PickupTrucks: News

Classic Dodge Pickups Go To Auction

Mike Levine — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 15:37:32 -0500

I hesitate to post this information on two extraordinary examples of Dodge truck history going to auction because I’m more than slightly tempted to renege on my commitment to fund my kids’ college educations so I can bid on them myself.

September 25 and 26, one of the famous “Little Red Wagon” dragsters and the one-off “Deora” concept will be up for sale at RM Auctions’ Icons of Speed & Style Auction at the Petersen Automotive Museum in Los Angeles. The one-offs are based on the 1965 Dodge A100 unibody compact pickup truck, which was produced from 1964-70.

Like the similarly styled Ford Econoline and Chevrolet Corvair pickups, the A100 featured “forward-control” seating over the truck’s front axle. Unlike the Corvair, though, the A100’s standard slant-six and optional V-8 engines were positioned between the driver and front passenger, while the Corvair used rear-mounted motors.

1965 Dodge A100 Little Red Wagon

The Little Red Wagon started off in Chrysler’s Special Equipment Division as an after-hours project to build an A100 pickup powered by a 425-horsepower, 426-cubic-inch Hemi V-8. The optional production V-8 for the A100 at the time was only 273 cubic inches. Dodge PR chief Frank Wylie found out about the skunk works effort and turned the Little Red Wagon into an officially sanctioned program, entering it in public drag-strip competitions to show off its Hemi power. With extra help from a nitro boost, so much power was sent to the rear wheels that the Little Red Wagon instantly became famous for standing up on its rear wheels when the lights turned green and the accelerator hit the floor. The Little Red Wagon could run the quarter-mile with its wheels up in the mid 11-second range, at 120 mph. During the past four decades, there have been six Little Red Wagon Dodge A-100 wheelstanders.

1965 Dodge Deora Concept Truck

As if the A100’s forward-control styling weren’t radical enough in the mid-60s, the Deora’s still-futuristic shape was penned by a former designer from General Motors, Harry Bentley Bradley. Bradley threw out every body panel from the A100. Instead of conventional side-opening doors, he created a forward-entry passenger compartment as the way to climb into the cabin. Not even the steering wheel was left untouched; it was replaced with airplane-style hand grips and mounted on the driver’s left side. Brothers Mike and Larry Alexander brought Bradley’s design to life for the show circuit. The Deora captured the imagination of crowds around the country as it toured the auto show circuit. Bradley eventually went on to become a designer at Mattel, where the Deora became part of the original Hot Wheels lineup. After languishing in storage for decades, the Deora was restored to show condition in 1998.

[Historic Information Sources: RM Auctions, Truckin' Magazine and Motor Trend]

Is This the Cummins Light-Duty V-8 Diesel Engine?

Mike Levine — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 10:12:32 -0500

In the land of zombie powertrains, where light-duty diesels exist in a purgatory between production and the bone yard, we've already been shown or spied half-ton oil burners that were promised and then shelved by Ford and GM. Meanwhile, the long-anticipated Cummins clean diesel for the Dodge Ram 1500 has remained hidden from view. Now, we may have unearthed our first look at what we expect will be an all-new 5.0-liter V-8.

A picture of a V-8 diesel engine that we've never seen before appeared in a recent presentation given by Cummins to the U.S. Department of Energy. The diesel-engine manufacturer is developing several new combustion and emissions-control technologies under its Light Duty Efficient Clean Combustion program for light-duty diesel engines. LDECC is partially funded by the DOE.

A slide with the V-8 says the "V8 engine will be the first opportunity for commercialization of LDECC technologies with North American OEMs."

Cummins has already said it's working with Chrysler and Nissan North America to supply the new engine for use in pickups and light commercial vehicles for the U.S. and Canadian markets, though the company has been coy about the engine's final architecture and displacement.

We asked Cummins if this is the engine slated for the half-ton Ram.

"The V-8 engine depicted in the presentation is not meant to represent any particular Cummins product," Mark Land, executive director of public relations at Cummins, told PickupTrucks.com. "It's to make the point that the technologies we currently are working on with the DOE would be scalable across all our light-duty products. We have worked with the DOE on V-8 programs for a decade or more. I can't confirm that the V-8 shown in the presentation is the one we will be making in Columbus, Ind., for Chrysler and Nissan. We have not discussed the specifics of that engine publicly."

What has been discussed recently about the new light-duty diesel is what's said to be a temporary pause in its delivery to Chrysler while Chrysler and Cummins rework the engine's manufacturing agreement as Chrysler continues to reorganize after emerging from Chapter 11 bankruptcy.

In January, Chrysler told PickupTrucks.com that the ultra-clean diesel engine had been postponed until 2011 or later.

Beyond The Numbers: Full-Size Pickup Year-to-Date Sales

Mike Levine — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 16:17:08 -0500

J.D. Power and Associates' June 2009 sales data shows a steep 36 percent decline in sales of full-size pickup trucks through the first half of the year compared with the same period in 2008. The data also show some surprising shifts in market share as manufacturers compete for remaining sales volume with new trucks and aggressive incentives.

J.D. Power's Power Information Network figures are unique because they break full-size truck sales out into light- and heavy-duty classes. Monthly figures released by Chrysler, Ford and GM aggregate light- and heavy-duty truck sales into a single number without revealing class splits.

According to PIN, total combined sales of light- and heavy-duty pickups reached only 513,088 units through June 2009, compared with 800,999 units sold in the first half of 2008. The best-selling brand was Ford’s F-Series trucks, with combined F-150, F-250 and F-350 sales of 173,646 units, good for 33.8 percent of the market. That’s up almost a full point from 2008, and it’s 4.6 percent more than the Chevrolet Silverado. Sales of the Silverado 1500, 2500 and 3500 reached 149,949 units and 29.2 percent of the market, an increase of just a third of a point versus 2008. The Dodge Ram, at 94,516 units, gained the most market share of any full-size truck. Combined sales of the Ram 1500, 2500 and 3500 grew by 2.3 points, from 16.1 percent to 18.4 percent. GMC, Toyota and Nissan all saw their shares of the full-size-truck market drop. The GMC Sierra fell from 10.4 to 9.8 percent, and the Toyota Tundra lost a full 2.6 points (with unit volume shrinking by almost half, from 76,516 units to 36,106 units). Nissan continues to be a marginal player in full-size trucks, as the future of its Titan half-ton remains in limbo. Nissan’s market share slid from 2.1 percent to 1.7 percent of all full-size truck sales.

Full-Size Truck Winners: Dodge, Ford, Chevrolet
Full-Size Truck Losers: Toyota, Nissan, GMC

In the light-duty segment, most domestic half-ton pickups increased their market share at the expense of Nissan and Toyota. The Chevrolet Silverado’s slice grew from 31.5 percent to 32.4 percent, continuing its reign as the best-selling half-ton pickup truck in the U.S. at 119,959 units sold. That’s probably news to some readers because, as we mentioned earlier, monthly sales figures announced by the manufacturers aggregate sales of light- and heavy-duty pickups but some news outlets incorrectly report the F-150 as the best-selling vehicle (and pickup) when they are really reporting total F-Series sales. The F-150 was able to increase share from 28 percent of the half-ton segment to 29.1 percent.

The all-new Dodge Ram 1500’s sales results deserve some special recognition. It bucks the conventional wisdom that new truck buyers wouldn’t want a Chrysler product while the company was going through bankruptcy and receiving bailouts from the federal government, and that core truck buyers prefer extra hauling capability over ride comfort – the Ram 1500 uses rear coil springs instead of conventional leafs that provide a much smoother unloaded ride but keep hauling and towing ratings the same as the old Ram 1500. The result: Ram 1500 market share increased the most of any half-ton pickup, from 13.6 percent to 15.8 percent. That 2.2 point jump is twice as much as the increase the new F-150 was able to carve out.

GMC, Toyota and Nissan all lost share, with Toyota dropping the most. The Tundra saw 3.2 points of market share evaporate in the first half of 2009 while the Sierra 1500 and Titan lost one-half point each.

Half-Ton Truck Winners: Chevrolet, Ford, Dodge
Half-Ton Truck Losers: Toyota, Nissan, GMC

In the heavy-duty segment, where only Chevrolet, Dodge, Ford and GMC compete, the Ford F-250 three-quarter-ton and F-350 one-ton trucks continued to rule the pack with almost 50 percent market share and 65,868 units sold. The Dodge Ram 2500 and 3500, in second place, picked up 2.2 points of share, the only heavy-duty truck to do so. The Ram HD sold 35,916 units. Combined sales (41,004 units) of the Chevy Silverado HD and GMC Sierra HD weren’t enough to catch Ford’s HD pickups. The Chevy lost .8 points and the GMC was off .9 points of share.

Heavy-Duty Truck Winners: Ford, Dodge
Heavy-Duty Truck Losers: Chevrolet, GMC

Can Mahindra Become the Volkswagen of Pickup Trucks?

Mike Levine — Mon, 06 Jul 2009 14:57:47 -0500

A year or two ago, the future looked very bright for diesel pickups. Chrysler, Ford, GM and Toyota each announced commitments to produce half-ton trucks with all-new compression-ignition engines by 2010. The news was greeted enthusiastically by truck buyers, who were already familiar with the fuel economy and towing and hauling benefits of diesels, long-offered in the Detroit Three’s heavy-duty pickups.

Nearly lost in the glare of all that diesel star power was an announcement made by Indian automaker Mahindra that it too would sell a midsize oil-burning pickup in the U.S. within two years. Word of Mahindra’s intent was greeted with skepticism, including from this writer. After all, what buyer would gamble hard-earned dollars on a pickup from a country more renowned for Bollywood than for building trucks capable of hauling wood? And how could an Indian-built pickup ever meet the toughest clean-diesel emissions standards in the world?

Now, in what’s shaping up to be one of the most significant pickup truck stories of the past decade, Mahindra has almost completely traded places with Chrysler, Ford, GM and Toyota. The truck giants have indefinitely postponed their small diesels as diesel fuel prices spiked lat year and bankruptcy woes hit Chrysler and GM, while underdog Mahindra has steadily soldiered on with plans to sell its first trucks in America by the end of 2009.

Mahindra’s path hasn’t been without challenges. There have been several miscommunications about the new pickup. The truck had originally been expected to start sales in the first quarter of 2009, before the launch was postponed until December. It was going to be called the Appalachian before that name was scrapped for an alphanumeric badge, likely TR20 or TR40. And a diesel hybrid version has been put on the backburner. But, by and large, it’s been three steps forward for every one step back.

How can this Mumbai-based manufacturer succeed where the most truck-savvy companies have faltered? It appears to be all about price. Mahindra’s U.S. distributor, Global Vehicles U.S.A. Inc., has said it hopes to sell the yet-to-be-named Mahindra pickup starting in the mid- to low-$20,000s. That’s a price many truck buyers will find attractive in return for a high-torque, 2.2-liter four-cylinder engine and six-speed automatic transmission that’s expected to be rated at least 30 mpg on the highway (unloaded) and be able to haul up to 2,700 pounds and tow up to 5,000 pounds.

For comparison, a new base-model, two-wheel-drive, two-door Toyota Tacoma (the best-selling midsize pickup) with a 2.7-liter four-cylinder gas engine and four-speed transmission starts at just over $16,000, but is only rated to carry 1,380 pounds in its cargo box and pull a 3,500-pound trailer. The Tacoma is rated at 19/25 mpg city/highway. So while the difference in price between a comparable gas truck and the Mahindra diesel could be as great at $9,000, I think it will be less than that. That’s also significantly less than the cost of a new entry-level heavy-duty pickup, which can tow much more than the Mahindra but is priced in the low- to mid-$30,000s, with fuel economy in the mid- to upper-teens.

By coincidence, the mid-$20Ks is the price of another long-popular diesel sold in the U.S.: the Volkswagen Jetta TDI passenger sedan. VW crowed about Jetta TDI sales in June, when they accounted for 40 percent of the 8,431 Jettas sold. The TDI starts at $22,270.

Like Mahindra’s pickup, the Jetta TDI’s place in the U.S. market is almost entirely unique and unchallenged. Ford and GM sell midsize diesel sedans in Europe, where they’re very popular, but they don’t sell them in the U.S. for much the same reason light-duty diesel pickups have been shelved: they cost more to produce and domestic manufacturers have been reluctant to believe U.S. buyers will buy diesel cars. The closest competitor to the Jetta is an expensive BMW 335d luxury diesel sedan that has a base price of more than $43,000. Jetta TDI buyers can also opt for lower-priced spark-ignition cars, like a Honda Civic that starts at about $15,000 or a gas Jetta SE that starts at $20,000.

The reason for diesel’s up-front price premium over gas engines is because diesel engines and transmissions have to be built using sturdier parts and construction to handle the higher compression, combustion pressure and torque output versus gasoline powertrains. Also adding cost are specialized emissions components, like diesel particulate filters to trap soot and urea selective catalytic reduction to fight nitric oxide.

Last year, diesel fuel also carried a price premium over regular unleaded gasoline when all fuel prices spiked to over $4 a gallon but in the last month diesel has averaged below gas at the pump, at around $2.60 a gallon. It’s especially meaningful because diesels average 20 to 30 percent better fuel economy over gas vehicles, helping blunt or cancel out the pain of higher purchase costs over a vehicle’s life.

Volkswagen also shares another thing in common with Mahindra: Two of its biggest competitors, Honda and Nissan, announced in 2007 plans to sell reasonably priced clean diesel sedans in the U.S. by 2010, but have since postponed those plans indefinitely leaving the segment entirely to VW.

The biggest advantage Volkswagen has, though, is its built-in base of buyers. VW has sold small and midsize diesel cars in the U.S. since 1977 and has earned an almost cult-like following based on reputation, excellent fuel economy and lack of competition in the segment.

Even though Mahindra is brand new to these shores, I think its starting position is very similar to that of the Jetta. Core truck buyers are already familiar with the benefits of diesel from first- or second-hand experience with heavy-duty pickups, and there’s pent-up demand for a highly fuel-efficient small pickup that can be worked hard even if it can't tow five tons. Buyers are also looking for a relatively low-cost new truck.

Some will argue that Mahindra’s cost advantage comes from being built in India, and to some extent that’s true. But Mahindra is relying on some of the same tier-one suppliers that U.S. truck-makers use -- like Bosch to help engineer its high-pressure, common-rail fuel-injection system, AVL for diesel engine architecture (AVL is also helping Ford engineer its “Bobcat” ethanol-boost engine), and Lear to create an interior that will appeal to American tastes.

If you again look at VW for comparison, its Jetta TDI is engineered in Germany (not exactly known for low-cost labor) and built in Mexico (where heavy-duty Chrysler and light-duty GM pickups are also assembled and Ford’s upcoming “Scorpion” diesel engine will be built), yet ”only” costs $22K.

What I think this demonstrates is that midsize diesel vehicles can still be engineered, built and sold at a reasonable price for the U.S. if the market is already familiar with the benefits of diesel. If Volkswagen can sell 3,300 diesel Jettas in the U.S. in a month while competing against technical marvels like the Toyota Prius, Mahindra should find it has little problem attracting buyers when competing in its own market of one.

Cash for My Clunker? No Thanks

Mike Levine — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 10:55:59 -0500

By Larry Edsall

According to the just-signed-into-law Car Allowance Rebate System legislation, my 2000 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab 4x4 is a … I can barely bring myself to type the word … a clunker.

There, I wrote it -- but I don’t believe it.

When I think of a clunker, I think of a vehicle that’s all but outlived its usefulness, fit only for duty as a “winter rat” -- a vehicle purchased in the fall for less than (hopefully much less than) $500, with the intent of being driven only back and forth to work on the frigid cold and rust-inducing salted roads of a bitter Michigan (or, I assume, any other far-northern state) winter.

Except for some snow up in Flagstaff, Ariz., or the rim country around the Grand Canyon, my truck hasn’t experienced extended winter weather, though it has gotten dirty while exploring desert trails and Arizona mountain two tracks.

Even as it approaches its 120,000th mile, my Frontier is a long way from being used up.

Back in November 2007, I wrote about my truck turning its 100,000th mile, and I anticipate seeing its odometer spin to at least 200,000. Of course, come to think of it, at its current rate of use it would take another eight years to reach that figure.

Except for some bubbles where the glue beneath the fake chrome on the grille has come lose, a couple of scratches, a paint chip on the driver’s side mirror, some splashes of white paint and an indentation in the rear bumper, the truck looks nearly new, at least on the outside.

Inside, there’s a decade of wear becoming visible on the outside edges of the driver’s seat fabric, and the carpet could use a good cleaning.

But a clunker? No way.

That title becomes even less apt if you disregard the EPA gas mileage ratings in favor of my real-world figures. The EPA says my two-wheel-drive truck, with its 3.3-liter V-6 and four-speed automatic, is rated at 14/18 mpg city/highway, 15 mpg combined.

I’ve kept a notebook in the truck since it was new, recording every refill – miles traveled, gallons pumped, the price of each of those gallons and, when on the road, the town in which I bought gas. I typically average mileage in the 19-20 range, 20-21 if I’ve been doing a lot of freeway or Interstate driving.

The worst figure I’ve seen recently was 16.4 on a drive up the mountains with the air conditioning on. The best I’ve seen lately was 24.1 after cruising two-lane roads across New Mexico.

Do I wish my truck were even more fuel efficient? Of course. In fact, I’d love to have Nissan’s newest V-6 powertrain, which not only provides more – nearly 100 more -- horsepower and enhanced torque, but also has a five-speed automatic that figures to boost highway fuel economy well beyond what I can get with only four gears. At the same time, having another gear would make driving on mountain roads much more enjoyable, whether making the long climb from Phoenix to Flagstaff, or for so-called engine braking when winding down into Oak Creek or the Salt River canyons.

Still, instead of monthly payments, which ended years ago, the only payments I make on my truck are for regular maintenance – primarily oil changes and fresh air filters -- and the occasional price of belts, hoses or brake pads.

The way I look at it, I can pay for a lot of repairs for the equivalent of just two or three months of car payments.

From a fiscal standpoint, getting a cash credit for my clunker isn’t attractive, even for my almost-decade-old truck. According to kbb.com, if I’m completely honest about the truck’s condition, it’s worth about $6,500. That’s $2,000 more value than I’d get from the maximum credit for scrapping my truck.

Sure, there are nicer trucks out there than my Frontier, but nothing that’s compelling enough to make me bite. Two reasons:

One: The latest Frontier (and Equator) aren’t compact pickups, they’re midsize, which means they’re like 90-scale full-size trucks. My ten-year-old Frontier is smaller than these trucks but it's as big a truck as I need. I’m not towing 10,000-pound trailers every week.

Two: I don’t feel guilty about driving a truck that gets 19-22 mpg on average and can haul pretty much everyone and everything I’ve needed to carry in the last decade. Yes, I’d like to get better mileage, saving me money and helping save the environment, but not at the expense of several years of car payments -- or of having to live with the fact that I declared my Frontier a clunker.

I’m going to skip Cash for Clunkers. Government incentives aren’t enough to get me to buy what’s only a marginally improved vehicle from what I own today. My truck is in good enough shape to last until something really worth my money comes along.

Perhaps if Toyota changes its mind and is ready to take the A-BAT compact hybrid from concept to 30-mpg production vehicle before Cash for Clunkers expires … or maybe I’ll just explore a really new frontier when Mahindra launches its 30-mpg compact diesel pickup this fall.

GM 72-Hour Sale: 0% for 72 Months

Mike Levine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:46:34 -0500

GM's 72-hour sale starts today and runs through July 6. The sale terms include 0% financing for 72 months on select models for those buyers who qualify.

Not every GM vehicle is included in the deal but the 2009 and 2010 Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and GMC Sierra 1500 half-ton pickup trucks are.

GM is also offering 0% financing for up to 60 months for well-qualified buyers on the 2009 Hummer H3T and Cadillac Escalade EXT.

Other models have separate incentives you can find here.

June 2009 Top 10 Truck Sales

Mike Levine — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:17:49 -0500

Top 10 Pickup Truck Sales, Year-to-Date, June 2009

Spied! Is This the 2010 Dodge Ram R/T?

Mike Levine — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 20:27:10 -0500

Photo by: Chris Doane for Brenda Priddy & Company

Chrysler has yet to announce whether there are any changes to the Dodge Ram 1500 for 2010, but this spy shot of an instrumented test truck appears to give away two revisions intended for the performance-oriented, two-wheel-drive Ram R/T model.

First up: New 22-inch five-spoke painted aluminum wheels with low-profile Goodyear Fortera P285/45R22 tires. The 2009 Ram R/T's rolling stock (see picture below) was 20-inch five-spoke chrome wheels with P275/60R20 Goodyear Wrangler HPs.

The second update to the R/T looks to be the addition of a removable soft tonneau cover. That's not surprising considering the R/T has a 4.10 rear axle and it uses a "loose" torque converter for strong off-the-line performance from its 390-horsepower, 407-pounds-feet-of-torque 5.7-liter Hemi V-8. The R/T can do zero to 60 in just under 6 seconds. The trade-off for a short rear axle and loose torque converter is usually a hit to fuel economy. Using a tonneau cover to smooth out airflow over the cargo box could help the 2010 R/T marginally improve its gas mileage over the 2009 R/T.

One thing we think we can say with certainty if this is indeed the 2010 Dodge Ram R/T: It looks like we'd have no problem getting (another) ticket driving this aggressive-looking pickup.

F-150 Takes Backseat to Camry in Cars.com American-Made Index

Mike Levine — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:12:52 -0500

The Ford F-150 has fallen out of the top spot of the Cars.com American-Made Index for the first time, displaced by the Toyota Camry.

Cars.com's American-Made Index highlights the cars that are built in the U.S., have the highest percentage of domestic parts — with eligible models having parts-content ratings of 75 percent or higher — and are bought in the largest numbers by Americans.

Why the change? The difficult sales environment and changes in cars' domestic-parts content — both major factors in AMI rankings — play a large part. The redesigned 2009 F-150 has taken a larger chunk — about 5 percent more — of overall F-Series sales in 2009, Ford sales analyst George Pipas said. But overall F-Series sales have tumbled nearly 40 percent year-to-date, and the F-150 has seen a steady drop in its U.S.- and Canadian-made parts over the past few model years. The Camry, meanwhile, has seen sales fall, too, but not nearly as badly, and its domestic parts content is on the upswing. Those developments led the Camry to edge out the F-150 by a small but decisive margin.

If you're only looking at domestic-sourced parts content, the F-150 doesn't even make the top 10 list of vehicles. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Toyota Tundra has the highest U.S. parts content of any pickup, at 80 percent.

Check out the full results after the jump.

[Source: Cars.com]

Automobile Magazine Drives Jet-Powered F-150

Mike Levine — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 08:55:29 -0500

We've driven all kinds of pickups: gasoline, diesel, natural gas, propane, gas-electric hybrid, electric-only, hydrogen fuel cell. But we've never piloted a jet-propelled pickup truck like the Ford F-150 that our friends at Automobile Magazine recently tested.

Truck and jet-engine enthusiast Chris Lentz paid $12,000 for his 2005 Ford F-150 STX, then another $10,000 for a Czechoslovakian-built M-701 turbojet to mount in the cargo box. The turbine power plant weighs 728 pounds and produces 1,962 pounds of thrust at 15,500 rpm. Lentz also custom-fabricated interior controls to shift and blend power between the F-150's stock 4.6-liter V-8 and the jet engine. He also bolted a 20-gallon kerosene fuel tank in the bed to feed the jet.

Automobile Magazine drove the one-of-a-kind F-150 at a test track to find out how fast the piston-turbine gas-kerosene hybrid could fly. We won't spoil the results. Read on after the jump and decide if your new weekend project will be your own Czech-American Ford flyer!

[Source: Automobile Magazine]