Autoblog

The reality of $4 per gallon gasoline coupled with a major slowdown in construction work has conspired to put the US truck market in a world of hurt. Ford has already postponed the launch of the all-new F-150 by two months, and when the truck goes on sale, the Blue Oval will be focusing its marketing efforts on the people that use their trucks for what they were designed for: work. Ford is betting that customers that buy trucks for looks are all but gone, but like Ford Marketing Manager Mike Crowley says, you can't build America with a fleet of Priuses. Past F-150 launches arrived with mostly high-end crew cab models were geared towards recreational truck owners, but the 2009 model will arrive mainly in two door and extended cab configurations. Those less expensive models are a big hit with fleets and construction companies.

The truck market may be down 21% in 2008, but by focusing on core buyers Ford is hoping to gain ground on the competition. Since roughly one-quarter of Ford's sales come courtesy of its F-Series lineup, lets hope the 105 year old company is right.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]

California's Highway 138 was such a dangerous stretch of road that local authorities had taken to calling it "Blood Alley." To improve safety conditions and make the highway better overall for everyone traversing it, the government approved a $44 million road-widening project. Now, as you all know, these types of things are huge undertakings and driver inconvenience is one of the side effects.

Most people grit their teeth and suffer through the delays without making a big deal. Sure, they'll complain about them over their morning coffees at the office, but we all do that when road work interferes with our schedules. The state allowed the road to remain open during rush hour, but with restrictions. Escort vehicles led traffic through the work zone at a slow pace, one direction at a time. Naturally, that wasn't good enough for some commuters, and they took it out on the workers.

[Source: AP via Breitbart]

So Acura won't be making it to Japan just yet, and the new NSX has been delayed until at least 2010, but parent company Honda is not slowing down for anything. Company President Takeo Fukui is determined not to let Honda get left behind in the battle for global automotive supremacy. In the name of meeting demand, he announced that Honda will be building five factories, two engine plants, and two R&D facilities. Much of the new construction will be taking place in Asia to fulfill demand in the Asia-Oceana region: Thailand, and Tochigi, Yorii, and Ogawa Japan. With everything in place, Honda plans to turbocharge production of its increasingly ubiquitous small cars by an extra 300,000 per year by 2010.

Thanks for the tip, Dylan!

[Source: Car Advice]

click on image to enlarge

Today Toyota unveiled long bed versions of its 2007 Tundra pickup. Think of these as the stripper trucks you see hauling bags of cement on construction sites. They're the backbone of many hard labor industries, and represent a huge piece of the half-ton pickup sales pie in the US. Toyota has scheduled this announcement to coincide with its participation in the National Truck Equipment Association product conference that's going on right now. The NTEA is a trade association made up of the aftermarket companies that develop and manufacture parts for work trucks like lift gates, ladder racks and tool boxes. This week these companies will get their first crack at measuring the Tundra, giving them about five months to develop their products before the truck goes on sale. .

The Tundra Long Bed work truck will be available in both Regular- and Double-Cab versions, the latter sporting a 165-inch wheelbase and what Toyota claims to be class leading interior volume for a crew of six workers. The bed is 97.6 inches long (8' 1"), 66.4 inches wide at the gate (5' 6"), 50 inches wide between the wheel wells (4' 2") and 22.2 inches deep (1' 10").

Designed with the tradesman in mind, Toyota will offer the Tundra Long Bed work truck in basic non-metallic White, Red and Black, in addition to the showroom shiny colors. Standard grade Regular Cab models will also have heavy-duty vinyl flooring.. Toyota is also planning an upgraded SR5 model for the foreman with additional options to pamper the boss and increase his or her productivity.

One could easily argue that the Tundra work truck has the toughest task of competing with Ford, GM and Dodge on the construction sites of America. Whereas the Tundra half-ton we saw debuted at the Chicago show may win over the average Joe shopping for a stylish truck, heavy laborers already know what works well for them and will be hesitant to try out Toyota's new construction tool. Still, it would be a major coup if Toyota succeeds even slightly in this segment.

(Check out more pics and Toyota's full press release after the jump)

[Source: Toyota]

You might remember JCB as the construction equipment manufacturer attempting to set the diesel land speed world with its oil-burning Dieselmax H1, which just happened to make its first run last weekend. Its other project is this Hummer-dwarfing off-roader called the HMUV, for High Mobility Utility Vehicle. JCB has recruited a team of professionals to design and sell the 6.7-liter HMUV, including former Land Rover managing director Mathew Taylor who will head up sales and marketing for the HMUV. While not originally intended as a roadgoing vehicle, the HMUV could reportedly be sold to private owners using a commercial version of the 4.4-liter diesel engine being tested in the Dieselmax H1. For military use, however, the HMUV can be ordered either as a pickup or fully-enclosed people carrier.

[Source: AutoExpress]

Selling for around a quarter-million bucks, the metal-framed pre-fab modules or "units" are 85% completed before they leave the factory. After transportation to the assembly site, a dozen or so units are stacked like Lego blocks to achieve the desired living space. The company states that it has no intention to go global with its home construction, likely because this building style limits the market for such a product.

Our readers who are well versed in automobile-related history have likely come across a wide variety of products built by domestic automakers over the years; for example, my in-laws still have a '50s-era International Harvester refrigerator at their cabin.

Check out more info on Toyota's corporate website here.

[Source: Toronto Star]