Autoblog

Truckers are like motorcycle riders in the way that they invariably customize their rides. It's probably just as challenging to find a bone stock tractor as it is an unembellished Fat Boy. When you're plying the roads as much as the big rigs do, why not have some fun and stand apart from the rest of the crowd and their mudflaps decorated with conformist chrome silhouettes of questionable taste? International's new LoneStar truck will be factory trickable with a new line of Navistar accessories called DoubleSix Customs. While the Autoblog Garage isn't quite big enough to hold an 18-wheeler, we did dedicate the better part of an hour to International's website designing the perfect vehicle for hauling our tricked out fleet of Zastavas.

With International's online configurator, you can start with a basic truck and add a splash of color, a dollop of flames, lots of chrome, and nearly as many lights as Vegas. The DoubleSix name takes its inspiration from the mother road, Route 66, which International is hoping still resonates with those who keep our economy rolling. Our only problem? Lack of the proper license. Try it yourself, you can even upload logos and graphics to design your perfect LoneStar. Press release after the jump.

[Source: International]

Ford and Navistar are once again going to court over the automaker's plans to develop a 4.4L diesel engine inhouse for the F-150. The original lawsuit was thrown out last June, with the judge ordering the two corporations to iron out their differences in mediation. Since no progress has been made outside the legal system, Navistar has refiled its claim. In the suit, Navistar is claiming the light-duty diesel engine violates the agreement once made between the two companies, which states that Navistar be Ford's primary supplier of oil burners. Navistar is also alleging that the 4.4L diesel that Ford's currently developing is in fact International's 4.4L Lion V8 project that cost Navistar $11 million to develop. It's hard to pinpoint how or why Navistar is so sure Ford is using the Lion project 4.4L, considering that the supplier has received no official specs of the engine from Ford.

We're not exactly Dr. Phil, but it appears that Navistar has a bone to pick with Ford. Considering the fact that Ford isn't using its long-time supplier to develop and produce its light-duty diesel engine, the Dearborn, MI automaker is none too pleased with Navistar, either. We think the judge should order Navistar's fugly new International Lonestar to take on a pair of F-450s in a concrete cage match – the winner gets the contract for the F-150 diesel engine.

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

Road and Travel Magazine crowned the winners of its 2008 International Car Of The Year at 12th annual NAIAS-eve ceremony last night. Honda's newly-ginormous Accord took the coronation on the car side, while Chrysler's revamped Town and Country used its slick new features to win the truck category. RTM's judges are a veritable who's who of heavy-hitting auto journos, including Ann Job, David E. Davis, Jr., Denise McCluggage and Autoblog's own John McElroy. The pundit firepower lends real credence to the selections, even if you don't agree 100%. Results were sorted by JD Power and Associates, and General Motors had the most vehicles named to the overall list. GM was also presented with the first Earth Angel award, honoring the environmentally-friendly efforts of the automaker. The full list of winners is included in RTM's press release, posted after the jump.

[Source: Road and Travel]

Click image for 5 more shots of the LoneStar

Big rigs are awesome. We freely admit that this isn't our area of expertise, but when something particularly cool and truck-related comes along, we're more than happy to share. Thanks to an Autoblog reader named Johnny, who sent in the photos you see here, something cool indeed came along.

We don't know if the pair of rigs you see are concepts or a new production model that's set to debut sometime soon. The Mid-America Trucking Show -- the biggest show in the industry -- is coming up in March, so these might be headed there. Our submitter at first thought that they might just be show vehicles, but some details lead him to believe that this could be a new production model sporting a nifty new hood design. The thing that has our tipster thinking "production" is that different sleeper configs are shown. The silver rig's is taller and incorporates a large fairing, while the black one's is less pronounced. Aside from the swoopy front end, the layout seems conventional, with exposed fuel tanks and the like. The final clue that these may be upcoming production trucks is on the rear mud flap of the black rig, which has something like "LongStar" or "LoadStar" emblazoned on it. (It's LoneStar -- see update below.) Most of International's trucks have "Star" nomenclature, and the "Star" moniker on the pictured vehicle is not one currently in use. We'll have to wait and see what plays out in the coming weeks, but one thing's certain: these things are bitchin'.

Thanks for the photos, Johnny!

UPDATE: According to commenter FC, the trucks are examples of International's new Class 8 flagship tractor, the LoneStar, will will be officially premiered at the Chicago Auto Show next month. Sadly, we don't think one of these will fit in the Autoblog Garage. Thanks, FC!

Kimi Raikkonen and the boys at Ferrari can breathe a sigh of relief, as their championship has been formally confirmed by the FIA. The title was appealed by the incredibly sore losers at McLaren, who insisted that because of a temperature irregularity in the fuel in BMW's and Williams' cars at the season closer in Brazil, those four cars should have been disqualified, thereby catapulting McLaren's Lewis Hamilton to the championship. (Yeah, they were serious.)

Hamilton, it should be noted, stated that he didn't want to win the championship that way. And nobody else wanted him too, either. Even F1 supremo Bernie Ecclestone threatened to quit the sport if the FIA took the title away from Raikkonen and awarded it to Hamilton over the technicality.

The ruling was issued by a specially-convened panel of the FIA's International Court of Appeal, presided over by a Czech motorsport judge and three others from the United States, Greece and Portugal. The court, which heard testimonies from BMW, Williams and McLaren, convened in London instead of the FIA's headquarters in Paris due to traffic issues in the French capital.

Our take: Rules are rules, but if the FIA had stripped Raikkonen of his title, it would have been bad for him, bad for Hamilton, bad for F1 and bad for motorsports. We'll be waiting for Ron Dennis to find a way to blame us for this, too.

Full statement from the FIA after the jump.

First GM, then Chrysler and now International Truck and Engine Corporation ... Beginning at 5 o'clock EST UAW members went on strike at all ITE union facilities. The UAW contract ended October 1st, but union members were urged to continue working despite the absence of a new contract. It was expected that an agreement was in short reach. However, now the negotiations have completely broken down and the UAW cites ITE's unfair labor practices as the reason. The UAW states it will return to negotiations once more respect is shown for its workers.

This comes in the wake of International Truck and Engine's recent spat with their engine customer, Ford. Follow the jump for the UAW's release in full.

[Source: UAW]

In spite of the hurdles it faces domestically, Chrysler is making all kinds of... bold moves... in every other corner of the world. Chrysler's overseas sales is currently 8% of its global sales, but it's working to change that with a vengeance. It has invited 70 potential investors from 19 countries, including Russia, Japan, and the Middle East, to Auburn Hills for three days to discuss dealership opportunities for all of its brands. The week before, Chrysler hosted 140 dealers from China. And over the next 24 months, Chrysler plans to build 100 dealerships in Europe.

More and more people in those other markets are coming to Chrysler -- the past two years have seen consecutive monthly sales gains and double digit year-to-date growth. From just under 100,000 cars now, Chrysler wants to sell 400,000 overseas within five years. To do that, its overseas offerings will go from 9 to 20 cars, RHD offerings will jump from 6 to 18, and models available with a diesel engine will go from 4 to 16. Surprisingly, one of the biggest engines of growth is the Dodge brand: it could account for 30% of Chrysler's international sales within two years. And do you know what the best selling Chrysler vehicle outside of North America is? The Dodge Caliber.

[Source: Yahoo]

Wow, talk about a strained relationship! With so much money passing hands between Ford and Navistar, you might think they would find a way to negotiate a deal regarding their diesel engine partnership(s). You would be right, assuming you think that starting yet another lawsuit is a way to patch things up. That's right... another lawsuit. This one is still about diesel truck engines, but instead of the large 6.4 liter Power Stroke, this one cites a smaller 4.4-liter diesel engine slated for the F-150 truck in 2009 or 2010. Navistar has been Ford's long-time supplier of diesel engines that carry the "Power Stroke" moniker for Ford, and Navistar is claiming that if Ford goes to market with the 4.4-liter engine, it would constitute a breach of contract. At this point, it seems unclear whether Navistar is claiming to have designed the engine in question, or if it believes it had a contract to do so, but either way, things could get even messier between the two companies.

[Source: Automotive News (sub. req'd) via AutoblogGreen]

There is no question that BMW has some serious engine technology in its arsenal, and now those engines have more awards to show just how good they really are. BMW has won its third consecutive International Engine of the Year award, due this time to the incredible twin-turbo 3.0L inline six that resides in the 335i's engine bay. The 300hp (or more) motor combines blistering performance (car magazines report 0-60 times in the 4.8-5.1 range) with very good fuel economy and virtually no turbo lag. It won three awards in all, with the Bavarians also taking the trophy for Best New Engine and best 2.5L to 3.0L engine.

BMW didn't stop its winning ways with the twin-turbo 3.0L, either. The 1.6L turbo four found in the Mini Cooper S and Peugeot 207, the 2.5L engine in the standard 3-Series, and the 5.0L V10 that powers the M5 and M6 were all winners. Toyota and VW each came away with two victories, and Porsche won its first ever International Engine award by virtue of the 3.6 turbo in the 911. Check out all the winners in the press release after the jump.

[Source: Newspress.co.uk]

After recent disagreements with engine supplier Navistar, as well as dealing with Super Dutys that perform roman candle impressions, Ford is accelerating development of a new diesel engine for its burliest of pickups. Ford and Navistar played chicken earlier this year over warranty costs for the older 6-liter Powerstroke V8. That engine had a high number of issues that led to Ford covering repair costs. Ford in turn sued Navistar, the engine supplier, and held back payments for the new 6.4-liter Powerstroke in an effort to recoup some of their expense. Navistar decided they'd have none of it, and shut down engine production, slowing Super Duty production until a court order got the engines flowing again.

This acrimony has spurred Ford to come up with an alternative to Navistar engines in one of its most pivotal vehicles. The diesel and its muscle-bound tow rating attract plenty of buyers, and the Super Duty is at the top of the Ford Truck food chain, so problems here look bad. If your work truck doesn't work, you're in trouble. Ford can't afford to lose the profits from the Super Duty, nor can it accept tarnishing the image of the iconic F-Series trucks, so the Dearborn team is on it in the interest of exorcising Navistar powerplants from the engine bay and keeping that customer cash flowing.

[Source: AutoObserver]