Car Chute

It’s almost the end of the decade for the 2000’s and it’s time to look back and review what trucks were the most significant. PickupTrucks.com and AutoPacific has just announced a list of the Most Significant Trucks of the Decade. As expected the list were made up of trucks that were technologically cutting edged advanced and who pushed the envelope in terms of quality and design.

So here they are:

• 2000 Nissan Frontier Crew Cab
• 2001 Chevrolet Silverado / GMC Sierra Heavy Duty with 6.6-Liter Duramax Diesel
• 2002 Chevrolet Avalanche
• 2004 Nissan Titan
• 2005 Toyota Tacoma
• 2006 Honda Ridgeline
• 2007 Toyota Tundra
• 2009 Dodge Ram 1500
• 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

And the Most Significant of the Decade:

• 2009 Ford F-150

Why It’s Significant: Remains the gold standard against which other half-ton pickup trucks are compared.

Ford gave its F-150 half-ton pickup a major revision for 2009 and gave buyers an astonishing seven different models to choose from before they even considered engine choice or cab type. Two more models have been added for 2010! It’s not the most powerful truck but the F-150 features an excellent six-speed transmission and innovative features like Ford Work Solutions that make doing jobs with a truck easier. From contractor to urban cowboy, Ford has an F-150 to meet almost anyone’s needs.

“On balance, we thought the 2009 Ford F-150 was the most significant pickup of the last decade,” said Jim Hossack, vice president of consulting for AutoPacific. “It sells in high volume, owners like it and its body, chassis and powertrain are all first rate. Features abound, and there are more models, series and options than can be counted. It’s a good looking truck and suitable for the widest possible range of tasks and uses.”

Congratulations to the Ford F-150 team for creating a Pick-up Truck that ruled a decade.

Press Release

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Where have all the quality and safety in American cars gone to? It seems that overseas manufactured cars and automotive vehicles seems to be the one that’s taking a look at quality and safety more than it is over here. No wonder our automotive industry is down in the gutters. This is further proven after Car and Driver Magazine just listed down the 10 best cars of 2010: and it’s no surprise that only two of the top ten belong to American car manufacturers.

Following are the 2010 Car and Driver 10Best winners (in alphabetical order), followed by the number of times each model has made the list:

• 2010 Audi S4 (2)
• 2010 BMW 3-series / M3 (19)
• 2010 Cadillac CTS / CTS-V (2)
• 2010 Ford Fusion Hybrid (1)
• 2010 Honda Accord (24)
• 2010 Honda Fit (3)
• 2010 Mazda MX-5 Miata (11)
• 2010 Mazda 3 / Mazdaspeed 3 (3)
• 2010 Porsche Boxster / Cayman (3)
• 2010 Volkswagen GTI (7)

The list is not in a ranked order. A panel of 18 Car and Driver editors determined the winners by rating them on a scale of 1-100 with a focus on functional performance, driving satisfaction and value. Vehicles considered for the award must be available in the United States by January 2009 and priced below the cap of $80,000, or 2.5 times the average transaction price as of summer 2009. Winners from the previous year are re-nominated if they are still available under the price cap.

Hopefully this is a wake up call to American car manufacturers to do their best to produce quality cars that will attract not only local buyers but foreign ones as well.

Press Release

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What if you could look into the future–let’s say 2030? What type of cars will we be driving? Will it be a flying car or still a land based vehicle? This is what the Southern California Automotive Design Studios thought when they created a contest.

“Automotive designers have always been fascinated with the next generation of drivers and this year’s Design Challenge has provided them with the opportunity to use their creative talents to revisit the concept of ‘the car’ with new eyes, using the hottest technologies to both explore and fulfill the needs of young people,” said Chuck Pelly, director of Design Los Angeles and partner in The Design Academy, Inc.

The following have submitted their entries:

Volkswagen/Audi of America Design Center California: Audi eOra and eSpira

General Motors Advanced Design: Car Hero

Honda Research and Development, North America: Honda Helix

Mazda R & D of North America: Mazda Souga

Nissan Design America: V2G

Toyota’s Calty Design Research: Toyota LINK

I’m not sure but do these cars still run on gas? I hope they’ve taken into consideration not only the environmental effects but also the economical effects of being too dependent on gasoline and oil. The last thing we need are even more gas guzzling giant vehicles. Nevertheless, they look cool and I hope to see and ride them in my lifetime.

Entries will be judged by Tom Matano, Director of Industrial Design at San Francisco’s Academy of Art University; Imre Molner, Dean of Detroit’s College for Creative Studies; Stewart Reed, Chair, Transportation Design, Pasadena’s Art Center College of Design and Jason Hill, Principal of Eleven, LLC and Designer of the Aptera electric and plug-in hybrid/electric vehicle.

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High School seniors across the country have long since moved their graduation tassels from right to left. And before they start buying mini-fridges and extra-long bedsheets for their dorm rooms, prospective undergraduates need an affordable, safe and mpg-friendly ride that will leave Mom and Dad stress-free during trips to and from school.

AutoWeek editors pick their list of top cars in which to send a kid off to college. The list includes:

• 2009 Hyundai Elantra Sedan
• 2009 Honda Civic
• 2009 Mitsubishi Lancer
• 2009 Ford Escape
• 2010 Toyota Prius Hybrid
• 2010 Kia Soul
• 2009 Dodge Caliber SE
• 2009 Ford Focus
• 2009 Chevrolet Cobalt Sedan
• Used cars will do the trick

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