Said the executive creative director of the 2010 Toyota 4Runner media campaign: "This is the last authentic SUV. All the rest have gone suburbia." By "authentic" he means dirt, surf, wilds, and maybe bears, and to show you how to get there, Toyota has rolled out the Toyota Trail Tracker.

A social media tool and soon-to-be mobile app, the trail tracker allows you to find and upload info on trails across the United States. And it isn't just for wild, rocky hellholes either (that's the 4Runner on the Rubicon Trail above) -- you can upload and find scenic drives and fire roads that lead to great surfing spots.

If you want the world to know what you did when you got there -- or how you manged to get out -- you can post photos and video to the site, as well as upload GPS data. The Trail tracker website is live now, with about 29 trails nationwide at the time of this writing. It's intriguing that one of the vehicles that led SUVs out of the wilds and into suburbia is now playing the Pied Piper to lure folks back into the woods. At least now maybe we'll get to see what it's really got.


[Source: Marketing Daily]

It's certainly good to see some other wheeled vehicles doing their part for the environment, even if it is an airplane -- especially if it's an airplane. Actually this news isn't about the plane itself, but a "pilot-controlled towing vehicle" for an airplane called a "TaxiBot."

Ricardo -- the same folks that make car components -- have engineered the TaxiBot to allow a plane to turn off its main engines when taxiing to the gate and around the concourse. The trick is an automated clamper placed within a standard tug; once the pilot guides the nosewheel into the clamp, the pilot steers, turns, and brakes the tug with the airplane controls. Instead of motive force coming from giant Pratt & Whitneys, the tug's two 500-hp V8s can pull planes up to 747s and A340s.

If adopted widely, the TaxiBot could save airports and airlines millions of dollars in gas and debris damage as well as sparing the world tons of CO2 emissions. You can get the details on the taxibot and its implementation in the press release after the jump.



[Source: Ricardo]

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The 2010 Chevy Spark is still said to be an "on-and-off thing" when it comes to the U.S., although now we are in an "on" phase. That's according to GM's Jack Keaton, the man in South Korea overseeing GM's minicar development. The miniature runabout is expected to make do with a 66-hp, 1.0-liter four-cylinder or a 78-hp, 1.2-liter four-cylinder engine that will be good for 47 mpg. Keaton's team is also investigating peripheral connectivity and, as if that weren't enough, he says, "We can even package the Spark for Big Gulp cupholders."

The issue is getting it here and on sale at the right moment. While this is an "on" phase, there are still regulatory issues and the matter of whether U.S. buyers are ready to make a minicar profitable. It will take something compelling to get Americans back into the frugal mindedness of last year, and gas isn't nearly expensive enough for that yet. The Spark's appearance in Chevy's American lineup does look to be an eventuality, though, when Keaton says "We have to start thinking now about how to meet the standards... and people will be looking for minicars and small cars to lead the way."

Nevertheless, while the Spark looks to be coming to America, it probably won't be built in America -- at least not until GM sees that the market here will be large enough to support it. We're all right with that for now; just get it here and make sure it doesn't do anything to remind us of Skid from Transformers.

[Source: Ward's Auto]

Spike TV has opened up the voting for its Video Game Awards, and the finalists are down to four: DiRT 2, Need for Speed: Shift, Forza Motorsport 3, and Gran Turismo PSP. It's a bit of a motley list, but then again it's been a motley year for driving games, and we're still waiting for a vision of the unicorn otherwise known as Gran Turismo 5. If you want to vote, cast your ballot on Spike's site. If you need a refresher because you insist on being an informed voter, follow the jump and check out some gameplay.

[Source: Spike]

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Chana Auto, otherwise known as Changan (that's their Benni Sports pictured), has entered into an alliance with China Mobile "to develop a smart vehicle based on 3G wireless technologies." In actuality, however, it sounds like it's not the vehicle that will be smart, but what you can do with it.

From Gasgoo's report, it sounds like Changan wants to put an iPhone on wheels. That "wireless communications package" will feature all the web content – and e-mail and videoconferencing – you've practically come to expect from a car. Beyond that, it will enable owners to perform functions remotely such as control and management of the car, diagnostics, positioning and tracking, and "technologies which emulate an office environment." Pretty soon, even in China, there'll be no such question as "Dude, where's my car?"

[Source: Gasgoo]

The Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG now has an order form and a price. While it's not cheap, it's nowhere near the most expensive car in the range: for €177,310 ($265,531 U.S. – note: that is a straight conversion, not an indication of the car's U.S. cost), you can put one of the gullwinged wonders in your – probably climate-controlled – garage.

That fits well in between the prices for the SL63 AMG at €148,155 and the SL65 AMG at a blistering €224,672. You get four more cylinders, 40 more hp and a folding hartop on the SL65; yet the SLS gets you gullwing doors, retro styling and €47,000 left over in your pocket. And you're still cooler than the folks in a Mercedes-McLaren SLR, who spent €450,000 when it was new.

What the SLS AMG purchase price won't get you is expedited delivery: the car still won't arrive until Spring of 2010. If you're one of those who needs to keep up, some gent named Matthew K. has been designated "the SLS AMG reporter" and he'll be posting all manner of info and clips online. You can read about it in the press release after the jump, check the car out again in the gallery of high-res photos below, or call your Luxembourger account manager in three, two, one...



Photos copyright ©2009 Chris Paukert / Weblogs, Inc.
[Source: Mercedes-Benz]

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Should Geely succeed in its bid to purchase Volvo, the Chinese automaker does not plan to spend any time playing in its new Swedish sandbox. Ford moved about 380,000 Volvos around the world last year; Geely wants to sell 2.5 times that amount within five years. How so? By injecting "two or three bigger, more luxurious cars" into the lineup and working its home market of China, which Geely feels could be unlocked for 200,000 vehicles alone. Those units could be supplied by a Chinese factory capable of making 300,000 cars per year and would presumably be larger than the upcoming redesigned S60 (above).

Ford has designated Geely its preferred bidder for Volvo. However, in an echo of the tensions between General Motors and Magna's Russian bidding partner Sberbank, Geely will need to address Ford's intellectual property concerns among other issues to complete a sale. Volvo's technologies and reputation for safety are probably worth as much as the company's physical assets, so it's not surprising that Ford wants to negotiate the technology transfer. Assuming they can come to terms, closing the deal is expected to cost Geely $2 billion.



[Source: Automotive News, sub. req'd]

While Toyota maintains its position that recent accelerator issues have only to do with floor mats, the company has reportedly agreed to "make changes to gas pedals in certain U.S. models under an agreement with the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration." That means that 3.8 million Toyota products – among which are the Camry, Avalon, Prius, Tacoma, Tundra, and Lexus IS250, IS350, ES350 – will be recalled to address the accelerators.

With negotiations said to be ongoing between the NHTSA and Toyota, the automaker hasn't said what those changes will be, nor has it stated exactly when the recall will begin. According to Reuters, Toyota has a $5.6 billion slush fund to pay for recalls so the repair costs, while sure to be intergalactic, shouldn't affect earnings. The company can only hope now that the rumors, current lawsuits, other current lawsuits, yet-to-be-filed lawsuits, and the 24-hour news cycle don't do the kind of damage that is much worse than merely financial.

[Source: Reuters, MarketWatch]

A little lawsuit isn't going to keep Chrysler from getting the 2011 Jeep Grand Cherokee ready for production. The next generation family-sized Jeep was spotted on Michigan roads. Looking rather spiffy in a matte black coat, from the side the SUV is a Cherokee with just a bit of a twist. However, the revisions to the rear and front, as well as its stance, appear to give it more European feel than any Jeep has ever had. Especially from the back it is heavily scented with an X5 influence.

If it gets an old world luxury interior to match, then who knows – the 2011 Grand Cherokee could be all growed up. You can have a look at it for yourself in the gallery of photos below. Hat tip to Peter.



[Source: Jeep Garage via Accelerating Perspective]

Sure, there's a Porsche calendar and a Mini calendar, but what if you're the kind of enthusiast who likes the bigger things in life – and we mean really big. Like, industrial-mining and earth-moving big. If so, then the 2010 Heavy Equipment Calendar is for you. The folks at Baumaschinen24 spent four months all over Europe capturing some of the biggest objects man has ever built , such as the Terex O&K RH120-E Mining Excavator, in slinky, naked, dirt-flinging poses.

As with the date-keepers from Pirelli et al, there's quite a bit of airbrushing. Still, as a symbol of what went into it, its makers call it "THE Construction Equipment Calendar," to distinguish it from all those other construction calendars you've been eying. It's available now for €29.80 ($44.69 U.S.), and make sure you check out the 'Making of' section at the site. Sports Illustrated, watch out... Hat tip to Jens.



[Source: Bauforum24]