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Looks The Same Yet Is Anything But


2010 has been a banner year for heavy-duty pickup truck fans, with revamped entries from all three U.S. automakers making their debut this year. Of those, the HD pickups from both Chevrolet and GMC received the most subtle exterior updates, but virtually everything under their skins is new, including a heavily revamped version of the company's 6.6-liter Duramax diesel V8.

When it comes to full-size pickup trucks, the old Burger King tag-line of "Have It Your Way" still rings true. Regardless of where your brand loyalty lies, these types of trucks are available with either gas or diesel engines; as regular, extended or crew-cab and with regular or long beds. All you have to do is figure out what you need the truck for and then check the appropriate boxes on the dealer's order sheet. Somewhere in the middle of this cacophony of choice lies the 2011 GMC Sierra 3500HD.

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Photos copyright ©2010 Sam Abuelsamid / AOL

Ask any economics professor – competition is a good thing. Exhibit A? The large pickup truck market. Ford F-Series trucks have been the number-one selling vehicle line in the United States for more than three decades, but the automaker has never grown complacent. Each new iteration has been bigger, badder and more capable than its predecessor, and that goes twofold for Dearborn's heavy-duty models.

Despite the fact that Toyota and Nissan never followed up their light-duty trucks with three-quarter or one-ton models, just the threat of such entries spurred Ford, General Motors and Dodge to significantly up their games. In the first half of 2010, the Detroit Three have introduced revamped heavy-duty pickups to feed a segment that, while shrinking, remains large and highly profitable. With that in mind, we saddled up to the Big Daddy of the F-Series range, the F-450, to see if the behemoth could play the dual roles of load-lugger and daily ride. Click through the jump to see how we fared.



Photos copyright ©2010 Sam Abuelsamid / AOL

In an attempt to reduce costs and get more brands into the field, it's beginning to look like as many as three different race series in Europe, Asia and the United States may adopt a more-or-less common set of rules. The German Touring Car Championship (shown above) is set to introduced a new rules package for the 2012 season and the Japanese SuperGT series looks to be on-board for its GT500 class. Here in the States,. the NASCAR-owned Grand Am series is also considering jumping in, presumably to replace the current GT class.

The proposals being considered by the DTM organizers clearly show some NASCAR influence, although with more modern technology. A common carbon-fiber chassis could be mandated with an agreed-upon wheelbase and overhangs for all cars. DTM is considering "Introduction of "design line" where on one side all cars are common" which sounds an awful lot like NASCAR's dreaded common templates. Along with the V8 powerplants, hybrid kinetic energy recovery systems (KERS) could be part of the picture. The goal is to cut the cost of these cars in half from current levels.

If the new rules are adopted by all three groups, it could result in cross-pollination of cars between the series with Lexus, Nissan and Honda joining Audi and Mercedes-Benz in DTM and possibly the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro mixing it up with the Germans and Japanese.

[Sources: RaceCar Engineering, Touring Car Times, DTM | Image: Bongarts/Getty]

Lotus is considering offering up its latest sports car platforms to other automakers, and this isn't the first time. When the Elise debuted in the mid-90s, Lotus sold the chassis to form the basis of new lightweight coupes with different powertrains, the most notable of which included the Opel Speedster/Vauxhall VX220 and, of course, the Tesla Roadster.

According to recent reports, Lotus has received inquiries from several automakers about using the new Evora in similar ways. While the Evora is all-new, the chassis is built using similar, Elise-like aluminum extrusions riveted and bonded together for a light, strong structure. Since the Evora has been designed around a V6, automakers have the potential to fit a range of larger, more powerful engines. The upsized chassis could also provide a better platform for electric motors, with far less modifications than those required to turn an Elise into a Tesla. However, if any automaker does develop something off the Evora, it's likely to be a few years away.

Us? We're thinking about a 3.5-liter Ecoboost-powered, mid-engine mini-Ford GT. How about you?


Photos by Michael Harley / Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc.

[Source: Autocar]

Back before Ford announced it was producing a new aluminum block version of its supercharged 5.4-liter V8 for the 2011 GT500, speculation ran rampant that the new 5.0-liter Coyote V8 would get the force-feeding treatment. At the time, Ford declined to comment, but even with the introduction of the lighter 5.4-liter, the speculation never died away.

It now appears that a supercharged 5.0-liter will first appear in Australia in 2011 powering the new Falcon XR8 and possibly a GT-HO. Ford acknowledged that the Boss 302 could have been fitted with a blower, saying in its release that "the Mustang team knew a supercharger would be the simplest way to extract significant power improvements from the new 5.0-liter V8, but they elected not to pursue forced induction for the 2012 Boss to stay true to the original Boss 302 engine."

Given that the rest of the 5.4- and 4.6-liter V8 applications in North America are disappearing in 2011, one has to wonder how long Ford will keep the current GT500 engine around. The most recent speculation is that a boosted version of the Coyote will arrive here in time for the 50th anniversary of the ponycar in 2014. And that can't come soon enough.



[Source: GoAuto.com.au]

General Motors' Service and Parts Operations website has published a pair of new documents for decoding 2011 model year Vehicle Identification Numbers (VIN) which reveal several new engines. The passenger car list includes a pair of small inline-fours of 1.0 and 1.2-liters displacement. Both engines are listed as port-injected, dual-overhead-cam units from the automaker's South Korean operations, GM Daewoo Automotive Technologies (GMDAT). We're assuming that these are the engines for the Spark mini-car that is due to arrive on our shores sometime during the coming year.

Also on the car list are a pair of 1.6-liter fours listed at 80 and 82 kilowatts. The 80 kW unit matches the 108 horsepower output of the current Aveo engine, so presumably it's a carryover until the new model arrives early in next year. That car is expected to use 110 hp (82 kW) version.

Finally, in the light-duty truck list, there is a 177 horsepower 2.2-liter diesel inline-four. GM has made clear that it has no plans to offer any light-duty diesel engines in the States, so we assume that this is for an export market vehicle, likely the Chevrolet Colorado pickup. The decoder guides are after the jump. A tip of the hat to xeong5!



[Source: General Motors Service and Parts Operations]

It's no secret that Chrysler is unleashing redesigned versions of the 300 and Dodge Charger sedans this Fall and we've seen numerous images of them prowling the streets of suburban Detroit in recent months. Now another of Autoblog's eagle-eyed readers, Marty M., has dropped us a note to let us know that he had captured what appears to be the new SRT8 version of the Charger.

We're assuming this is the high-output Charger based on the size of the wheels and rear deck appendage, along with the depth of the front air dam. The freshly contoured flanks are visible under the camo, but we can't quite tell if there is a new piece of glass at the trailing edge of the rear doors. The new SRT8 engine is expected to grow from the current 6.1-liters to 6.4-liters with at least 450 horsepower, and shooter Marty tells us it sounds very much how a big V8 ought to. It isn't known if the high-performance SRT version of the next Charger will debut alongside its lesser linemates for model year 2011, or if it will hang out until it can earn a 2012 designation. Either way, it's time to get excited.

The annual American Consumer Satisfaction Index is out, and while the auto industry as a whole slipped this year, Lincoln-Mercury and Buick moved to the top of the heap for the first time ever. Each of the domestic brands was rated on a scale of 100, with Ford Motor Company's LM outpost scoring an 89 (up one point from last year) and General Motors' Buick holding steady at 88 points. Mercury capturing part of the top spot is somewhat bittersweet, of course, as the Blue Oval announced in June that it will shutter its mid-level brand.

On the Japanese side of the street, Lexus took a hit from the string of recalls that has haunted Toyota this year. Almost every recent Lexus model was affected by at least one recall, while a smaller percentage of Toyota brand vehicles were covered. Lexus was down five points for the year to 85 with Toyota down two points to 84.

Nissan took the biggest jump of all 19 brands, rising five points to 82, while at the same time, Chrysler dropped a similar amount to 80. Dodge and Jeep brought up the tail of the group with 78 and 77 points, respectively. The auto industry as a whole averaged 82 points – well ahead of the average of 75.9 for the entire U.S. economy. You can check out the complete ACSI results in the press release after the jump.

[Source: The American Consumer Satisfaction Index | Photos Copyright ©2010/ AOL]

This fall, Congress will consider modifying 36-year old regulation that would increase the weight limit for trucks on interstate highways by 8.5 tons. According to The Wall Street Journal, the increase from 80,000 pounds to 97,000 pounds is being pushed by a coalition of over 150 companies that move products around the country and across the nation's roads. The official rationale for the change is to cut fuel consumption and emissions, as the current legislation requires trucks carrying heavier, denser products to run only partially full to avoid exceeding the limits. The obvious rationale is with fewer trucks running with heavier loads, overall fuel consumption would be cut.

However, there are a number of downsides to what looks like a "green" change. Heavier trucks do disproportionately more damage to roads and bridges and also pose greater safety risks, including taking longer to stop and being more susceptible to instability.

Given the poor state of many of the bridges in the U.S., is it worthwhile to save some fuel and CO2 at the risk of accidents like the Minneapolis bridge collapse a few years ago? Have your say in 'Comments.'


[Source: The Wall Street Journal via Chicago Breaking Business | Image: Corbis]

General Motors has reached an agreement with one of its primary Chinese partners, Shanghai Automotive Industries Corp. (SAIC), on the joint development of powertrains for small vehicles.

GM and SAIC will develop and produce a family of four-cylinder engines ranging from 1.0- to 1.5-liters with direct injection and turbocharging. The GTDI engines should cut fuel consumption by around 20 percent compared to similarly-sized engines with equivalent output.

The engine will be used in GM and SAIC vehicles in China and around the world, and to go along with the new engine, the partners will also develop a small dual-clutch transmission that should provide a 10 percent boost in efficiency over current six-speed torque converter automatics. Work on the engine and transmission will occur at GM's powertrain engineering center in Pontiac, MI and the Pan Asia Technical Automotive Center in Shanghai.

GM has yet to announced when the new powertrains will debut in production, but mid-2011 is a safe bet.

[Source: General Motors]

They say that statistically speaking, flying is safer than driving. Jack Roush might beg to differ with that assessment. After his second life-threatening plane crash in eight years, the NASCAR bigwig was back at the Michigan International Speedway this past weekend to watch his team in action.

Roush's recovery from his injuries during the crash in Oshkosh, WI will be almost complete with one notable exception: Roush has lost the vision in his left eye. For now, Roush also has a back brace to support a fractured spine and piece of hardware in his cheek.

Despite the loss of vision on one eye, The Detroit News indicates that Roush has excellent sight in the right eye and fully intends to fly again once his physical recovery is complete. While there are tougher vision restrictions on commercial pilots, private aviators are evidently allowed to fly with only one eye.

Interestingly, based on a quote in the DetNews article, it sounds like Roush might be blaming the airport's air traffic controller for the plane crash:

"I filed my NTSB report today, which is a matter of public record. It speaks for itself. The reality of it, on a trip arrival into Oshkosh, Wis., I was put in conflict with the flight plan of another airplane close to the ground, and I was unable to address the conflict and keep the airplane flying. I ground-looped the airplane. The airplane did a great job staying intact."

No doubt we'll hear more about this as the National Transportation Safety Board investigates the incident further, but for now, Roush says he just feels extraordinarily lucky.

[Source: The Detroit News | Image: Jason Smith/Getty]

The Paris Motor Show in just over a month is shaping up to the be one of the biggest shows for Lotus in many decades. While the highlight is expected to be a new supercar successor to the departed Esprit, it apparently won't be alone. At least two additional occupants of the Lotus stand have been accidentally confirmed, including an Evora Automatic and a hotted-up Evora S.

This second iteration of the newest Lotus is expected to receive a supercharger bolted to its 3.5-liter Toyota V6 boosting it up to 350 horsepower and 300 pound-feet of torque. The brakes and thermal requirements of the base Evora have reportedly been sized for more powerful models so they won't need upgrading for the S.

A prototype of what's believed to be the Evora S was caught outside the Nürburgring this week preparing for its public debut. The only notable visual difference for the S appears to be a more prominent rear diffuser. Check out the little red devil by taking a closer look at our high-res gallery below.



[Source: CarPix]

While most of the major mechanical systems of the Ford Taurus were unchanged from the 2009 to 2010 models, the all-new styling and interior has inspired people to more people to buy the shapelier four-door than its bland predecessor. Through the first seven months of 2010, sales of the Taurus have jumped by 116 percent, and apparently that newfound enthusiasm also extends to early secondhand sales of the big sedan.

According to Ford, average auction prices on used 2010 Tauruses are now 39 percent higher than comparable 2009 models. That's a jump of $7,100 and, as the Blue Oval dutifully points out, a $2,500 premium over a Toyota Avalon of the same vintage. The Taurus, like its crosstown rival, the Buick LaCrosse, clearly demonstrates the benefits of injecting a healthy dose of style and substance to a mainstream sedan. The volumes may not match the Toyota Camrys and Honda Accords of the world, but the design has inspired people to pay more, generating profits for their manufacturers. Check out Ford's official press release after the jump.



[Source: Ford]

When General Motors announced a couple of weeks ago that it had completed the arbitration process with all of its discontinued dealers, the automaker no doubt hoped that its painful retail shrinkage process was over. But sadly, it was not to be – Rally Auto Group of Palmdale, CA, is apparently not quite ready to call it quits.

The arbiter in Rally's case removed the dealer's Chevrolet franchise and awarded it to a Saturn dealer that was located nearby; but allowed Rally to keep its Cadillac, Buick and GMC dealerships. Rally claims that, under the law passed by congress last year that created the dealer arbitration process, the arbiter should not have split the franchises but rather kept the whole dealership together or ordered it closed in its entirety.

So far, Rally is the only GM dealer to sue in the wake of the arbitration process, though three Chrysler dealers have also reportedly sued.

[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req'd]