The beat goes on. For the 32nd year in a row, Ford’s award-winning F-Series is America’s best-selling truck with 2008 sales of 515,513. F-series outsold its nearest truck rival by more than 50,000 units. In addition, for the 27th year in a row, F-Series is once again America’s best-selling vehicle of any type – car, crossover, SUV, truck or van.
miRoamer, a global innovator in the Internet radio industry, is announcing a partnership with Blaupunkt, one of the world’s leading consumer electronics manufacturers and specialists in car multimedia, at the 2009 Consumer Electronics Show (CES). The partnership will introduce the world’s first Internet car radio, giving drivers access to the world’s largest and most diverse selection of Internet radio content through their car stereo.
On January 11, Ford will be auctioning the very first production 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor pickup truck at the 2009 Barrett Jackson Collector Car Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona. Lot number 1347, all proceeds for the truck will go to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF). The F-150 being auctioned will feature Ford's 5.4 liter V8 model, not the highly anticipated 6.2 liter V8, which pumps out over 400 horse power and 400 foot pounds of torque. The auction description reads "The DNA of a Baja Prerunner. Built Ford Tough. The Ford Special Vehicle Team (SVT) takes performance supremacy off-road with the new F-150 SVT Raptor". For more information visit the Barrett Jackson website.
Automotive drifting phenomenon, Rhys Millen, attempted to perform a back flip in a Red Bull Trophy Truck in 2007 which failed miserably and landed him in the hospital with a broken back. To ring in 2009, last Wednesday night (or Thursday morning however you look at it), Rhys attempted another back flip in his truck and failed again, although this time not so badly. Rhys managed to land the truck somewhat straight but the brute force of hitting the ground and the rear end bottoming out flipped the truck onto its side. Check it out below.
GM today announced new reduced rate financing as low as 0% APR for up to 60 months on select new cars and trucks. The reduced rate financing is available to qualified buyers today through January 5, 2009 on many 2008 and select 2009MY vehicles (see list inside). Of note, many of the vehicles listed below have stackable bonus cash and/or dealer cash ranging from $500 to $4,250.
GMAC Financing are now approving loans for consumers with credit scores of 621 or higher, a score that was lowered from a previously announced credit score of 700 or higher. The move comes as GMAC received $5 billion dollars in government aid as part of a bailout plan, separate from the additional $13.4 billion GM received from the government to avoid bankruptcy. This means now pretty much anyone can go out and be approved to purchase that new Chevrolet 2500 HD diesel pickup truck they always wanted and still have no means to pay for it. Woohoo!
I just found this awesome priced auction on eBay from automotive aftermarket parts retailer, Stillen. They are selling their 2004 Ford F-150 SEMA truck that was also featured on the cover of Truckin' Magazine. The truck is currently going for $12,100 and has quite a bit of modifications done to it including 22 inch wheels, Air Ride suspension, full audio and video system, and Stillen/Street Scene Equipment exterior upgrades. Sounds like a killer deal if you ask me. The auction ends Tuesday.
AT&T Inc. and RaySat Broadcasting Corp today debuted to the auto industry AT&T CruiseCastSM, the Total In-Car Entertainment service that will enable families, commuters, and mobile professionals to watch a lineup of 22 satellite video channels anywhere in the country. Unveiled at SEMA, the world's premier automotive specialty products tradeshow, AT&T CruiseCast utilizes a compact, low-profile antenna for use on cars, trucks and SUVs, and a breakthrough technology that overcomes line-of-sight obstacles such as overpasses, buildings, trees or tunnels.
A man in Barrow, Alaska was out surveying a site for work where he was encountered by a large polar bear who wanted to eat him for dinner. In these amazing photos, the man is chased around his Ford Bronco and Chevrolet Silverado by the bear and managed to get away safely. Check them out inside.
In an article by Autoweek, General Motors have made the decision to place a large chunk of their custom cars and pickup trucks up for auction at the Barrett Jackson auction in Scottsdale, Arizona next month. GM are sorting through more than 1,000 vehicles that sit at the Heritage Center in Detroit, Michigan, a privately owned special vehicle fleet building. The decision is somewhat sadenning, as the center houses over 100 years of General Motors history. Up for grabs are numerous custom trucks that GM designed and built for the SEMA show over the years, as well as some that are "slightly used at the Heritage Center". If you want to own a little bit of GM's history yourself, head on over to the Barrett Jackson website for more details about their auction next month.
Small pickup truck owners rejoice! General Motors have finally released a V8 motor for the Chevrolet Colorado truck and Pickuptrucks have gotten their hands on the new pickup for a test drive. "From behind the wheel, the ZQ8 Colorado has the heft and ready torque of a full-size truck but one with a performance bent" says John Stewart of PUT. GM added their 5.3 liter V8 motor that produces 300 horsepower and 320 foot pounds of torque, quite some power for the smaller truck and from the sounds of things, it seems like an awesome ride. Click here to read their review of the 2009 Chevrolet Colorado ZQ8.
The 2009 Dodge Dakota four door pickup truck has received a five star crash test rating by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration for the front driver, front passenger, side driver and side rear passenger spots. The truck was not equipped with side impact air bags as well as electronic stability control. The NHTSA also gave the Dakota pickup a four star rating for roll overs in both the two wheel drive and four wheel drive models, with a 17 and 19 percent chance of a roll over.
2008 was an exciting year again for us at Truckblog. We showed you how to install more aftermarket products with technical articles, launched a successful automotive show called MOTORZ TV, upgraded our website and hardware for faster load times, and delivered fresh automotive news every day. As a celebration of the past year, we've collaborated a list of the top 10 blogs of 2008. Check them out inside.
The final episode of MOTORZ TV for 2008 is now online, where Chris takes a look back at MOTORZ in 2008 while showing you how to install a license plate on a 2008 Ford Mustang. Chris also reviews intros, out-takes, ZOOTs, and looks ahead to MOTORZ in 2009.
The Consumer Electronics Show begins next week on January 8 in Las Vegas, Nevada, where Ford Motor Company CEO Alan Mulally will give a keynote address about the company and automotive industry, as well as provide information about their newly updated Microsoft Sync system. Automotive mobile electronics company, Alpine Electronics is expected to release their new IVA-W203/P1 audio, video and navigation system, a first all-in-one head unit to hit the market for a light price tag of $1,200. Other exhibitors include a Goodyear-branded navigation unit, miRoamer's internet radio content delivered directly to your vehicle, new HD Radio products, and more. Make sure you check back in the next few weeks for future product announcements. Reported by Autoweek
Already selling 85 percent of their commercial spots for the 2009 Super Bowl XLIII, NBC Universal are selling 30 second advertising spots this year for a cool 3 million dollars each, up slightly from $2.7 million each in 2008. Of the commercials that are already locked in, very few are automotive related and none are coming from General Motors, Chrysler LLC or Ford Motor Company this year. Luxury automaker, Audi, have purchased one 60 second spot during the first quarter but have not disclosed yet what the content will be. Bridgestone purchased two 30 second spots this year and we at Truckblog are hoping they are not as bad as last years commercials with Richard Simmons. Cars.com have purchased one 60 second spot during the second quarter this year and "are expected to be humorous" (very informative) according to an person familiar with their commercials this year.
Facing their first decline in automotive sales since 1995, auto juggernaut Toyota Motor Corporation may have to be forced to cut their North American payroll consisting of both white and blue collar workers which has not occurred in over 24 years for the company. One of Toyota's first steps was halting production at their Texas pickup truck factory for 15 weeks, which may lead to layoffs. “If we don’t see a rebound by the second half of next year, they’d probably have to consider layoffs" said Haig Stoddard, an analyst for IHS Global Insight Inc in Michigan. Toyota have also faced their first operating loss in 71 years of $1.7 billion dollars, due to a 13 percent drop in sales. Is it possible that the death of the Sequoia SUV and popular Tundra pickup truck are near? We shall see. Reported by Bloomberg.
The new 2009 Ford F-150, which already delivers unmatched capability and unsurpassed fuel economy, is now quickly piling up awards and honors from many of the auto industry’s top organizations and publications – including the Motor Trend 2009 Truck of the Year. F-Series also is on track in 2008 to extend its streak of truck leadership to 32 straight years as well as being America’s best-selling vehicle – car, crossover; SUV, truck, or van – for the past 27 years.
