Established in 1984, this Toyota plant situated in Fremont, California was a joint venture between them and General Motors. Apparently the plant was aimed to aid in Toyota’s experiment on building cars for the North American market and General Motors’ way of studying efficient car production techniques. Sad to say, that same plant which employs over 4,700 United Automobile Workers has been closed down by Toyota as voted upon by its board of directors.

The decision was expected since General Motors went bankrupt. This officially becomes Toyota’s first experience in shutting down a manufacturing plant in the U.S. despite the effort of California lawmakers to come up with an amicable package.

With the closure, 40,000 jobs stand to be lost. But lawmakers are still hoping for the best to keep the plant up despite the decision handed down by the Toyota execs. There were two vehicles being manufactured at the California plant; the Toyota Corolla and the Tacoma pickup truck.

G.M. stopped building the Pontiac Vibe, a small crossover vehicle, there last week.

(Source) The NY Times

Tags: automobile workers, board of directors, building cars, california lawmakers, california plant, car production, crossover vehicle, first experience, fremont california, General Motors, joint venture, manufacturing plant, pickup truck, Pontiac, pontiac vibe, toyota corolla, toyota plant

Continue reading...

A vehicle-supply project between Nissan and Chrysler was shelved due to varied circumstances. Though it was not said directly, it seems that this had something to do with Chrysler’s tie-up with Fiat with regards to the supply of small vehicles for the global market.

The deal between Nissan and Chrysler started as early as the first quarter of 2008 which called for Nissan to supply small vehicle for the global market in 2010 and a compact sedan for the South American market at the beginning of this year to Chrysler. Nothing really materialized and was further compounded when the Chrysler-Fiat deal started in January of this year.

Also, one other factor is the current global situation. Both Nissan and Chrysler had halted production until they could come up with improved returns from operations. And as we know, Chrysler eventually filed for bankruptcy and later on announced a new alliance with Fiat which all but put the previous alliance of Nissan and Chrysler terminated.

Nissan was scheduled to have supplied Chrysler with an all-new, fuel-efficient small car made in Japan in exchange for a full-size pickup truck made by Chrysler in Mexico. Apparently all of these plans are a thing of the past as Chrysler is now tied up with Fiat for small vehicle distribution.

(Source) Reuters India

Tags: Bankruptcy, Chrysler, distribution source, drop project, Fiat, first quarter, global situation, India, Japan, Mexico, new alliance, Nissan, pickup truck, project partnership, Small Car, south american market, vehicle distribution

Continue reading...

Toyota USA has announced the official pricing for certain models expected to come out in 2010. The list of models under the Toyota brand included (together with pricing):

• 2010 Avalon Full-Size Sedan (XL-$27,945; Limited-$35,285)
• Yaris Subcompact (3 Door Model-$12,355; Four Door Sedan-$13, 915)
• FJ Cruiser Off-Road Sport Utility Vehicle (2WD-$23,680; 4WD-$25,270)
• Highlander Mid-Size SUV (2WD-$25,705; 4WD-$41,020)
• RAV4 Compact SUV (2WD-$21,500; 4WD-$27,810)
• Tacoma Pickup Truck (Regular Cab-$15,170; V6 4×4-$27,075)

The new 2010 Toyota models are expected to arrive in dealerships by August except for the Highlander which is scheduled to be out by September.

(Source) Press

Tags: 4x4, avalon, compact suv, highlander, mid size suv, pickup truck, rav4, sport utility vehicle, toyota models, toyota usa, xl

Continue reading...

It seems Volkswagen is actually looking to introduce a new pickup to market entitled the Amarok. While it almost seems like whoever came up with the name picked letters at random out of a hat, this is not the case; VW let us know that Amarok means “wolf” to the Inuit people and translates to “he loves stones” in “the languages spoken in South America”. Either way, VW is obviously trying to market this car as a heavy duty pickup.

Anyways, there are no real specs or even real pictures to go by as of now with the above being just a concept. However, we do know that the Amarok will debut as a double-cab sporting 4WD pickup with a single-cab model hitting market shortly after.

Volkswagen says their Amarok pickup truck will launch in South America early next year, Central America in spring of next year and Russia, Africa, Australia and Europe sometime after.

Read (Autoblog)

Tags: africa, amarok, Australia, central america, double cab, Europe, pickup truck, Russia, single cab, south america

Continue reading...

Toyota USA has announced today the pricing for two more vehicles it is scheduled to unveil, the 2010 Tundra full-size pickup truck and Sequoia full-size sport utility vehicle (SUV).

Prices for the 2010 Tundra will range from $22,960 for the Regular Cab 4×2 standard bed with a V6 engine and equipped with a Work Truck Package to $42,155 for the CrewMax Limited 4×4 with a 5.7-liter V8 engine. The new MSRP’s reflect an average overall increase of $557. Value is enhanced on all 2010 Tundra models with the addition of standard and optional exterior, mechanical, safety and convenience features including an all-new 4.6-liter i-FORCE V8 engine.

The 2010 Tundra, assembled at Toyota Motor Manufacturing, Texas in San Antonio, will begin arriving at dealerships in late April.

With the addition of popular standard equipment, including safety features, the base MSRP for Sequoia will range from $38,530 for the SR5 4×2 with a new 4.6-liter V8 engine to $58,905 for the Platinum 4×4 with a 5.7-liter V8. The new MSRPs reflect an average overall increase of $3,361 for all Sequoia models.

The 2010 Sequoia, assembled at Toyota’s manufacturing facility in Princeton, Indiana, will begin arriving at Toyota dealers in late April.

(Source) Press

Tags: base msrp, convenience features, liter, mechanical safety, models, pickup truck, platinum, safety features, san antonio, Sequoia, sport utility vehicle, Toyota, toyota dealers, toyota motor, tundra pickup

Continue reading...

If you didn’t know, Toyota showcased a concept hybrid pickup truck entitled A-BAT at the Detroit Auto Show last year. Well, after being generally well recieved by the critics Toyota had begun talks with supplies to get this thing rolling off the production line.

However, due to the failing economy, Toyota was recently forced to but the vehicle on hold with Toyota’s Bob Carter being quoted as saying, “We have a lot of top priorities, and A-BAT is not one of them right now.”

That’s too bad, this thing is super futuristic looking, not to mention energy efficient.

Read (AutoWeek)

Tags: a-bat, abat, hybrid, pickup truck, Production, shelved

Continue reading...

In a marketing move, General Motors has reportedly combine three of its most recognized brands; Buick, Pontiac and GMC into one sales and marketing channel – which means many dealers, who had one or two of the brands previously, will now sell all three under one roof. GM says each brand will play to its strengths – Buick larger, premium cars; Pontiac sportier cars; and GMC pickups, SUV’s and Crossovers. This will create a middle sales channel, between GM’s global value brand Chevrolet and its high-end luxury brand, Cadillac.

At the 2009 New York International Auto Show, GMC debuted two new models. The all-new 2010 Terrain is a five-passenger crossover SUV that blends bold styling with fuel efficiency and premium features. The all-new 2009 Yukon Denali Hybrid was also unveiled. A luxurious, full-size SUV that seats eight, it tows up to 5,800 pounds and achieves and estimated 21 miles per gallon in city driving, thanks to the patented 2-mode hybrid system.

The Yukon Denali Hybrid arrives in May in dealer showrooms. It joins the Yukon Hybrid and the Sierra Hybrid pickup truck in the hybrid lineup, making GMC the first manufacturer to offer three full-size hybrid models.

(Source) Press

Tags: buick pontiac, crossover suv, dealer showrooms, fuel efficiency, global value, gmc pickups, hybrid models, hybrid system, international auto show, luxury brand, marketing channel, miles per gallon, most recognized brands, new york international auto show, pickup truck, premium cars, sales and marketing, tows, yukon denali

Continue reading...

Trucks taken as a whole, would normally point towards higher spending as far as fuel consumption is concerned. They do pack in some power but a lot of that occurs due to the fact that they have the horsepower to make it happen. However, adding the new era of hybrid aims to stabilize all that as the hybrid trucks aim to hit two areas critical for daily transportation requirements today.

Hybrid pickup trucks are unique because they have exceptional fuel economy, but drive and are fueled the same way as a normal pickup truck. While they are usually more expensive than their non-hybrid counterparts, from a cost-benefit analysis, experts say that it’s really not much of a premium.

Still packing a powerful punch, not only do the new Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra hybrid pickups have fuel economy that’s 50% better in the city, they offer over 300 horsepower and 1,500 pounds payload — as well as 6,100 pounds of towing, so you don’t have to compromise on a full-size truck. In fact, these hybrid pickup trucks have the same mileage as many popular 4-cylinder mid-size cars. Experts say the versatile pickup truck is here to stay, as the pickup truck still represents the second largest segment of the auto market.

(Source) Press

Tags: auto market, Chevrolet, chevrolet silverado, cost benefit analysis, fuel consumption, fuel economy, GMC, gmc sierra, horsepower, hybrid pickup trucks, market source, mileage, pickup truck

Continue reading...

Honda’s bet into the pickup market is the Ridgeline RTL. When Honda decided to enter the pickup truck market with its own open bed hauler, it decided the traditional American pickup would be hard to beat, playing the home team on their home field. Cheaper wasn’t the Honda way. So it would be different.

The Honda Ridgeline isn’t like any other pickup truck on the market, but even with a unit body construction including even the bed, it still has a load capacity of 1,100 pounds. It’s available only as a four-door with a full-automobile-sized cabin, and it also fully independent suspension so it really does have that coveted car-like ride.

The Honda Ridgeline was given a minor restyle for the 2009 model year. The most readily apparent change is the new grille. It doesn’t look nearly as much like a heating element as the original did. Front and rear bumpers were changed and the RTL now gets fog lights and 18-inch wheels.

Honda made a variety of changes inside as well, from larger icons on the air conditioner controls to a redesigned instrument panel to MP3/WMA compatibility.
(more…)

Tags: air conditioner, automobile, body construction, Honda, honda ridgeline, instrument panel, pickup truck, rtl

Continue reading...

Toyota officially debut of an all-new Tundra Platinum Package and the recently announced Tundra Work Truck. Value will be enhanced on all 2010 Tundra models with the addition of standard and optional exterior, mechanical, safety and convenience feature upgrades. The 2010 Tundras will arrive at dealerships in April.

The new 4.6-liter V8 engine will be available on all 2010 model year Tundra models. With 310 horsepower, 327 lb-ft. of torque and internal preliminary fuel efficiency estimates of 15 mpg city and 20 mpg on the highway, the new engine is expected to deliver the best combination of power and fuel economy among any standard V8 in the full-size pickup segment. Like Tundra’s optional 5.7-liter V8 engine, the new 4.6-liter V8 will be mated with a six-speed automatic transmission.
(more…)

Tags: automatic transmission, fuel efficiency, horsepower, pickup truck, toyota tundra

Continue reading...