Toyota doesn't have a press conference scheduled for the 2009 Chicago Auto Show, but it does have two noteworthy debuts. The first is an all-new 4.6L V8 engine that will replace the current 4.7L V8. The new eight-cylinder produces 310 hp and 327 lb-ft of torque while delivering an estimated 15 mpg city / 20 mpg highway. That puts the new 4.6L V8 near the head of the pack in terms of power and fuel economy for standard V8s in the segment. The engine will also be paired with a "new" six-speed automatic. Rather than simply use the six-speed auto that's paired with the larger 5.7L V8, Toyota engineers instead used the truck's five-speed auto, added an extra gear and respaced the ratios.

Toyota's second debut in Chicago was a new Platinum Package available on Tundra CrewMax Limited models with the 5.7L V8. Though it shares an adjective with the new Ford F-150 Platinum, Toyota's top shelf truck is more low key and the package adds $5,140 to the vehicle price. Included is a new grille with chrome bumpers, unique 20-inch wheels, daytime running lamps, branded door sill protectors and Platinum badging around the truck. The package also includes a number of upgrades for the interior like a power moonroof, nav system and wood trim on the shifter, steering wheel and door trim.

Follow the jump for Toyota's official press release, check out the high-res galleries below and visit Pickuptrucks.com for a deeper dive into the Tundra's improvement's for 2010.




[Source: Toyota, Pickuptrucks.com]

Still think big, muscular trucks equal safety? In the case of the new Dodge Ram, Nissan Titan and Chevy Silverado, not necessarily. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety smashed up the four-door versions of those full-size trucks and, for the most part, found their safety credentials less than stellar.

Let's start with the worst performing of the three. The IIHS says that in its latest round of side-impact crash tests, Chevy's Silverado 1500 gets a Poor rating. Even with the optional side airbags, the Chevy got a Poor. That struck us as odd, so we asked Russ Rader, director of media relations at IIHS, why the truck got a 5-star safety rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. He said it was a combination of a difference in test methods as well as vehicle construction.

"The difference reflects the difference between being hit by a car vs. being hit by another pickup or SUV," Rader said. "The car-like barrier in the government test hits the strong parts of the side structure at rocker panel level, below the test dummy. The Institute's test barrier is taller and higher off the ground, so it's hitting more vulnerable parts of the door."

The Titan also received a Poor side-crash rating from IIHS, but with the optional side airbags improved to Marginal. Dodge's new Ram with standard bags got a marginal side crash rating. We'd be remiss not to mention that the 2009 Ford F-150 and 2009 Toyota Tundra both were already chosen as Top Safety Picks by the IIHS.

Check out the gallery for more photos of the three trucks being smashed to bits by the IIHS, and follow the jump to read the full IIHS press release and see videos of the three trucks during testing.

Since a redesigned Ford F-150 was introduced to the world last year, that must mean this year will bring another limited-run Harley-Davidson edition. As with other recent examples of the co-branded truck, the new 2010 F-150 Harley-Davidson Edition is largely an appearance package, but certainly a striking one. This is the 14th time that Ford has created a Harley edition pickup with the current series running back to 2000. Over the past decade, some 74,000 customers have opted for the bike-badged trucks. Aside from the unique Harley-Davidson visual elements, this model features most of the goodies you can find on the top-end Platinum edition F-150.

This latest edition brings the custom Harley design ethos, such as it is, to Ford's latest full-size truck. Starting at the front, yet another grille appearance shows up in the F-150 line with a six-bar billet-style setup. The body work can be ordered in either a deep maroon called Lava or the same Tuxedo Black available on the Lincoln MKS. The latter color features tiny glass balls in the paint that give it even more luster in the sunshine than a conventional metallic paint. Along the flanks, a red sweep adorns the rocker panels and chrome Harley badging stretches just below the top edge of the bed. There's more about the Harley F-150 after the jump.


[Source: Ford]

According to Automotive News, the Kia Soul'ster concept garnered a fair amount of praise at the Detroit Auto Show. So much so, that the automaker is considering producing the two-door pickup variant of Kia's new xB competitor.

Kia Motors America spokesperson, Alex Fedorak, said, "the response was so overwhelming" that production is a possibility. Although the Soul'ster was strictly a design study, the Soulamino was created "in a fashion that was production-capable."

At this point, Kia execs haven't given the Soul pickup the green-light, but if the boxy five-door version does well after it goes on sale March 1st, we may see the front-wheel-drive pseudo-'ute make it to market in a few years.


[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]

Despite dwindling sales in a dwindling segment, Ford's Ranger refuses to pack up. For 2010, the compact pickup looks unchanged on the outside, but beneath the skin it gains some new electronic gubbins to help make it more competitive.

In the main, the trucklet soldiers on into its next model year with a larger complement of standard safety equipment. Traction and stability control (AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control in Blue Oval-speak) will be built into every 2010 Ranger, along with new side airbags designed to protect the head and torso.

The rest of the package continues essentially unaltered, with Ford continuing to wave the Ranger's banner as America's most fuel-efficient pickup (the base 2.3-liter four-cylinder nets 21 miles-per-gallon in the city and 26 mpg on the highway).

Rumors have persisted that the Ranger might be euthanized ahead of its Twin Cities production plant's scheduled closing in 2011 – and indeed, just yesterday word came down that the truck's assembly lines will be idled for an additional two weeks due to slow sales. But the added investment in safety equipment for 2010 would seem to indicate that the Ranger is likely to soldier on until the plant's scheduled closing date. Click on the jump for Ford's official press release.

[Sources: Ford Motor Company; Minneapolis Star Tribune]

Ford's race-ready SVT Raptor R made it's competition debut last fall in the Baja 1000 and managed a respectable third place finish in its class for its first time out. That same truck is returning to racing soon in the hands of Rob MacCachren and Steve Olliges to run the five race "Best in the Desert" series. The SVT Raptor R has a 500-hp version of the 6.2L V8 that will be available in the production SVT Raptor next year. Underneath, the Raptor R also has a standard Raptor frame and a production spec 6-speed automatic transmission. The initial run of production SVT Raptors that go on sale this summer will use the F-150's current 320-hp 5.4L V8. Ford will also be using the Raptor R race program to test new performance parts that will offered to regular customers after the truck launches.


[Source: Ford]

Remember the good old days? Well if they were spent under a communist dictatorship, perhaps they were not all that "good." And yet, there are some who still find ways to look back fondly. We're not sure that two vehicles is enough to qualify as a trend, but this is the second Western-built SUV rebodied to look like a "classic" Volga we've seen this year.

While the last one was a Porsche Cayenne with a 60's-era GAZ-21 body shell, this latest example is built on a chassis borrowed from a Cadillac Escalade EXT, redesigned to look like an old GAZ-51 pick-up truck. Authenticity is guaranteed by the big chrome rims on this retro-rod, currently under construction by Grande-Garage for an unnamed Russian plutocrat who apparently wants to remember what it was like before getting rich off no-contest government contracts. Get your papers in order and examine the images in the gallery below.

[Source: Cardesign.ru via Carscoop]

The Blue Oval delayed the introduction of its all-important 2009 Ford F-150 by two months late last summer. The company claimed it could save some cash by postponing the pickup's launch, but in the interim, the cost to fill up the F-150's biggie-sized tank was slashed in half. The delay couldn't have been better timed. Marketing North America's best-selling vehicle is an expensive endeavor to begin with, but add in the trepidation of $4-per gallon gasoline and an economy spiraling towards the floor, and there's no doubt that the F150's intended audience would've had a hard time plunking down the coin for a brand new pickup.

No doubt, Ford is relieved that gas prices dropped, but the sketchy fluctuations in the commodities market have changed the way this 106-year-old company looks at the truck business. One consequence of high gas prices has been the sharp drop in truck buying for recreational purposes, so Ford has marketed the new F-150 as the ultimate work truck. Labor-friendly features like an integrated trailer brake controller and pop-out side steps are winning buyers over, but will they be enough to pass muster in the Autoblog Garage? Hit the jump to find out.


Photos Copyright ©2009 Chris Shunk, Sam Abuelsamid / Weblogs, Inc.

General Motors has been working hard to get its 2008 and 2009 inventory in line with the market's lackluster demand. In fact, many of the General's plants haven't run since before Christmas. GM sees better times coming this spring, though, and the Detroit automaker is increasing truck production for the week of March 16. Flint truck, which makes the Silverado, is going back online, and the General is ramping up the line speed to 31.5 vehicles per hour, up from 27.7. GM's Arlington, Texas plant is also increasing its line speed by an additional 1.5 units per hour. Arlington is the home of the GMT 900 SUVs, including the Tahoe, Yukon, and Escalade.

GM is anticipating somewhat stronger demand during the spring, but it also helps that inventory is way down. On December 1, GM had a 120 day supply of truck. By January 1, that number dropped to a 90 day supply.

[Source: Automotive News - Sub. Req.]

It's been widely reported over the last year that Scion is planning to add a fourth model to its lineup, but there's still considerable debate about what form it could take. According to Scion veep Jack Hollis, Toyota's entry-level automaker hasn't taken anything off the table, but believes "there are a lot of opportunities for a [second] coupe" to join the aging tC.

Unfortunately, Scion's been resting its laurels on its lone coupe for some time, and the current model will remain in production until the redesign arrives in 2011. That's an achingly long time in the automotive world, particularly considering the three- to four-year model cycle most automakers adhere to. And with rumors circulating that the Toyota/Subaru rear-wheel-drive coupe has been shelved, we're a bit skeptical that a performance model is still in the near-term cards.

So what's Scion considering? Hollis told Automotive News, "We think there is room for a bigger sedan and smaller vehicles. We think there is even the possibility for a truck-based vehicle with an open bed." The idea of bringing the Toyota iQ to the States has been floated before, as well as a production version of the Toyota A-Bat. If Scion really wanted to shake things up, it could produce a compact version of the Hako Coupe with an open bed (rendered poorly above) to kill two (or three) birds with one stone.



[Source: Automotive News – Sub. Req.]