter resort excursion. LGA trailers - including the GearWagon 125, GearLodge Camper, Little Giant Sport Utility Trailer and LittleGiant Trailer Xpand - are perfectly suited for dirt bike, motorcycle, ATV, snowmobile and personal watercraft owners who don't want the hassle - or expense - of a large, dedicated toy hauler trailer.
The big shift is on at Ford Motor Company, as the automaker plans to more than double the number – to 1.4 million – of fuel-efficient, 6-speed automatic transmissions in its North American cars and trucks by the end of 2009. The advanced transmissions provide customers 4 to 6 percent improved fuel economy compared with typical 4- and 5-speed gearboxes, as well as better acceleration and a quieter and more refined driving experience.
Scott Burgess of the Detroit News recently test drove the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid and wrote a review, stating the new hybrid SUV has great fuel mileage ratings, ratings that are "on par with '09 Camry", a hybrid sedan in a seperate vehicle class and nearly 3,000 pounds lighter. "The Tahoe Hybrid hits the same city mileage as a four-cylinder 2009 Toyota Camry. Its 21 mpg (on the two-wheel drive model) is even 2 mpg better than a Camry with a V-6". Powered by a six liter V8 with a hybrid system that includes two electric motors running on 300-volt system, the 2008 Chevrolet Tahoe Hybrid tips the scale at over $52,000. Is the price really worth it? Find out inside.
Industry-exclusive Ford SYNC is a fully integrated, voice-activated in-car communications and entertainment system that works with most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and digital media players. Beginning later this year, SYNC will also provide accident assistance through ‘911 Assist,’ and will be able to send customers Vehicle Health Reports on key systems to help them plan routine service appointments and alert them to critical systems issues.
Solid By Design, Inc. has been granted a license by AMP Research to manufacture AMP’ patented Alloy Fuel Doors exclusively for the automotive aftermarket. AMP Research will continue to manufacture its custom alloy fuel-filler doors sold through OEM accessory programs that include GM, Ford, Chrysler, Mazda, Mitsubishi.
Edmund's Inside Line have posted their thorough review of the 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited 4x4 CRD SUV. Earning an average of 19.3 miles per gallon, the new diesel powered Jeep Grand Cherokee serves as a perfect replacement for it's V8 SRT8 cousin, which only boasts a hefty 13.4 miles per gallon. Another advantage of the new 2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee's diesel engine is it's price, at only $1,655 which is far cheaper than it's full size heavy duty pickup truck brothers. The bottom line of the new Cherokee is that it provides an "Affordable diesel option [that] makes the Grand Cherokee a far more practical proposition". Click here to read their review.
If you're furious at work right now and are not happy with the events of your Monday morning (case of the Mondays?), and have also announced to your fellow co-workers that work sucks, then just remember what Lawrence said to Peter in Office Space... "No. No, man. Shit, no, man. I believe you'd get your ass kicked sayin' something like that, man". If that's the case, don't leave your cubical, and take a moment to read last weeks blogging wrath.
General Motors Corp. and Mascoma Corp. today announced a strategic relationship to develop cellulosic ethanol focused on Mascoma's single-step biochemical conversion of non-grain biomass into low-carbon alternative fuels to help address increasing energy demand. The relationship, which includes an undisclosed equity investment by GM, complements an earlier investment in a cellulosic ethanol startup that uses a thermo-chemical process to make ethanol from non-grain sources.
Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., announced new manufacturer's suggested retail prices today for certain Toyota and Lexus vehicles, effective mid- to late May 2008. The 2008 FJ Cruiser MSRP increases by $500, or 2.1 percent, with a new base MSRP of $23,045. The 2008 4Runner carries a new starting MSRP of $28,415, which represents an increase of 1.3 percent, or $400. MSRP increases by $900, or 1.4 percent, for the all-new 2008 Toyota Land Cruiser, with a new base price of $64,100. In the full-size truck category, the 2008 Tundra increases by $100 and will carry a new base price of $22,390, an increase of 0.3 percent. Pricing for 2008 Sienna increases by $100, or 0.4 percent, and will have a new base MSRP of $24,440.
Toyota has recalled 90,000 Highlander SUV's according WCVB, due to a seat belt problem in the third-row seat that could be prevented from being secured. There have been no complaints or injuries related to the seat belt issue, and Toyota has stopped all sales of the 2008 Highlander SUV and hybrid version with the third row seats equipped. The Highlander vehicles effected by the recall were built from May of 2007 to March of 2008. Owners will be notified of the seat belt recall in June.
In an article by US News, with gas prices climbing past the $4.00 dollar per gallon mark nation wide, SUV trade in values and sales have fallen over 14 percent in March alone, compared to the same time one year ago. The SUV used car sales have been so bad, that some dealers have been forced to sell them overseas, facing expensive transportation costs and little profit. Al Johnson of AutoNation's Maroone Nissan in Pembroke, Florida said "the dealership had been exporting about one car a month" in recent years, but this year they average roughly 10".
Lincoln Navigator owners wishing they had Ford's industry-exclusive SYNC in-vehicle communications system, need wish no more. Ford has introduced an affordable, dealer-installed SYNC accessory kit that allows select 2008 Navigator and Navigator L customers to enjoy the award-winning voice-activated communications system that works with most Bluetooth-enabled mobile phones and digital media players.
Are you feeling the Friday Beerblog love yet? This new one was found on Gizmodo, where the latest way to lift your automobile is by hooking up a lift jack balloon to your vehicle's exhaust, using the expelled gas to inflate the bag, thus lifting the car. Is this thing not dumb-ass proof or what? Anyone in their right mind who would get near this inflated hazard, is asking for it, even if the claims are "it's strong enough to lift a three-ton vehicle 18 inches for up to 45 minutes". Videos inside.
GM intends to meet the tough, new national CAFE standards of 35 mpg for cars and trucks combined by 2020, a dramatic increase of 40 percent. NHTSA’s proposed rule lays out the first set of standards toward this target. GM will work with NHTSA throughout its rulemaking process on the yearly targets and the sensible mechanisms needed to meet this challenge. GM has an established track record of innovation and a commitment to improving the fuel economy in its cars and trucks.
Andrew Posner of TreeHugger.com says that the price for a gallon of gas is selling for around $3.00 per gallon in New Jersey, a price that is lower than the nations average of $3.51. Why, you ask? Here's your answer. "New Jersey has the nation’s third-lowest gasoline tax, at 14.5 cents a gallon, and it hasn’t gone up in almost two decades".
Team Hummer earned first place in every production class in Saturday’s Best in the Desert Racing Series Terrible’s 250 at Primm, marking the first time the team has earned three victories in a race. In addition to the stock class wins, Emily Miller earned a Safari Pre-Runner class second place finish in her inaugural race, driving the Team Hummer H2 SUV.
Just in case that "PC Load Letter" error is getting you down this morning, we have composed a list of last week's top blogs to make you happy again. Especially the 2010 Ford F-150 4.4 Liter Diesel pictures! Check out the full list below.
“Go Ahead Punk… Make My Day!”… Imagine this familiar voice sounding out from under the hood of your ride; or you pull up in front of your girlfriend’s house and announce your arrival with “I Got You Babe”, or you are out on your boat and you press a button on your FX-550 and – all around you can hear the theme song from “Jaws”. With Horntones the possibilities are endless.
Check out the YouTube video inside! Install article and full review, coming soon.
The USA Today has published an article about automotive manufacturers producing more cars that run off premium gasoline, at a time when prices at the pump are breaking records every day. In an analysis by Kelley Blue Book, the number of new vehicles that need premium gasoline has risen from 166 vehicles in the 2002 model year to 282 vehicles this year, almost double the amount at a time when fuel efficiency is of great importance.
Researchers at Ford’s advanced driving simulator, Virtual Test Track Experiment (VIRTTEX), are devoting much of 2008 to study how active safety technologies in vehicles should alert drivers of potentially dangerous driving incidents. Ford also conducted customer driving clinics to test warning systems for its new backup system, the Cross Traffic Alert with Blind Spot Monitoring warning system, which alerts drivers backing out of a parking space when traffic is approaching from the sides.
General Motors announced today that its U.S. marketing and field operations will be more strongly aligned into four retail channels: Chevrolet; Premium (Cadillac, Hummer, Saab); Buick-Pontiac-GMC; and Saturn. Each channel will be focused on continuing to deliver world-class products for their customer and build value for GM and their respective dealers.
Normally this would fall into our Beerblog fodder, but I think this video of a Dillon machine gun mounted on top of a GMC Yukon SUV is just killer. The Dillon machine gun knocks out 30,000 rounds every minute, and would come in handy every time you have one of those road rage moments on the way to work (Do you have the case of the Mondays?). Jokes aside, this is actually one very cool presentation of power and technology, combined. Check out the video inside.
Edmunds Inside Line, published their test drive review of the 2009 Honda Pilot, which boasts a 250-hp V6 with the variable displacement management and a 5 speed transmission, that when combined, achieves an average of 17 miles per gallon in the city and 23 miles per gallon on the highway. As Executive Editor, Michael Jordan, stated "...the 2009 Honda Pilot relentlessly improving space-efficiency, utility, fuel economy and performance". To read their full review, click here.
With rising prices at the pump, it’s no surprise that more than 58 percent of car consumers polled by Kelly Blue Book in March indicated that fuel prices affected their purchase decision. While Ford, along with other automakers, are exploring game-changing, long-term solutions, developing affordable, near-term ways to improve fuel efficiency is critical as well.
Bloomberg reports that Chrysler will be cutting the Jeep Commander SUV from their model line up. Introduced in 2005, the Jeep Commander is a large scale SUV, and also the worst-selling of Chrysler's six Jeep models. The road will end next summer, mid-2009, after sales plunged over 43 percent this year alone. "The vehicle will be canceled after an unusually short life span. Mainstream models generally are allowed to make it at least through one full product cycle, or the seven or eight years between significant redesigns" said Tom Libby of J.D. Power & Associates. No further details have been released.
Have you ever found yourself sitting in front of the "consultants" at work, being asked to explain what you do at work every day? Just like Peter Gibbons had to do in the comedy movie, Office Space. "What would you say...Ya do here?". Well our Monday morning recap should solidify exactly what you're not doing for them, and instead, you are catching up on the hottest news from last week, just in case you missed it all.
Automotive giant, Toyota Motor Corporation, has announced a downshift in production today at its Princeton factory in Indiana, which produces the popular Tundra pickup truck and Sequoia sport utility vehicle, as a reaction to "slumping sales" and "weak consumer spending and high gas prices among other factors". The plant slowdown will not lead to any layoffs, and the plant is expected to return to full capacity in the near future. As posted by Detroit News.
A hitch with the towing electrical connection built INSIDE the receiver? It's an innovation that would have others asking, "Why didn't I think of that?!" Valley, a towing industry leader for more than 60 years, did. New Integrated Trailer Wiring(tm) hitches from Valley are inventive and stylish. Advancements in manufacturing technology have allowed the towing electrical connection to be moved INSIDE the cross tube of the receiver, eliminating the need for unsightly brackets or to drape the harness outside the vehicle where it can be damaged by weather and road debris.
Pickuptruck.com has posted pictures and information of a new TRD supercharger system for the Toyota 5.7-liter iForce V8. Toyota Racing Development (TRD) are claiming that the unit produces 504 horsepower, and runs the quarter mile in the mid 13 second mark. That's all fine and dandy, but with gasoline prices now at a national average of $3.33 (and $4.00 here in CA), according to the Energy Information Administration, is a supercharged eight cylinder truck something we really need?
Texans with flex-fuel vehicles gained easier access Friday to E85 ethanol at the first public biofuel pumps in the nation owned by a new car and truck dealership. Classic Chevrolet/HUMMER, which sold more Chevrolet trucks than any dealer in the nation in 2007, spent more than $500,000 to install nine pumps dedicated to E85, E10 and biodiesel at the new Classic Clean Fuels station adjacent to its Mr. Good Wrench Quick Lube Plus and HUMMER dealership in suburban Dallas.
Mopar and the Mopar Underground team showcased their customized Jeep vehicles and Dodge trucks at Moab Jeep Safari 2008 in March. “Jeep engineering has been coming to Moab for years. Mopar is at Moab to test, evaluate and prove the authenticity of our Mopar Performance Parts for Jeep vehicles and Dodge trucks on the most grueling off-road trails in Moab,” said Simon Boag, President – Service & Parts/Mopar, Chrysler LLC.
Ford is actively addressing drivers’ demands for increased visibility with the introduction of two new features, the Blind Spot Mirror and the Cross Traffic Alert with Blind-Spot Monitoring System, arriving in 2009. “Ford is delivering innovative features aiding in a better drive experience for the customer,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford Group Vice President, Global Product Development.
Let's Go Aero (LGA), manufacturer of innovative Gear Management Solutions for the automotive, recreation and commercial trade industries, has introduced the GearCage Cargo Rack System - the ultimate cargo management system featuring LGA's GearCage with its GearBag and Bike Mount hardware accessories.
Baja Designs new Diablo Rally light will have you seeing double by incorporating their race proven Diablo lens not once, but twice! The new Diablo Rally doubles your light output by incorporating two Baja Designs Diablo lenses stacked one on top of the other.
In an article by Bloomberg.com, Chrysler LLC president, Jim Press, stated in an interview at the New York Auto Show that the automaker "needs about half of its 11 current SUV models" and is looking to downsize its inventory. Chrysler LLC, which is the United States' third largest automaker, is trying to reduce costs after taking a $2 billion dollar loss since 2006.
Autoweek has come across information that General Motors is considering on raising vehicle prices to compensate for rising costs. "We’ll be aggressive in our pricing. At end of December we increased prices in the U.S. by 1.5 percent on average for our vehicles to offset some of the increase in commodity prices" stated Chief Financial Officer, Ray Young. Whether or not the decision to raise prices is wise or not, the topic is controversial, especially with a weak U.S. market.
In an article by The Detroit News, more and more automakers are jumping on the fuel economy bandwagon, and are beginning to convert over to diesel fueled engines as a new standard. "Although they are more costly to produce, diesel engines get about 25 percent better mileage than traditional gas-powe
