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PSA: Pickup owners prone to pilfered tailgates

Filed under: Truck, Government/Legal, Safety

F-150 Tailgate

The Detroit News reports that tailgate thieves are overrunning southeast Michigan, costing truck owners and insurance companies between $1,200 and $3,600 per theft. The problem is so bad in part because stealing a tailgate only takes a few seconds when unlocked, and under a minute when they are locked. Thieves can reportedly remove a tailgate using only their fingers or with the aid of a regular old screwdriver – no specialized tools are needed.

To combat this problem, some auto dealers are displaying their trucks sans gate, or parking those trucks right up against a wall so thieves don’t have room to operate. Not even a law making tailgate theft a felony worthy of up to five years in prison appears to be scaring off thieves. St. Clair Shores, MI police detective Dave Centala adds that the speed of the crime makes thieves difficult to catch, adding “they come at night, make no noise and we have never caught one in the act or recovered the part.” Centala tells the DetNews that five were stolen in one night in St. Clair Shores, and in other cities the tailgates are being stolen in chunks.

Tailgate thefts are nothing new, and The Detroit News is only reporting on thefts in Michigan, but given the ease with which tailgates are being swiped, we’re inclined to believe this continues to be a problem on the national level. Owners looking to protect their trucks can purchase an aftermarket lock, or they can park their vehicle in a garage or in a spot that gives thieves little room to remove the tailgate. Hopefully automakers will tune into this situation and make stealing tailgates far more difficult in the future.

[Source: The Detroit News]

PSA: Pickup owners prone to pilfered tailgates originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 29 Mar 2011 13:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Autemo gives the ’75 International 150 pickup the rendering treatment

Filed under: Classics, Truck, Etc., Design/Style

1975 International 150 Pickup Automotive Rendering

1975 International 150 pickup rendering by Autemo – Click above for high-res image gallery

The resurrection of my International Harvester 150 pickup is moving along at a pace that could be described as somewhere between glacial and imperceptible. That’s especially curious considering that the hulk has a rather ravenous appetite for time and money that’s only eclipsed by its affinity for defecating disappointment all over the garage floor. Needless to say, any time I look at the big IH right now, I’m filled with sensations typically associated with ipecac.

And homicide.

So when the good folks at Autemo offered to take a crack at rendering the butternut millstone into something close to my ultimate vision for the project, I was a little skeptical. It wasn’t that I doubted the site’s skills. Autemo is a gateway between enthusiasts and a global network of artists with a similar passion for vehicles. If you’ve got a laundry list of modifications in mind, the crew at Autemo can render them into photo-realistic images in a hurry so that you know exactly what they look like before you spend buckets of cash on parts. So far, the site has served up designs to over 250 clients.

But I’m a man of meager goals, especially when it comes down to this truck. The simple fact is that I’d pawn an organ or three just to be able to pilot the beast across town without having to worry about careening into oncoming traffic, erupting into a fireball or, most dreaded of all, have to be towed home by an inferior model pickup.

There is no greater shame.

That’s not to say that I don’t have a vision for what I’d do with the machine if I had more money than sense. Jack Davies, the founder of Autemo, urged me test his rendering abilities with whatever wants I could dream up no matter how specific. I set aside a solid afternoon for daydreaming and got to work.

Continue reading Autemo gives the ’75 International 150 pickup the rendering treatment…

Gallery: 1975 International Pickup Project Vehicle

Gallery: Autemo Renderings

Renderings by Autemo.com

[Source: Autemo]

Continue reading Autemo gives the ’75 International 150 pickup the rendering treatment

Autemo gives the ’75 International 150 pickup the rendering treatment originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 20:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Confirmed: BMW M3 pickup on Nürburgring is an April Fool’s gift

Filed under: Concept Cars, Performance, Truck, Europe, BMW

BMW M3 pickup prototype on Norsdschliefe

BMW M3 pickup spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

We’ve gotten right to the core of the situation regarding the fly-in-the-ointment BMW M3 pickup spotted doing what M3s do around the Nürburgring last week.

In a chat with BMW’s Munich head of product communications, Dirk Arnold, he offered up this quote: “Ah, yes, everyone’s been talking about that pickup. But, no, this is… how you call it, an April Fool’s Joke” [in German “Aprilscherz” – ed.]. There will be no M3 pickup in our futures, kids. But then Arnold sort of overcommunicated to us by dangling one of those “…in this generation” qualifiers. He then also managed to immediately clarify, “It is hugely doubtful that BMW will ever during our lives produce such a vehicle, in any segment.” Oh, pooh.

What about a publicity stunt entering the one-off in the Australian V8 Ute racing series? (Honestly one of the most entertaining racing series on the planet based on our one trip to witness it.) “Well,” chortled Arnold, “we have the one unit available if they’d be interested, don’t we?”

On April 1, a press function has been organized near Munich to show off the future M5 “concept,” plus the current M3 and a whole series of unproduced M3-based prototypes, including, says Arnold, one folding hardtop variant that is not the one we all think it is. There will also be the mischievous pickup in attendance.

We then asked for a drive exclusive in Munich on April 1 with the pickup and Arnold returned our serve with “If I did that, then I’d have every journalist in the world calling me to do the same.”

Must be nice to have the largesse to build and race one-off 414-horsepower M3 variants (444-hp with the 4.4-liter V8 used in the GTS version) that will never see public roads.

Gallery: Spy Shots: BMW M3 Pickup

[Images: KGP Photography]

Confirmed: BMW M3 pickup on Nürburgring is an April Fool’s gift originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 19:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Video: Speed pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare

Filed under: Aftermarket, Motorsports, Videos, Chevrolet, Dodge, Specialty

Jet-powered Dodge Caravan

Jet-powered Dodge Caravan – Click above to watch video after the jump

There are two ways to do jet-powered vehicles. On one hand, you have the deliciously simple and effective method of strapping a used jet engine to a car or truck, and letting the thrust do the rest.

On the other, slightly more complicated side, you can attach a turbine to a shaft drive, translating the thrust to the rear wheels via a differential. Both are viable, albeit expensive, ways of adding jet propulsion to your car. But which is faster?

Speed took it upon itself to find out, pitting a thrust-powered Chevrolet S-10 against a shaft-driven Dodge Caravan. The Caravan uses a helicopter engine hooked to its rear wheels in conjunction with its standard gas engine up front. The truck relies solely on good, old-fashioned thrust. Click past the jump to see who’s faster over an eighth-mile drag strip.

[Source: Streetfire]

Continue reading Video: Speed pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare

Video: Speed pits minivan versus pickup in jet engine warfare originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 20 Mar 2011 20:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Spy Shots: BMW flings M3 pickup around the ‘Ring

Filed under: Spy Photos, Performance, Truck, Etc., Europe, BMW, Luxury

BMW M3 Pickup Spy Shots

BMW M3 pickup spy shots – Click above for high-res image gallery

There aren’t words to convey just how happy this makes us. With Spring officially licking at the sanctified asphalt of the Nürburgring, testing season has kicked into high gear. Our elite squad of spy photographers has set up camp to take in the action and happened to catch this bizarre beastie obliterating its tires amongst a herd of other BMW mules. As you might expect, there’s exactly zero information on the machine other than it looks for all the world to be an M3 pickup.

Trust us when we say that we’re going to sleep more soundly tonight knowing that somewhere in the world, this creation exists.

We have no idea what the BMW engineers are up to with this one, though we love the idea of an M3-powered spiritual successor to the El Camino throne (bonus points for the camouflage as racing stripes motif, too). Assumed to have the same 4.0-liter V8 found in the nose of the current M3, this beast should be be good for 414 horsepower – perfect for making lickety-split runs to the hardware store.

We’d sell a passel of vital organs for a little seat time in this thing, even if it does simply turn out to be an early April Fool’s joke. The shots are real, so perhaps BMW’s design team are just blowing off some steam, or readying a one-off for Europe’s tuner extravaganza of choice, the Essen Motor Show?

Gallery: Spy Shots: BMW M3 Pickup

[Source: KGP Photography]

Spy Shots: BMW flings M3 pickup around the ‘Ring originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 14:07:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pickup truck becomes third vehicle to land in AZ family’s pool [w/video]

Filed under: Truck, Videos, Ford

Truck upside-down in swimming pool

Ford F-150 crashes into James Feely’s pool – Click above to watch the video after the break

A 32-year-old drunk driver missed a turn in Phoenix, Arizona in the wee hours of the morning and ended up crashing his Ford F-150 through a cinder block wall into James Feely’s back yard, landing upside down in Mr. Feely’s swimming pool. Feely and his wife were awakened by a shower of broken glass and bricks to discover the truck in their pool.

Feely went outside to see if he could help, sure the driver had perished. “My reaction was, ‘Nobody lived through that.’ About three-quarters of the cab of the truck was under water.” The driver did survive, however, only to be charged with drunk driving by Phoenix police. Turns out the drunk driving charge was the least of his worries, as police discovered he was wanted in Scottsdale on a domestic violence/arson charge.

Luckily both the Feelys got through the ordeal without injury.

The kicker? This isn’t something new for the Feelys. Last night’s accident marks the second time someone in a pickup truck has crashed through their wall and into the pool. In another incident, a motorcyclist was killed when he hit the Feelys’ wall. Check out the video after the jump.

[Source: azfamily.com]

Continue reading Pickup truck becomes third vehicle to land in AZ family’s pool [w/video]

Pickup truck becomes third vehicle to land in AZ family’s pool [w/video] originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Ram Trucks will not offer hybrid pickup to consumers

Filed under: Hybrid, Truck, Chrysler, Dodge

Ram 1500 pickup truck

Have you been waiting for Chrysler’s long-promised Ram hybrid pickup truck? Bad news: Speaking to PluginCars.com, Ram Trucks CEO Fred Diaz firmly put that notion on ice when he bluntly said, “Truckers don’t want to buy hybrids.”

We’re not sure truck buyers are so much anti-hybrid as they are unwilling to cough up the necessary bucks to bring meaningful hybrid technology to their pickups. Either way, General Motors’ full-size hybrid trucks have failed to set the market on fire, and there’s little indication Chrysler’s would either, unless the automaker were to offer them at an extremely favorable price point. That seems unlikely.

For now, it seems that the only hybrid pickup trucks Ram will offer are the recently announced plug-in models that were developed using federal stimulus funds via a $48 million American Recovery and Reinvestment Act grant and a separate $5 million grant from the Canadian government. A total of 140 PHEV Ram trucks will be offered to fleet customers within the next several months.

The good news for mileage-conscious pickup truck buyers is that Diaz suggested other technologies from Fiat are likely to make their way to the Ram Trucks division at some point. Multiair and light-duty diesels sound like a good starting point…

[Source: PluginCars.com]

Report: Ram Trucks will not offer hybrid pickup to consumers originally appeared on Autoblog on Sat, 12 Feb 2011 15:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mahindra TR40 pickup only good for 19/21 mpg?

Filed under: Truck, Etc., Diesel

Mahindra Pik-Up

Mahindra Pik-Up – Click above for high-res image gallery

It’s hard to understand how Indian truck/SUV maker Mahindra could miss its fuel economy goal by one-third. Mahindra’s supposed U.S. distributor, Global Vehicles of Marietta, Ga. (which has been embroiled in an opera of lawsuits, name-calling and musical chairs management concerning its deal with the Indian manufacturer), has had an oft-stated goal of 30 mpg highway fuel economy for the clean diesel truck.

According to FuelEconomy.gov, however, the four-wheel-drive Mahindra TR40 crew-cab pickup with a four-cylinder diesel engine and automatic transmission has been rated by the EPA at only 19 mpg city/21 mpg highway. By comparison, the 4×4 2011 Dodge Dakota with a 3.7 liter V6 engine is rated at 14/18. The TR40’s miserable highway mileage doesn’t even match the Ford F-150 3.7 liter 4×2, which is rated at 16 city/23 highway. The 4×4 Ford Ranger, like the aforementioned Dodge, is rated at 14 city/18 highway. Mahindra’s compact pickup truck offers a towing capacity of 5,000 pounds and a payload of 2,765 pounds.

Mahindra and GV had been counting on the fuel economy angle to get on truck buyers’ radar. But the current differential between the Mahindra TR40 diesel truck’s mileage and that of the gas-powered competition is unlikely to turn heads or create headlines. Global Vehicles told PickupTrucks.com: “Good fuel economy will be an important part of the truck’s appeal, and we’re eager to see the fuel economy for all of the models, especially the two-door, two-wheel-drive model, which Mahindra told us to expect would achieve close to 30 mpg.”

It’s hard to imagine Mahindra squeezing out nine additional highway miles per gallon just by stripping out the 4-wheel-drive system.

Gallery: Mahindra Pik-Up

mahindra-pickup-large_21 mahindra-pickup-large_11 mahindra-pickup-large_22 mahindra-pickup-large_12 mahindra-pickup-large_13

Continue reading Mahindra TR40 pickup only good for 19/21 mpg?

Mahindra TR40 pickup only good for 19/21 mpg? originally appeared on Autoblog on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 12:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Marchionne: Jeep is finally getting a pickup… kinda

Filed under: Truck, Jeep

Jeep Gladiator Concept

Jeep Gladiator Concept – Click above for high-res image gallery

During a roundtable meeting in Detroit, Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne confirmed that Jeep will be getting a new model in the near future, one that he’s classifying as a “multipurpose” vehicle fitted with “a truck bed.”

Although Marchionne stopped short of calling the Jeep a pickup, he did reference the 2005 Gladiator concept (above) and said “there’s better than a 50% chance that you’ll get one.”

Just as intriguing, the perpetually sweatered-CEO told the assembled media that the cargo-hauling Jeep will come to market whether the Ram brand likes it or not, saying, “They’re totally peeved off at the fact that we’re going to have anything that looks like a pickup truck with a Jeep badge on it. I actually think there’s space for it.” So do we Mr. Marchionne. So do we…

Gallery: 2005 Jeep Gladiator Concept

[Source: PickupTrucks]

Marchionne: Jeep is finally getting a pickup… kinda originally appeared on Autoblog on Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:55:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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GM recalls select 2011 model year pickup and SUV models over axle fears

Filed under: Truck, Recalls, Safety, Cadillac, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

2011 GMC Sierra

2011 GMC Sierra – Click above for high-res image gallery

General Motors is recalling a handful light-duty GMT900 pickups from the 2011 model year due to faulty rear axle cross pins. Both the Chevrolet Avalanche and Silverado 1500 are effected, as are the Cadillac Escalade EXT and GMC Sierra 1500 – a total of 1,262 vehicles in all.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration cites that these rear axle cross pins were not manufactured up to proper specification and that the pin could “fracture and become displaced within the rear axle.” NHTSA further details the consequences of a displaced pin, saying:

“The driver may hear a banging noise coming from the axle. If the pin shifts out of position, it could create an interference condition and cause the rear axle to lock. The driver may not be able to maintain directional control of the vehicle and a crash could occur without prior warning.”

GM will begin notifying owners about this problem in January, and dealers will install a new rear axle cross pin without any cost to the customer. NHTSA’s official statement is available after the jump.

Gallery: 2011 GMC Sierra

2011 GMC Sierra

[Source: NHTSA]

Continue reading GM recalls select 2011 model year pickup and SUV models over axle fears

GM recalls select 2011 model year pickup and SUV models over axle fears originally appeared on Autoblog on Fri, 24 Dec 2010 08:02:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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