Quick – What's the best-selling light-duty pickup truck in America? Did you say the Ford F-150? Not so fast. According to the J.D. Power Information Network (via our friends at PickupTrucks.com), General Motors sold more Chevy Silverado 1500 pickups (119,959 units) in June that Ford sold F-150s (107,778 units), and that's not a fluke.

It seems that the automakers don't actually break out the sales of each pickup line when reporting overall figures, so Ford lumps all F-Series (F-150, F-250, F-350...) sales together when it correctly lays claim to the title of Best-Selling Pickup Line in America. Ford's Super Duty series commands nearly 50-percent of the HD pickup market, which puts the Blue Oval on top of the overall sales race.

Interestingly, all three American automakers picked up full-size pickup market share at the expense of Nissan and especially Toyota, which saw sales of its Tundra plummet from 76,516 units to just 36,106 units in June of 2009 compared to one year ago. Click here for the full breakdown of full-size truck sales data.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

The market for the largest of non-commercial pickup trucks may still be contracting, but it remains a necessary and profitable segment for American automakers that the imports have yet to infiltrate. You can bet that General Motors, Ford and Dodge will do their utmost to keep it that way, a point proven by this spy photo of the 2011 Chevy Silverado 3500 over at PickupTrucks.com. At first glance, it might be hard to notice the differences over the current HD behemoth, but closer inspection reveals that the entire front clip has been heavily revised.

The bumper has lost the huge chrome slabs that act as controversial visual bookends to the wide expanse under the grille of today's truck, which now houses rectangular fog lamps. A larger air inlet smack dab in the center of the new bumper funnels a cooling breeze to what appears to be a transmission oil cooler that may prove necessary given the huge loads that the Duramax diesel V8 will be able to haul with its rumored peak of over 700 lb-ft of torque.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com]

General Motors' 4.5-liter Duramax diesel V8 engine has become the latest casualty of the automotive downturn, as GM has put the promising powertrain on indefinite hold. The General follows Ford, Toyota, and Dodge in dropping light diesel engines from its near-term plans. GM spokesperson Susan Garavaglia told Pickuptrucks.com that the project has not been canceled, and that the General was "still very interested" in using the innovative diesel powertrain in the future.

The 4.5-liter Duramax diesel sounds terrific on paper, with a 25% improvement in fuel economy, 310 horsepower and 525 lb-ft of torque for towing, and an innovative design that cuts weight while also saving $600 per engine. The news will be difficult for fans of the Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra anxiously waiting for a diesel engine in a light duty pickup truck. Still, GM points out that it has a dual-mode hybrid truck that can achieve 40% better fuel economy in the city, along with a full line of gasoline and diesel engine offerings in its truck lineup.

While the 4.5-liter diesel isn't going into GM trucks and SUVs any time soon, the General says it would still consider license the technology to a third party if the deal was beneficial to all involved.

[Source: Pickuptrucks.com]

In today's world, you'd imagine that any new full-size pickup truck can handle the daily grind with ease. And for the most part, you'd be right. But when the time comes for heavy hauling, not all trucks are created equally. Each manufacturer can probably come up with scenarios where its particular pickup performs better than the competition, but after watching Ford's video, hosted by Dirty Job's Mike Rowe, we feel that the footage offers a few compelling reasons why the Blue Oval's latest F-150 might be the pick of the litter.

Up first is the well-known rough road test, and we were shocked by how much difference there was between how the F-150 handled the exam compared to the Chevy Silverado, Dodge Ram and Toyota Tundra. You've got to watch it to see what we mean. After that is a test of fuel efficiency, and all we know about the procedure is that the most efficient engine option was chosen and, not surprisingly, the Ford came out on top. The third test involved placing a 993-pound spool of cable in the bed and running through a handling course and again, the results were enlightening. Lastly, an improperly loaded trailer was hooked to each truck and sway was induced.

In each test, the trucks were driven by a set of professional drivers, including Tanner Faust (that boy ain't right indeed), and the scenes were recorded from every conceivable angle. We're not going to suggest that these results conclusively show that the F-150 is the best truck available under all circumstances. What we will say, is that the footage after the break is certainly entertaining. Thanks for the tip, Kevin!

Look quickly, and you'll miss the changes, but GM's got some subtle exterior tweaks in store for its Heavy Duty trucks in 2010. Development doesn't stop even though the practice of using a pickup truck as a commuter car is no longer popular, so GM is plugging away at a new Silverado to avoid being passed up by its competitors.

Competition aside, there's also the issue of federal regulations to comply with, so changes were necessary no matter what. Most noticeably, the bumper changes, gaining a strip of trim that extends across the top, doing away with the overemphasized corner look of the current cow catcher. Looking more closely at the bumper, the air intake in the middle appears to have grown in size. That opening feeds the transmission cooler, so the speculation is that the Allison transmission has picked up extra ratios. Of course, it could just be bigger to gain an edge on thermal management underhood, but we're going to jump on the bandwagon of being excited for more cogs spun by the heavily revised 6.6-liter Duramax diesel with urea injection. That'd be just the thing to tow the Alero.

[Source: PickupTrucks.com, Photo: Priddy]

You have to watch those PR folk, their inclination to spin the facts can sometimes cause people to see what's not there. Take for instance news released today that the 2008 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra 1500 both received top five-star side-impact safety ratings from the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration. The release states that GM's GMT-900 pickups are now the only full-size pickups with five stars for side-impacts in the industry. This is true, but only because none of the other pickups have been rated yet. If you check the NHTSA's safercar.gov website, which hosts the crash test ratings for every vehicle tested, you'll find that the 2008 Ford F-150, Dodge Ram, Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan are all listed as "Not Rated" when it comes to side-impact crash tests, and neither are models of each pickup from previous years. So while GM's claim is true, one shouldn't also assume its competition isn't just as safe in a side-impact crash until the NHTSA side-impact crash test proves otherwise.

View the full press release after the jump.

[Source: GM]

Earlier this week we told you about a pickup truck comparison in the most recent issue of Consumer Reports that seemed a bit fishy. The comparison pitted the new 2007 Toyota Tundra against the 2007 Chevy Silverado, Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram. It was clearly a fight between the Tundra and Silverado from the get-go, since both were the only two completely new trucks in the test. The Tundra, however, seemed to have an advantage in that it was ordered up with the larger of its two engines, the 5.7L V8 producing 381 hp. The Silverado, while available with a more evenly matched 6.0L Vortec MAX V8, was ordered with a less powerful 5.3L V8 producing 315 hp. Not only that, but the Tundra benefited from a 4.30 rear axle ratio that provides better towing and acceleration than the 3.73 ratio in the Silverado, which sacrifices those qualities for better fuel economy. The Silverado, however, could've been ordered with a more comparable 4.10 rear axle ratio at no extra charge.

Well, the gentlefolks at CR recently posted an answer to everyone's questions about this particular half-ton pickup comparo on their blog, which you should go read by clicking here before going on. They explain that choosing equipment for vehicles involved in a comparison is a tricky thing that involves balancing the objective of several goals.

"In general, we want to test a representative vehicle that is comparable to other vehicles in the test group (and previously tested peer vehicles). We also typically test the version--powertrain and trim level--that most regular consumers will buy. "

Read on after the jump to hear our take on CR's explanation.

While we do respect the folks over at Consumer Reports, we do not envy them. Whether the subject is vacuums, lawnmowers or half-ton pickups, nearly every test they perform is scrutinized down to the tiniest of details. We suppose it goes with the reputation of being the most reliable source of production information for consumers, but it's gotta be hell on the nerves.

In its most recent issue, CR is publishing a report on half-ton pickups that might have some crying foul and revisiting claims the publication is biased in favor of imports. Included in the test are the 2007 Toyota Tundra 5.7L V8, 2007 Chevy Silverado 1500 5.3L V8, 2007 Ford F-150 5.4L V8 and 2007 Dodge Ram 1500 5.7L V8. The report puts an emphasis on towing, and (spoiler alert) the Toyota Tundra received the best score of the four pickups. The Tundra also received the "Recommended" label from CR (as did the Dodge Ram 1500), and was awarded a predicted reliability rating of "Very Good" thanks to the past performance of all Toyota's in CR's reader survey results.

We can already hear the grumbling. The domestic half-tons are offered in such a dizzying array of configurations, why didn't CR choose to buy a Silverado with the larger 6.0L V8 and a 4.10 rear-axle ratio (a no-cost option that would have matched the Tundra's ratio)? Jake Fisher, a senior automotive engineer for Consumer Reports, told Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com, "For our readers, fuel economy is more important than gaining an extra second or two faster time 0 to 60, and we tested the trucks we felt were configured as our subscribers would use them."

More after the jump...

Stick with us on this one, because the names might be a bit confusing. Because of less-than-expected demand for its full-size pickups, and despite heavy incentives, GM is considering cutting 500 workers at its Pontiac plant. And you didn't even know Pontiac had a full-size pickup in its lineup! Well, it doesn't, obviously. The General is expected to lay off those 500 workers from its Pontiac Assembly Center. That is, the Pontiac, Michigan plant where they build the recently redesigned Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. As good as they may be, they haven't exactly taken off in the marketplace. Although one could make the argument that no full-size truck is faring particularly well in this sales climate.

GM officials should be meeting as we speak to make a decision about the fate of 100 full-time workers and about 400 temporary employees. The actual layoffs would probably happen in September if approved. The full-time employees will likely be relocated, if possible. The temps, as is usual, wouldn't get any severance pay or benefits. By eliminating those positions, production would drop by about 17 percent.

[Source: The Detroit News]

Mark your calendars, because we're calling today a watershed moment for the advancement of diesel's acceptance in the U.S. General Motors has just announced a new 4.5L V8 Duramax turbo-diesel powerplant it plans to use in the Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra half-ton pickups, as well as the HUMMER H2. The new oil burner is expected to produce at least 310 horsepower and 520 ft-lbs. of torque. It features dual-overhead cams, four valves per cylinder, a variable-vane turbocharger and aluminum cylinder heads with integrated manifolding that helps keep the overall package small enough to fit in the same space as the automaker's small-block gas V8s.

That's right, just imagine the possibilities. Wherever GM uses a small-block V8 gas engine, it could potentially use the 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel. In a few years we could be driving diesel Impalas, diesel Camaros, maybe even a diesel Corvette! To quote GM's press release, the engine's small size gives it "the flexibility to introduce this engine in a wide variety of vehicle applications should there be future market demand." Indeed.

GM estimates that the engine will improve fuel efficiency by 25%, reduce CO2 emissions by 13% and decrease particulate and NOx emissions by at least 90% in its GMT900 pickups and the HUMMER H2. Whoever said the HUMMER H2 was on its way out will likely be proven incorrect after this engine debuts. Scheduled to be built at the GM Tonawanda engine plant outside Buffalo, NY, the 4.5L V8 Duramax diesel will be 50-state emissions compliant and meet 2010 diesel emissions standards, as well. GM claims its new diesel will also have NVH (Noise, Vibration and Harshness) levels approaching those of today's current gas V8s, though we'll have to wait and see if that wish comes true. That wait should end in a couple of years, as the automaker states the engine will be available in Silverado, Sierra and H2 models built after 2009.

UPDATE: Pickuptruck.com's Mike Levine has learned from GM that despite sharing its name with the older 6.6L Duramax diesel that was developed in partnership with Isuzu, the new 4.5L Duramax was developed completely in-house by GM.

Check out GM's full press release after the jump for more details.

[Source: GM]