Monday, December 1st, 2008
When 2008 is all said and done, the auto industry will have marked one of its worst years in decades. A slowing economy, high gas prices, and fickle consumers will be among the top reasons cited for the tough year, though the latter reason may not be fully explained. After all, if the economy stinks and gas prices are high, why wouldn’t consumers avoid big cars, trucks, and SUVs?
Now that gas prices have dropped - at least temporarily - consumers are once again flocking to the pick up truck market, making the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado the two top selling vehicles for October 2007, a position they regularly held month in and month out for years. Yes, pick up trucks are back, but maybe not for the reasons that you may think.
Let’s take a look at this recent phenomenon and whether the sales boost for a key segment in automobile selling will last.
Hammered since the beginning of the year by slow sales, the truck segment has found itself in an unusual position: more passenger cars than trucks have been sold month in and month out for a good part of the year. At the center of this change is high gas prices which pushed well above $4 per gallon for regular gas earlier this summer. That, along with a sour economy, took its toll on the sale of the Ford F-Series truck, Chevrolet Silverado truck, GMC Sierra truck, Dodge Ram truck, Nissan Titan truck, and Toyota Tundra truck. $100 fill ups scared off even the most loyal buyers, who decided to wait out the market.
Throughout the toughest months, incentives for new trucks reached their highest levels ever as automakers dropped their prices in a bid to bring people to the showroom. Finally, in early September when gas prices began their current retreat, buyers started to show up and sales climbed. In October Ford truck, GM truck and Chrysler were rewarded with a nice boost in truck sales thanks to the combination of incentives and fast dropping gas prices.
Indeed, for the month the Ford F-Series and Chevrolet Silverado once again finished one-two in sales, easily besting the number three best selling vehicle, the Toyota Camry, by some fifty percent.
The sales increase should also be attributed to something else besides incentives and lower gas prices and that would be pent up demand. Figuring that quite a few owners would have traded up earlier in the year, but hesitated due to market conditions, the latest boost likely reflects the opening of floodgates to meet previously restrained consumer demand. Now has become a good time to buy and the market reflects that change.
Will the sales boost last beyond a month or two? That remains to be seen. If gas prices remain below two dollars per gallon and the economy stabilizes, then truck sales should remain strong. If the economy worsens, then all bets are off; the market could collapse regardless of how low gas prices go.
Not everyone is thrilled that trucks sales have rebounded, particularly those who think it will cause drivers to use more gas, thereby increasing our dependency on foreign sources of oil while causing more pollution. Yet, for the big automakers who are dependent on truck sales to drive profits, the rebound is welcome even if it turns out to be just a temporary boost.
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Friday, November 7th, 2008
Detroit’s ‘Big 3′ automakers probably don’t want to hear the fact that Tundra plant in Texas is producing one pickup truck every minute. This information was unleashed by Toyota before its first assembly of Tundra.
As the Detroit’s Big 3, which is composed of General Motors Corp., DaimlerChrysler AG and, Ford Motor Co., struggles to maintain its standing in the pickup truck segment, Toyota trucks plans to manufacture a total of 200,000 Toyota pickup trucks every year. Said production is attributed to the highly automated and sophisticated facility of its new Tundra plant in Texas.
Mike Goss, Toyota spokesperson said, “If consumer demand pushes the plant on San Antonio’s south side to operate at full capacity, which could happen by next spring, a truck will roll off the line an average of every 73 seconds. From beginning to end a truck will take 20 to 24 hours to complete.”
Aside from the Texas plant, Toyota Tundra high performance parts are also assembled at Toyota’s Princeton, Ind., plant. However, the production is boosted by active participation of the new plant in Texas. Toyota’s Tundra plant in Texas in conjunction with its 21 onsite suppliers is expected to employ 4,100 people. Said information was earlier announced by Toyota.
Don Jackson, vice president of quality and production for Toyota’s Texas arm said, “The suppliers will provide about 70 percent of the parts used in the Tundras and 50 percent of the value of parts in each truck.”
Tundra replaced the T100. The second generation version of Tundra, which was introduced at the 2007 Chicago Auto Show, is made larger to serve as a mighty rival for Ford F-Series, Chevrolet Silverado, Dodge Ram truck, and Nissan Titan. Accessories Toyota Tundra truck parts are also upgraded to enhance quality and functionality.
Auto analysts are saying that Toyota is poised to overtake General Motors Corp. as the largest automaker around the world. Moreover, Toyota truck is initiating strategies to win the reign. So far, said strategies are making good impressions in the automotive world.
Nowadays, Toyota and Ford trucks are spending millions to dethrone Ford in the ford pickup truck segment. However, no other automakers have succeeded in trying to topple the throne of Ford. It has dominated the segment for several decades now. In fact, its F-150 remains as the top-selling car in America.
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Tuesday, October 7th, 2008
Toyota Motor Corp. has gone a long way and it is determined to make the most out of every segment in the American auto market. This time around, it attempts to conquer the full-size truck market.
As perceived by auto analysts, Ford trucks for sale, GMC trucks for sale and Dodge trucks for sale have already established loyalties among its customers. In fact, they account for more that 90 percent of the entire full-size truck sales in the United States. The Detroit brands have the upper hand in full-size trucks.”
The people who bought American full-size pickup trucks for sale, regardless of truck manufacturer, or full-size sport-utilities are deliriously happy with their products.”The American truck owner — Ford, Chevrolet, Dodge, GMC, it doesn’t matter — is intensely loyal and enormously satisfied with the truck.”
Full-size truck market is far different from many industries. Ford trucks for sale, GMC trucks for sale and Dodge trucks for sale have loyal customer base. So far this year, 672,700 units of world’s best-selling F-series trucks from Ford were sold. GMC comes next with Chevy Silverado trucks for sale of 539,300 . Dodge Ram, landed on the third place with 303,500 sales. Ford F-Series pickup parts seem to be never waning. Chevrolet, on the other hand, is holding on tight to its standing. Consequently, Dodge truck parts are refined to do better.
Toyota started its production of new Toyota Tundra trucks for sale last week. Vehicle uses improved Toyota Tundra high performance parts to boost its capabilities. The new Tundra is the most significant vehicle of the year. “Toyota’s first true full-size truck, the 2007 Tundra is a signal that Toyota is ready to compete head-on with the domestic automakers.”
Toyota will have a tough time taking customers away from Ford, GM and Dodge. The competition has a tremendous reputation. They have strong loyalty among working-truck buyers. That’s a tough thing to crack.
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Tuesday, September 23rd, 2008
There was some news about plant closings and cut-backs in production which made poeple think that everyone is backing out of the trucks market. This segment as a result, has definitely been hit, but think twice before forming an opinion that anyone is giving up on trucks, because they still make up a large percentage of 4×4 pickup trucks sold and remain an important part of everybody’s lineup. But, fewer pickup truck buyers mean actual competition is as fierce as it’s ever been, and that’s good news for anyone who are looking for a new or a used 4×4 pickup truck.
There are two of them - the Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck and the GMC Sierra hybrids. These pickup trucks won’t be in the dealer showrooms until 2009 and although they both look real promising, who knows how available they’ll be at first or what they’ll cost. If you need something sooner, or you’re not interested in a hybrid, put GM’s new XFE trucks on your short list. The 2009 Chevrolet Silverado XFE and GMC Sierra XFE have promised fuel economy ratings of 15/21 mpg city/highway, versus 21/22 mpg city/highway for GM’s 2009 two-mode hybrids and 14/20 mpg city/highway for comparable non-XFE half-ton pickups. That’s really an improvement of roughly 5 to 7 percent over the non-XFE trucks.
GM has lowered the XFE’s aerodynamic drag to a claimed best-in-class .412, narrowly beating the all-new 2009 Dodge Ram’s .419 coefficient of drag. Helping the XFE achieve that slippery wind rating are a soft tonneau cover, an extended front chin spoiler and a 10-mm-lowered suspension and ride height. Low-rolling-resistance tires and lightweight 17-inch aluminum wheels help reduce friction between road surfaces and the truck. The XFE also uses an unusually tall 3.08 rear axle to hit its claimed higher fuel economy figures. To understand its importance, it helps to understand how rear axles are rated. Rear axles are assigned numbers that describe how many rotations the driveshaft must make to turn the rear axle (and rear wheels) once. A 3.08 rear axle turns the wheels once for every 3.08 driveshaft rotations.
To build the XFEs, General Motors started with Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickup trucks equipped with 5.3L aluminum block V8s. They also added a six-speed automatic transmission, a 3.08:1 rear axle ratio, aluminum wheels and low rolling resistance tires. A soft tonneau, extended lower front airdam and a lowered ride height gave the trucks better aerodynamics. The combination of changes improved fuel mileage, upping it by 1mpg for city and highway driving. That might not sound like much, but it all adds up. The XFEs are 2WD trucks (for now) and GM has already started building the Crew Cabs.
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Wednesday, August 27th, 2008
In the world of niche performance 4×4 pickup trucks, the new rooster crowing the loudest is the Dodge Ram SRT-10 with its claim of fastest production pickup. There was a time when that designation belonged to the Ford F-150 Lightning, and you can bet the boys in Dearborn tasted the bitter pill of defeat what that heralded title was lost. Apparently, Ford engineers don’t like the view from second place, so much so that they’ve created the 2007 Saleen Sport Truck S331, an F-150-based SuperCab pickup that promises to give the Dodge Ram SRT-10 a serious run for its money.
With about 5,000 vehicles built in 2005, including three versions of the Mustang, the GT supercar, and the stellar S7, the Ford engineers have proven they know how to build fast cars. The Sport Truck S331 is no exception, thanks to the availability of two engines: a 24-valve V8 cranking out 325 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque, and another V8 with twin superchargers pushing 450 horsepower and 500 lb.-ft. of twist. Ford talks about fuel mileage, but you can bet that won’t be its best selling point.
Anyone who’s familiar with Saleen vehicles knows they can expect more than just oodles of power. In the case of the 2007 Ford Saleen Sport Truck S331, those extras include reworked front and rear fascias with honeycomb inserts, a new horizontal-slat grille, a supersized front air dam, and an integrated rear bumper with a diffuser. The hood is new, with a sculpted vent, the flanks are dressed with lower skirts, and gracing the wheel wells are 23-inch alloys, which Saleen suggests are the largest standard wheels on a production truck. Inside the five-passenger cabin are unique gauges, race pedals, and a supercharger gauge cluster is mounted atop the center dash on the 450-horsepower models. The Saleen name is embroidered on the seats and printed on the gauges, while the floor mats feature the S331 designation.
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Monday, August 25th, 2008
4×4 Pickup Trucks commonly are a light duty truck which has an open cargo area, as the name suggests it is basically used for pick up delivery of cargo. http://www.4×4pickuptrucksforsale.com offers you the best pickup trucks in the industry with all major and famous brands. The vast database of the site is sure to let you select an amazing collection of pick up trucks you ever thought of. The first ever category of such trucks was invented in the year 1925 and it was named as Ford Model T Runabout by Henry Ford.
The various types of 4×4 pickup trucks are Compact pickup truck, North American full size pickup trucks, mid size pickup trucks, Latin pickup trucks, European pickup trucks and so on and so forth. The compact 4×4 pickup trucks are widely used across the globe because it is one of the few pickup trucks that offer 2 axle heavy trucks. The compact trucks for the year 2006 in the U.S. market are Ford Ranger and Mazda B-Series. The European market is loaded with compact pickup trucks as they are most used in rural areas over there. Most of these compact trucks use Diesel engines that help to economize. The full size pick up trucks are characterized by large beds having capacity to tow heavy loads with much ease, the examples of this trucks are GMC Sierra, Chevrolet Silverado, Toyota square off and general motors. The light duty models can carry the load up to 10,500 pounds.
The full size pick up trucks are available in the 3 sizes these are 0.5 Ton, 0.75 Ton and 1 Ton. Some of the trucks in this category are Dodge Ram, Lincoln Mark LT, Toyota Tundra, Ford F-Series and Nissan Titan. The Mid size pickup trucks are most common in north of America they are generally used as passenger cars, these were mostly used by construction workers as the times passed it was also used by housewives and other office workers. The first truck ever built up in this category was Dodge Dakota which was manufactured in the year 1987 having V6 engines. The other pickup vehicles in this category would include Dodge Dakota, Chevrolet Colorado, Toyota Tacoma, Nissan Frontier and Honda Ridgeline. The Latin American pickup trucks are common and are termed as compact.
The most common mode of transport in countries like U.S., Australia and Canada, used 4×4 pick up trucks have become very popular with the users as it gives comfort and versatility and the money spent to buy it is really worth. Pick up trucks have long been also modified by local police and its agencies because the type of versatility it offers, these pickup trucks are used in terrain areas and also mountainous areas having muddy like conditions.
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Saturday, August 23rd, 2008
People buy pickup trucks for many reasons. Some of those reasons are strictly sensible; others lean more toward vanity and fashion. This hasn’t always been true. A few decades back, pickups were strictly utilitarian vehicles that people purchased to do work. Owners were willing to put up with certain discomforts as long as the truck performed its assigned tasks without balking.
Today, fewer private truck owners haul gravel or crates with their vehicles. Those who buy a pickup for its practical merits are likely more interested in its towing capacity. Outdoorsy families may need a truck to haul a camper trailer or boat on summer vacations or weekend journeys. And if that trailer or boat is heavy, only a pickup with serious towing capacity can handle the job. Each manufacturer issues ratings for towing capacity, measured in pounds. Ratings for a given truck model may vary according to several factors.
If a 4×4 pickup is available with a choice of engines, the larger-displacement version typically has greater towing capacity. A truck with an automatic transmission may be capable of hauling more weight than an equivalent model with a manual gearbox. Heavy-duty trucks may be available with a choice of single or dual (dualie) rear wheels. This means there could be one or two wheels and tires on each side. Typically, additional tires translate to greater capacity for hauling cargo, though not necessarily a significant increase in towing capacity.
When you need to tow a trailer or boat that weighs more than 4 or 5 tons, you have few choices besides a heavy-duty truck from Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford or GMC. These are the only trucks that offer towing capacities above the 10,000-pound mark. As a rule, you’ll have to turn to a one-ton model — Chevrolet Silverado 3500, Dodge Ram 3500, Ford F-350 Super Duty or GMC Sierra 3500 — to get the peak capacity, but a three-quarter-ton truck might suffice for slightly reduced weight requirements. On the whole, import-brand pickups trail the domestics where heavy-duty towing is concerned. Only the Nissan Titan vies with half-ton pickups from Detroit’s Big Three.
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Tuesday, August 19th, 2008
The Power Wagon is based on the ordinary Dodge Ram 2500, but it’s not a standard Ram; it’s been fitted with skid plates to protect undercarriage areas (including the gas tank), oversized all-terrain tires, tow hooks, a towing package, and heavy-duty alternator. More unusual is the built-in winch up front, which can pull up to 12,000 pounds - handy if the Power Wagon winds up in a ditch with a full load; or if you simply need very heavy things to be pulled. From the interior, you can lock the rear axle as easily as turning a knob; and you can lock both front and rear axles by turning that same knob a little more.
The Power Wagon uses an American Axle TracRite GTL locking rear differential, which both locks fully when desired, and acts as a standard limited-slip differential the rest of the time. Skid plates cover the steering system and shocks, transfer case, and gas tank; there are both cross members and lengthwise bars to prevent rocks from getting stuck between plates and to provide additional protection.
In on-road driving, the Ram, despite its height - which dwarfs Expeditions and Suburbans - manages to be surprisingly controllable, with cornering that we would not have believed from a truck of this size just a few years ago. The ride, while quite firm, is not harsh, and even without a load, bounciness and jouncing are kept within reason. Generally, heavy-duty light trucks have a better time of it when there are a few hundred (or thousand) pounds weighing down the bed; most are fairly uncivil when empty, but the Power Wagon is not so bad. That said, any Jeep will easily provide a more comfortable ride and better cornering - but they can’t tow a few thousand pounds, or carry five or six thousand pounds.
The Hemi engine is, not surprisingly, full of power and eager to go; despite its bulk and aerodynamic challenge, the Power Wagon had ample power for acceleration at just about any speed, just a quick touch of the gas away from higher speeds. The engine sounds as though it’s been modified for racing, especially when the transmission downshifts and it goes into the high revs. The transmission is quick and responsive, albeit smooth, after about a minute of warmup, during which it tended to be sluggish. This five-speed automatic comes with a Tow/Haul mode, using the exact same control as Chevy trucks. Visibility is very good in all directions though the height can lead neighboring cars and people to be missed; the large rear-view mirrors help. Headlights are large and powerful, and the sun visors on both sides slide out to block the sun when it’s in a spot ordinary visors can’t reach.
The quad cab interior is large, with good headroom and the ability to seat six people if needed - though five will be more comfortable. The rear seats fold down for more interior storage space. Up front, there is an ashtray, large, locking cup holders that fold out of the center console, map pockets (on all four doors), and a massive center console that can either be divided into three compartments, or used as a single large space.
When it comes to a truck that can be used during the week for off-road work, particularly hauling heavy loads, and yet be behaved enough for family use on weekends, it’s hard to beat the Power Wagon. On other hand, ordinary drivers are better served by standard vehicles (and those who need heavy-duty pickups for towing or hauling would find their money better spent on the Cummins turbodiesel option). The Power Wagon’s claim to fame is its offroad capacity; if you don’t need that, you don’t need a Power Wagon and its extra fuel use and cost. On the other hand, if you find an ordinary 4×4 pickup truck, just can’t be used in your line of work, the Power Wagon is right up your alley.
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Monday, August 18th, 2008
There are eight models of full-size heavy-duty pickup trucks for sale in the U.S. Base retail prices range from around $22,000 for an entry-level Ford F-250 Super Duty XL Regular Cab 2WD to more than $41,000 for a top-of-the-line 4×4 GMC Sierra 3500 SLT Crew Cab. When it comes to hauling the big loads, there are a few rivals to the heavy-duty full-size 4×4 pickups. With its reinforced chassis and choice of high-powered engines, the heavy-duty pickup has the highest towing capacity and payload of any pickup on the road. This is also a market made up solely of domestic products.
Most heavy-duty pickups are used for commercial purposes, or to tow trailers and recreational vehicles. Key one-ton players in this rough-and-tumble market include the Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and the GMC Sierra 3500, Ford F-350 Super Duty and the Dodge Ram 3500. With their first complete redesign in over ten years, the all-new heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD and Chevrolet Silverado 3500 and GMC Sierra 2500HD and 3500 went on sale in 2001, giving Ford and Dodge formidable competition.
However, Dodge answered the challenge with the release of its all-new heavy-duty pickups for the 2003 model year. The Ram 2500 and Ram 3500, unveiled at the Chicago Auto Show in February, 2002, sport the same aggressive look as the Dodge Ram 1500. The new trucks are available with a new 5.7-liter HEMI Magnum V8 as well as a powerful 5.9-liter diesel. Speaking of diesel power, Ford now offers an all-new 32-valve 6.0-liter V-8 Power Stroke diesel engine for its SuperDuty lineup. The new engine not only boasts 325 horsepower at 3300 rpm and 560 lb-ft of torque at 2000 rpm, but also features better fuel economy and lower emissions than the 7.3-liter engine it replaces. The General Motors offerings are also available with impressive diesel power. The optional 6.6-liter diesel provides a whopping 590 lb-ft of torque at just 1600 rpm.
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Tuesday, August 12th, 2008
Dodge Ram is available in many different versions depending on the need and convenience. Dodge Ram pickup trucks come in regular cab and four-door Quad Cab body styles. Light-duty Rams have V-6 or V-8 power, while heavy-duty models have V-8 or diesel power. A sunroof is available on Quad Cab models, and Sirius Satellite Radio is offered. A Power Wagon version of the 2500 pickup is available. Dodge also offers a Mega Cab model.
The 2500 Power Wagon edition holds a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 that cranks out 345 hp and 375 pounds-feet of torque. Either a six-speed manual gearbox or a five-speed automatic can be installed. Special features include locking front and rear differentials, an electronically disconnecting front sway bar and a custom-built 12,000-pound winch. Polished, forged-aluminum 17-inch wheels hold 33-inch BF Goodrich tires.
Regular 2500 pickups are available with a diesel engine or the Hemi V-8. Serving as a replacement for the Cummins 5.9-liter turbo-diesel inline-six-cylinder beginning in January 2007, a newly optional Cummins 6.7-liter turbo-diesel inline-six develops 350 hp and 610 pounds-feet of torque (650 with the new six-speed automatic transmission).
Dodge Ram 2500 pickups with the regular cab have an 8-foot cargo bed, ride a 140.5-inch wheelbase and measure 229.7 inches long overall. Quad Cab models come with either a 6.3- or 8-foot cargo bed and ride a 140.5- or 160.5-inch wheelbase. Truck accessories have been also loaded to the optimum levels. All heavy-duty Ram models have a Sweptline (slab-sided) cargo bed. A remote starter is optional for 2007.
A Ram 2500 with the Hemi V-8 sounds and feels like a muscle car when pushed, though it settles down quietly for ordinary use. Performance is this Ram’s strong point, but it’s accompanied by a seriously lumpy ride over uneven pavement. Steering is confident for a full-size pickup, but the back wheels spin easily on wet pavement when the bed is empty. Long seat bottoms in the Ram 2500 offer an easy-chair experience. Interior space is plentiful, especially in the Quad Cab. Overall, the Ram 2500 doesn’t feel much like a typical heavy-duty pickup
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