2009 Ford F-150 Raptor Inching Closer To Full Monty

New spy pictures of Ford's expected F-150 Raptor factory-built desert runner confirm details that escaped from Ford’s closed-door dealer meeting in Las Vegas in April. At that gathering, Ford marketing chief Jim Farley showed video of the truck racing off-road, plus a picture of the production grille with the word "FORD" prominently stamped across black mesh.

The latest Raptor photos show that Ford's long-travel 4x4 has swapped out a standard 2009-model-year grille (seen in pictures of earlier Raptor mules) for the one Farley previewed. You can see it has a rectangular mesh pattern on the top and bottom of the grille, with "FORD" taped over in the middle.

The Raptor is expected to be powered by Ford's new large-displacement Boss V-8, with Fox Racing running gear and 35-inch all-terrain tires to soak up desert bumps. We're also expecting it to be badged as a Ford Special Vehicle Team product.
Check out AmericanTrucks.com and their large selection of Truck Wheels.

2009 Ford F-150 Raptor Inching Closer To Full Monty

New spy pictures of Ford's expected F-150 Raptor factory-built desert runner confirm details that escaped from Ford’s closed-door dealer meeting in Las Vegas in April. At that gathering, Ford marketing chief Jim Farley showed video of the truck racing off-road, plus a picture of the production grille with the word "FORD" prominently stamped across black mesh.

The latest Raptor photos show that Ford's long-travel 4x4 has swapped out a standard 2009-model-year grille (seen in pictures of earlier Raptor mules) for the one Farley previewed. You can see it has a rectangular mesh pattern on the top and bottom of the grille, with "FORD" taped over in the middle.

The Raptor is expected to be powered by Ford's new large-displacement Boss V-8, with Fox Racing running gear and 35-inch all-terrain tires to soak up desert bumps. We're also expecting it to be badged as a Ford Special Vehicle Team product.
Check out AmericanTrucks.com and their large selection of Truck Wheels.

2009 Ford F-150 Raptor Inching Closer To Full Monty

New spy pictures of Ford's expected F-150 Raptor factory-built desert runner confirm details that escaped from Ford’s closed-door dealer meeting in Las Vegas in April. At that gathering, Ford marketing chief Jim Farley showed video of the truck racing off-road, plus a picture of the production grille with the word "FORD" prominently stamped across black mesh.

The latest Raptor photos show that Ford's long-travel 4x4 has swapped out a standard 2009-model-year grille (seen in pictures of earlier Raptor mules) for the one Farley previewed. You can see it has a rectangular mesh pattern on the top and bottom of the grille, with "FORD" taped over in the middle.

The Raptor is expected to be powered by Ford's new large-displacement Boss V-8, with Fox Racing running gear and 35-inch all-terrain tires to soak up desert bumps. We're also expecting it to be badged as a Ford Special Vehicle Team product.
Check out AmericanTrucks.com and their large selection of Truck Wheels.

Toyota Tundra plant in San Antonio to lay off 200 temp workers

Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday told 200 temporary workers at its full-size truck plant here they will be laid off this summer.

The company will also slow production at its Tundra plant, scheduling 14 days between now and October when no trucks will roll off the assembly lines. Those days, workers will be allowed to take vacation, days without pay or work at the plant on non-manufacturing duties as they choose, said Toyota spokesman Mike Goss.

The temporary workers were hired at the plant with hopes of becoming permanent employees as other workers left, but they will instead be returned to the agency that helped hire them, Goss said.

"We have a very long-term view of that factory in Texas. We're trying not to overreact. We're trying not to shut it down," said Goss, who noted record-high gas prices and a slowing economy have badly damaged truck sales.

The layoffs announced Tuesday do not affect the company's permanent work force of 2,000 at the San Antonio plant that opened in November 2006. At full capacity, the plant can produce 200,000 trucks a year.
read the last entry on : www.iht.com

Toyota Tundra plant in San Antonio to lay off 200 temp workers

Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday told 200 temporary workers at its full-size truck plant here they will be laid off this summer.

The company will also slow production at its Tundra plant, scheduling 14 days between now and October when no trucks will roll off the assembly lines. Those days, workers will be allowed to take vacation, days without pay or work at the plant on non-manufacturing duties as they choose, said Toyota spokesman Mike Goss.

The temporary workers were hired at the plant with hopes of becoming permanent employees as other workers left, but they will instead be returned to the agency that helped hire them, Goss said.

"We have a very long-term view of that factory in Texas. We're trying not to overreact. We're trying not to shut it down," said Goss, who noted record-high gas prices and a slowing economy have badly damaged truck sales.

The layoffs announced Tuesday do not affect the company's permanent work force of 2,000 at the San Antonio plant that opened in November 2006. At full capacity, the plant can produce 200,000 trucks a year.
read the last entry on : www.iht.com

Toyota Tundra plant in San Antonio to lay off 200 temp workers

Toyota Motor Corp. on Tuesday told 200 temporary workers at its full-size truck plant here they will be laid off this summer.

The company will also slow production at its Tundra plant, scheduling 14 days between now and October when no trucks will roll off the assembly lines. Those days, workers will be allowed to take vacation, days without pay or work at the plant on non-manufacturing duties as they choose, said Toyota spokesman Mike Goss.

The temporary workers were hired at the plant with hopes of becoming permanent employees as other workers left, but they will instead be returned to the agency that helped hire them, Goss said.

"We have a very long-term view of that factory in Texas. We're trying not to overreact. We're trying not to shut it down," said Goss, who noted record-high gas prices and a slowing economy have badly damaged truck sales.

The layoffs announced Tuesday do not affect the company's permanent work force of 2,000 at the San Antonio plant that opened in November 2006. At full capacity, the plant can produce 200,000 trucks a year.
read the last entry on : www.iht.com

Daimler wants two electric cars by 2010

After outlining its green ‘Road to the Future’ in a very long press release that we attempted to pull apart earlier this week, Daimler is now saying that it wants its two electric cars in 2010 in order to take on Toyota and GM’s upcoming electric cars.

Daimler CEO, Dieter Zetsche, said that the company wants to have an electric version of the Smart car and a electric version of a Mercedes-Benz by the 2010. Speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitungn, Zetsche said the price will depend on whether the electric batteries will be sold together with the car or whether the batteries would be leased instead.

Of course most of us know that Daimler will most likely offer an electric version of the ForTwo for the Smart brand. We did some searching on our older posts and found an official press release for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz F-Cell B-Class electric car set to debut in 2010.

Power for the latter will come from an electric motor that produces 136-hp and a maximum torque of 236 lb-ft. Along with zero-emission fuel-cell drive. The B-Class F-CELL is expected to get a fuel-economy of 81mpg.

Source: Automotive News

Daimler wants two electric cars by 2010

After outlining its green ‘Road to the Future’ in a very long press release that we attempted to pull apart earlier this week, Daimler is now saying that it wants its two electric cars in 2010 in order to take on Toyota and GM’s upcoming electric cars.

Daimler CEO, Dieter Zetsche, said that the company wants to have an electric version of the Smart car and a electric version of a Mercedes-Benz by the 2010. Speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitungn, Zetsche said the price will depend on whether the electric batteries will be sold together with the car or whether the batteries would be leased instead.

Of course most of us know that Daimler will most likely offer an electric version of the ForTwo for the Smart brand. We did some searching on our older posts and found an official press release for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz F-Cell B-Class electric car set to debut in 2010.

Power for the latter will come from an electric motor that produces 136-hp and a maximum torque of 236 lb-ft. Along with zero-emission fuel-cell drive. The B-Class F-CELL is expected to get a fuel-economy of 81mpg.

Source: Automotive News

Daimler wants two electric cars by 2010

After outlining its green ‘Road to the Future’ in a very long press release that we attempted to pull apart earlier this week, Daimler is now saying that it wants its two electric cars in 2010 in order to take on Toyota and GM’s upcoming electric cars.

Daimler CEO, Dieter Zetsche, said that the company wants to have an electric version of the Smart car and a electric version of a Mercedes-Benz by the 2010. Speaking to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitungn, Zetsche said the price will depend on whether the electric batteries will be sold together with the car or whether the batteries would be leased instead.

Of course most of us know that Daimler will most likely offer an electric version of the ForTwo for the Smart brand. We did some searching on our older posts and found an official press release for the 2010 Mercedes-Benz F-Cell B-Class electric car set to debut in 2010.

Power for the latter will come from an electric motor that produces 136-hp and a maximum torque of 236 lb-ft. Along with zero-emission fuel-cell drive. The B-Class F-CELL is expected to get a fuel-economy of 81mpg.

Source: Automotive News

Mazda Gets Green Light to Road Test Hybrid Vehicle

Mazda Motor Corp. says it has received permission from Japan’s Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport to begin testing the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid minivan on public roads.

The minivan incorporates Mazda’s duel-fuel system, which enables the vehicle to run on either hydrogen or gasoline. The system first appeared on the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, which was the world’s first commercially availably hydrogen-powered vehicle in 2006, Mazda says.The Premacy features a hybrid system that combines an electric motor with Mazda’s rotary engine, boosting power 40% and extending the vehicle’s hydrogen-fuel range to 124 miles (200 km), the auto maker says.

The vehicle also boasts a number of environmental technologies that Mazda says help reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, including plant-derived “Mazda Biotechnical Materials,” which will be used in some plastic components and seat covers.read the last entry on : wardsauto.com

Mazda Gets Green Light to Road Test Hybrid Vehicle

Mazda Motor Corp. says it has received permission from Japan’s Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport to begin testing the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid minivan on public roads.

The minivan incorporates Mazda’s duel-fuel system, which enables the vehicle to run on either hydrogen or gasoline. The system first appeared on the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, which was the world’s first commercially availably hydrogen-powered vehicle in 2006, Mazda says.The Premacy features a hybrid system that combines an electric motor with Mazda’s rotary engine, boosting power 40% and extending the vehicle’s hydrogen-fuel range to 124 miles (200 km), the auto maker says.

The vehicle also boasts a number of environmental technologies that Mazda says help reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, including plant-derived “Mazda Biotechnical Materials,” which will be used in some plastic components and seat covers.read the last entry on : wardsauto.com

Mazda Gets Green Light to Road Test Hybrid Vehicle

Mazda Motor Corp. says it has received permission from Japan’s Ministry of Land Infrastructure and Transport to begin testing the Premacy Hydrogen RE Hybrid minivan on public roads.

The minivan incorporates Mazda’s duel-fuel system, which enables the vehicle to run on either hydrogen or gasoline. The system first appeared on the RX-8 Hydrogen RE, which was the world’s first commercially availably hydrogen-powered vehicle in 2006, Mazda says.The Premacy features a hybrid system that combines an electric motor with Mazda’s rotary engine, boosting power 40% and extending the vehicle’s hydrogen-fuel range to 124 miles (200 km), the auto maker says.

The vehicle also boasts a number of environmental technologies that Mazda says help reduce carbon-dioxide emissions, including plant-derived “Mazda Biotechnical Materials,” which will be used in some plastic components and seat covers.read the last entry on : wardsauto.com