All Entries in the "Auto News" Category

GM Recalls Trucks For Fire Risks From Excessive Idling – One 2014 Silverado Owner Tells A Different Story

Last week, when GM announced it was recalling 370,000 of their brand-new heavy duty pickups for a “software fix” to address fire concerns, it was a bit of a headscratcher. Now, we see our first videos and photos of the issue and it is more than it seems.

One of our first photos of the GM fire recall. Looks like a pretty big deal.

2015 Ford F-150 Unveiled – What You Need to Know

With blaring music and all the pizzazz of a Hollywood movie premier, Ford unveiled it’s much anticipated Ford F-150. Here is what you need to know and a very interested observer’s take on it.

The all new F-150 front profile.

2015 GMC Canyon Revealed – What You Need to Know

GM has released the details on its new 2015 GMC Canyon. Is this truck strong enough to change up the mid-size truck market? Nope, but it does have some features that every truck buyer will appreciate.

The new 2015 GMC Canyon extended cab.

Union Plans Vote at Canadian Toyota Plants – Big Deal or No

Canada’s largest union is reportedly planning on holding a vote in the coming year that could unionize two Toyota plants in that country. While the UAW has a checkered history in the U.S., would a Canadian unionized Toyota plant be a good or bad thing?

Unifor plans to call for a union vote at two Toyota Canada plants including this plant in Cambridge, Ontario.

Ford’s Aluminum Body 2015 F150: Is 30mpg Worth The Risks?

I feel sorry for the decision-makers at Ford. I’m not bagging on Ford (for the record, I think they deserve a hell of a lot of credit for being so bold), but their decision to use aluminum extensively in the upcoming F150 is the result of a terrible choice.

Ford’s Atlas concept, a preview of the aluminum F150 set to debut early next week.

By my reckoning, Ford had only two options when it came to designing the next-gen F150:

Option #1 – Keep building the same great tried-and-true steel truck while using an increasing variety of tricks and fancy systems to squeeze out a few more MPG’s, or;

Option #2 – Take a big risk and be the first automaker to make a truck that extensively uses light-weight materials.

While option #2 is the most logical – weight loss is the best way to improve fuel economy and meet government-mandated fuel economy requirements – it’s easily the worst best choice available. I have no doubt that the first generation of aluminum F150s will be universally disliked by truck owners in the decades to come. This is not a commentary on Ford’s engineering talent. This is the inexorable conclusion I’ve been lead to based on all the available data. If you keep reading, I expect you’ll come to the same conclusion.