This Is One Bad Ass Bus

Volkswagen Renntransporter is home on the wheels for your Porsche 935

(4WheelNews.com)

The More Options, The Higher Price. Duh!

Pickup trucks priced like luxury cars out of reach for many buyers 

Consumers are spending far more for new trucks than they expected 

Data from Cox Automotive show that most buyers expect to pay $26,699 for a new midsize pickup like the Toyota Tacoma or Chevrolet Colorado. But the average transaction price in August was much higher, at $33,275. For full-size pickups, the respective gulf was wider: $38,529 versus average transactions of $47,987 — in the same ballpark as the Porsche Macan or even the current, well-appointed versions of the Tesla Model 3 electric sedan. In the last decade through September, according to Edmunds data, prices for full-size pickups rose 48 percent to $48,377.

Much of the sticker inflation is down to added technology and more sumptuous trim options. Low gas prices have also fueled growth in truck sales, as more and more consumers turn to pickups as their family haulers, as opposed to using them strictly for work.

(AutoBlog.com)

I'd Buy This Version

Four new Chevy Silverado concept trucks get lifted and lowered 

These pickups showcase Chevy accessories 

RST Street

Next up is the RST Street, above. As for this concept truck, it also lowers the suspension like the first Silverado RST. It has a cold-air intake system, but this one gets six-piston Brembo front brakes in red and a Borla exhaust system. Chevy says the dual exhaust system on the 5.3-liter V8 is good for an additional 10 horsepower. A bunch of body graphics give it a louder look along with its glossy black 22-inch wheels. Faux carbon fiber parts are splattered about on the mirror caps, door handles, grille and interior trim too.

(AutoBlog.com)

2 Reasons Why Toyota Does So Well Financially

It's patently obvious that in today's world, buyer's are clamoring for sport-utility vehicles and trucks.

That's because I want to discuss Toyota's sales of several SUV/truck models. That's because there's something telling going on here.

Take, for example, the newer and edgier Toyota C-HR. So far in 2018 Toyota has only sold just over 26,000 units of the relatively inexpensive SUV. On the other hand, the not so refined, truck-y and not-so-cheap Toyota 4Runner is doing quite well. So far in 2018 the 4Runner has moved nearly 65,000 vehicles.

What does that tell you, Spies?

Maybe this wlll move you: The Toyota Highlander sold just over 114,000 units. Now remember, the Highlander provides a car-like experience but it has way more space and utility over the other offerings.

(AutoBlog.com)

They See Me Rollin' - American Muscle Edition

(CavemanCircus.com)

The Toy Hauler Of My Dreams

2008 Renegade 2300XXS 42' Toterhome

(Mecum.com)

It's Simple. Car Vs Human, Car Will Always Win. Duh!

Why pedestrian death rate is shooting up, and how to save more lives 

IIHS says one vehicle type has an 81 percent spike in fatalities 

Pedestrian deaths in the U.S. are climbing at an alarming rate, jumping 46 percent since reaching a low point in 2009, according to federal data. Now, a new study from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety identifies some trends behind the numbers and offers some recommendations.

Among the IIHS' findings: Pedestrian crashes have become not only more frequent, but deadlier, with deaths per 100 crashes with pedestrians rising 29 percent from 2010, when they reached their lowest point, to 2015. Unsurprisingly, the increase is happening mostly in urban and suburban areas, in the dark, and the fatalities are generally happening away from intersections, on busy main roads or arterial roads.

(AutoBlog.com)

Other People Must Be Thinking This If He Typed It

2019 Jeep Cherokee Trailhawk Drivers' Notes Review | Capable, yet costly 

'Mixed feelings' would be a pretty good summation 

Editor-in-chief Greg Migliore: I would not buy this Cherokee. With a sticker of more than 41 grand, it's too expensive. You can get pretty capable Wranglers and pretty nice Grand Cherokees for this price point. But, if you really love the Cherokee, this decked-out Trailhawk Elite is kinda awesome. You get all of the Trailhawk aesthetics and off-road prowess — you just have to pay for it.

(AutoBlog.com)

This Is A Bad Add Truck!

(Facebook.com)

Easy Choice, The A Team Van, Form & Function

(Facebook.com)

I Believe This, Even Without Seeing The Numbers

The Ford F-150 Franchise Is Reportedly Worth More Than Ford Itself

1st Gear: The Ford F-150 Franchise Is Worth More Than Ford Itself, Analyst Says

Ford’s recent financial woes have been causing concern among investors, but in his report yesterday, Morgan Stanley analyst Adam Jonas cranked up The Blue Oval’s valuation for the first time in two years, in part, because of the strength of Ford’s mighty but undervalued F-150. Good news for Ford and its much-coveted standing with investors.

The Detroit News quotes the report, writing:

“We see Ford as an out-of-favor self-help story with room to surprise the market with cost-savings and profit-repositioning potential,” Jonas wrote. “At its current depressed valuation level, the value of its commercial franchise (F-Series) represents a larger percentage of its firm value than any other OEM under our global coverage.

The study itself, which you can read here, quantifies the F-150 franchise’s value, stating:

We [at Morgan Stanley] estimate the F150 franchise to be worth 135% of the market cap of Ford.

But of course, the F-150 isn’t the only reason why Jonas raised Ford’s earnings forecast by the largest amount in five years. Part of the move also has to do with CEO Jim Hackett’s restructuring efforts and cost cutting like FoMoCo’s planned $14 billion reduction in materials and engineering expenses, with the news site writing:

But certain moves like potentially restructuring segments of the company and redeploying funds could “halt years of underperformance,” he wrote. Ford has said it will move money around to shift the company’s focus away from car production and make more SUVs.

Jonas’s report says that Ford “isn’t out of the woods yet,” and recommends reducing nameplates and leaving “loss-making regions” as potential actions that could crank up the stock price.

(Jalopnik.com)

It's Definitely Harder Than It Looks

Here's How You Shift An 18-Speed Transmission

[T]ruckers don’t get enough respect in this country. They have to master aspects of math, dancing, and practical wizardry just to get their beasts of burden moving.

All hail truckers.

Video link (Jalopnik.com)

This Is A Proper Tailgating Vehicle

Nissan Smokin' Titan is custom made for BBQ lovers 

The truck bed's now a smokin' hot trailer

(AutoBlog.com)

Times Have Changed . . . . .

‘Booth Babes’ Banished as Carmakers Opt for Less Flesh in Geneva

“Times have changed,” said Sara Jenkins, a Switzerland-based spokeswoman for Nissan, which stopped hiring fashion models for shows last year. “It makes more sense to use product specialists because we’re selling cars.”

In the auto industry, the changing customer base is also feeding the trend. The number of women owning cars in the U.K. jumped 66 percent in the decade through 2016, official figures show, almost triple the rise in for men. In Germany, Europe’s biggest car market, women buy about a third of all new vehicles and in France 37 percent.

Eliminating women as display props isn’t new for some carmakers like Peugeot maker PSA Group. “Visitors to the Geneva auto show will be welcomed on the PSA booth by male and female hosts whose mission will be to inform them,” spokesman Pierre-Oliver Salmon said in an email with a #nocarbabes hashtag attached. “PSA Group won’t convey a degrading image of anyone, neither of women or men.”

(Bloomberg.com)

I'll Take One Please. Can You Make Mine A Dually?

Yenko Chevy Silverado cranks out 800 supercharged horsepower 

It uses a heavily modified 6.8-liter V8. 

The Yenko name dates all the way back to 1929 when a man named Frank Yenko opened a Durant dealer in Pennsylvania. That dealer eventually folded, but Yenko followed it up a few years later with two Chevrolet dealerships, the second of which was run by Yenko's son Don. That's the dealer that built all the hot rods and muscle cars. Yenko business was sold in 1982, though the name has cropped up a few times over the years, licensed by various shops.

This Silverado follows the same formula as most other Yenko-branded products. The truck uses a 6.8-liter GM LT1 V8 with an aluminum block, a forged-steel crank and connecting rods, forged aluminum pistons, ported heads, an upgraded fuel system and a tune. The coup de gras is a custom supercharger that brings the total engine output to 800 horsepower, though there isn't a torque figure listed.

Other performance upgrades include stainless steel headers, high-flow cats, stainless steel exhaust, six-piston Brembo brakes, 22-inch torque thrust-style wheels with Michelin rubber and lowered suspension (2 inches up front, 5 inches in the rear). Visually, the Yenko/SC Silverado gets Yenko cowl and side stripes, an SYC graphic on the hood, Yenko badges on the grille, door and tailgate, and some other 800 horsepower and 6.8-liter badges and crests.

Now, this package isn't cheap. It's $46,995 on top of the price of a regular-cab Silverado. There are even a few options including a painted supercharger or some extremely sweet houndstooth seats. The truck does come with a 3-year/36,000-mile limited warranty. There will only be a handful built, so get your $10,000 deposit ready.

(AutoBlog.com)

I Know Trucks Are Popular, But This Is Beyond Belief

Buyers ditching expensive European sedans to buy expensive American trucks 

The truck and crossover craze is even crazier than most of us realized 

From 2013 to 2017, the truck category — everything from pickups to minivans — climbed from 30 percent of the market to 41 percent. In January of this year, trucks claimed 66 percent of new vehicle sales. At the milk-and-honey end of profits, GMC alone accounted for 11.3 percent of all vehicle sales over $60,000, not just trucks. That puts the luxury truck maker behind Mercedes-Benz and Ford, The Blue Oval's feasting on Lariat, King Ranch and Raptor versions of the F-150, which make up more than half of that pickup's sales, putting it ahead of Chevrolet, Porsche and Lexus on the high-dollar sales list. The average transaction price of a GMC in Denali trim last year was $56,000; it's easy to see why, when one dealer told the NYT he just swapped a 2012 BMW 550i for a $71,000 GMC Sierra Denali. That truck starts at $52,900.

The NYT started its story with a buyer who took home a Ford Raptor instead of an Audi A6, and optioned that $50,020 Ford Raptor close to $80,000. Over at Lincoln, the new $72,055 Navigator — the one so popular that Ford will increase production — crossed hands for an average sale price of $77,000 in January. And a Jeep dealer told the NYT that the two $93,000 Trackhawks he had on his lot "won't be here more than a few weeks."

While trucks head up in sales volume and price, cars are headed so viciously in the opposite direction that "the Detroit Three and even some foreign manufacturers acknowledge they are now losing money on many of the cars they sell." So ... get ready for a lot more crossovers and trucks.

(AutoBlog.com)

They See Me Rollin' - American Muscle Edition

(CavemanCircus.com)

The HP Wars Are Now Being Fought In The Sport Compact Truck Market

2019 Ford Ranger vs. Tacoma, Colorado, and Frontier: What we know (or at least can guess)

(AutoBlog.com)

A New Boss From The Bowtie

2019 Chevy Silverado debuts in new Trail Boss trim

(AutoBlog.com)

They See Me Rollin' - Van Culture Edition

(SpeedHunters.com)