Did Mahindra and Global Vehicles Kiss and Make Up?

Like many truck fans, I’ve been waiting for the Mahindra Pik-Up. Not only because it’s going to the first “baby” diesel truck available to consumers, but also because it promises to deliver a tremendous amount of capability (great towing and hauling) at a great price ($25-$30k per).

Are Mahindra and Global Vehicles REALLY going to sell any trucks?

Unfortunately, the future of Mahindra has been pretty cloudy this year. Mahindra and Global Vehicles (their U.S. distributor) haven’t been on the best of terms lately. Global Vehicles President John Perez has alleged heavy-handedness from Mahindra, and Mahindra has tried to completely dissolve their relationship with Global Vehicles.

However, a recent email from Mahindra President John Perez indicates that this relationship may be on the mend: Read more…

Undercover SE Paintable Hard Tonneau Cover

Tonneau covers come in seemingly infinite varieties. One of the newer cargo-protection products to hit the market for the Toyota Tundra is the Undercover SE. At first glance, the Undercover SE seems similar to many other hardshell tonneau covers already available for the Tundra, but a closer looks reveals some intriguing features that make this particular product worth checking out.0

First, this tonneau cover is paintable. That’s a big deal to a lot of Tundra owners, especially considering that the official Toyota painted-to-match Tundra tonneau cover is a little pricey (about $1500). Of course, there are lots of fiberglass tonneau covers available that can be painted to match…but they’re heavy. Which brings us to the second benefit of the Undercover SE. Read more…

Tundras of 2010 SEMA Show

Below is a small sample of the hundreds of photos I’ve taken at SEMA so far this week. Be sure to check out each one – every truck will be featured and described in greater detail in the future (assuming that I can contact the owners, that is).

First, a nice little video:

Now, some more photos so you can see the trucks in greater detail: Read more…

Rancho quickLIFT Leveling-Lift Kit

Rancho is one of the most trusted names in pickup truck suspension systems, and they build a variety of different shock options for the Toyota Tundra. One of their more recent products is the Rancho quickLIFT system, which has been so well received by the aftermarket industry that it actually won the award for “Best New Off-Road/4Wheel Drive Product” at last year’s SEMA show.

How exactly does the Rancho quickLIFT system live up to the hype? The main idea behind quickLIFT is to provide Tundra owners with an easy way to accommodate the bigger tires (as large as 34″) that are better suited for off-road adventures. Since the Tundra comes with a fairly appreciable factory rake, quickLIFT levels out the pickup by lifting the front suspension through the raising of the front coil spring seats, giving owners an additional 2 to 2.5 inches to play with.

Rancho quickLIFT Strut

Rancho aims to undercut traditional full lift kits in terms of purchase price (only $180) and installation costs with quickLIFT Read more…

Tundra Sportsman: The Ultimate Deer Killer

Toyota has done and excellent job creating a custom Tundra for this year’s SEMA show. Unlike years past, this is both an interesting concept AND an interesting demonstration piece.

The ultimate hunting machine, built by Toyota and Bass Pro Shops fro the 2010 SEMA show (click to see a larger image)

Some of the more interesting and outrageous features are: Read more…