Ford Says F-150 Orders with EcoBoost V6 on the Rise

With gas prices on the rise again, an increasing number of Ford F-150 buyers looking to save some (let’s not get carried away here…) cash at the pump without compromising on power are turning to the company’s new EcoBoost turbocharged V6 engine. According to Ford, demand for the EcoBoost engine in the F-150 has increased each month since production began in January. In March, one in every four (25%) models sold in the States was equipped with the force-fed V6, increasing to around 35 percent in April. Read more »

Steam Whistle Brewery’s “Retro Electro” Injects Some Green Cred into Some Detroit Old Iron

When I say, “Electric Pickup,” you no doubt think of either the Ssangyong Actyon Sports-derived Phoenix SUT or one of those toy-like, Chinese-built neighborhood electric vehicles. What you may not think of is a bright green 1958 Chevy Apache owed by Canada’s Steam Whistle Brewery and recharged via wind power.

No, this isn’t a late April Fool’s Day joke: this is serious. And being green is serious business for Steam Whistle, which – among other things – uses renewable energy, recycles damn-near everything and supports various environmental causes as a sideline to its beer brewing enterprise.

Brewery manager Mike Kiraly came up with the idea of electrifying the ol’ girl and even uses it as his daily driver. He explains his brainwave: “What if we could take a sexy vintage ride, save it from the metal scrap heap and outfit it with a zero-tailpipe-emissions engine. Old-school style combined with a modern conscience.”

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Ford Expands Airbag-Related F-150 Recall to another 1.2 Million Units

Ford has issued a massive recall action for its top-selling U.S. model, the F-150 pickup truck, of which around 1.2 million units are involved. The move comes after Ford agreed in February to recall more than 150,000 F-150 vehicles built between 2004 and 2006 for possible airbag faults. Read more »

Oops Video: Brand New 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Limited Edition Rear-Ended by Ford F-150

If we didn’t know better, we’d say that Ford is trying to wipe out the competition with its F-150 pickup truck, or as some may know it, the Ferd F-Teehthousand. The latest victim of the F-150 after the memorable stomping of a Ferrari F-150 is a brand new 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8, which judging by the bodykit, stripes, alloy wheels and badges, is the 392 limited edition with the 470-horsepower V8 Hemi.

The driver of the Dodge’s muscle car was waiting for the light when a Ford F-150 decided to give the Challenger an unnecessary -and quite painful- rear-end makeover. Follow the break to watch the clip.

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Ford Recalling F-Series Trucks, Edge and Lincoln MKX Over Fire Hazard

Nearly 15,000 Ford trucks and crossovers are being recalled in the States because of problems with electrical systems that can short and create a fire. The recall concerns certain 2011MY Ford F-150, F-250, F-350, F-450, F-550 and Edge, and Lincoln MKX vehicles.

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Automakers Developing Significantly Lighter Trucks to Meet New Fuel Economy Standards

Reuters is reporting that major automakers are tirelessly working on reducing the weight of future generation pickup trucks, in order to meet stricter fuel economy standards without sacrificing key abilities, such as power, payload capacity or towing capability.

Until 2016, when the new mandates take effect, manufacturers must reach an average fleet economy of 35.5 mpg (6.63 lt/100 km), while light trucks will have to return around 30 mpg or 7.84 lt/100 km. Given that around 50 per cent of vehicles sold in the U.S. in the first 11 months of the year were light trucks, it’s clear that the likes of Ford and GM have to act fast.

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SEMA Preshow: Ford Teases Customized F-Series Trucks

The onslaught of Ford's SEMA Show tuning products continues, this time with a sneak peek of the firm's F-Series truck proposals that will make their way to the Las Vegas Convention Center on November 2. Show-goers will have the chance to see customized versions of both the F-150 and Super Duty models.

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10 Most Stolen Cars in the USA: Honda Accord and Civic Top the 2009 List, No Love for the Koreans or Germans

Do you own a car that's likely to be stolen? Maybe, maybe not. Here is the list that the NICB (National Insurance Crime Bureau) has compiled concerning the most stolen vehicles in America. Honda's 1994 Accord and 1995 Civic along with Toyota's 1991 Camry occupy the first three places ahead of Ford's 1997 F-150 pickup truck and Dodge's 2004 Ram pickup.

If your car is on the list (scroll down), you should make sure to keep that chunk of metal locked down. As in, put a ring on it and don't let anyone near it.

Most Stolen Vehicles in the US in 2009:

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2011 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor: New SuperCrew Version with Seating for 5

Bowing to demand for a four-door, five-seat high-output dune hopper, Ford has taken the wraps off its upcoming 2011 SVT Raptor SuperCrew. It comes with a 12-inch longer wheelbase, a 36-gallon fuel tank, and even introduces a new color (Ingot Silver Metallic).

The Raptor's old 5.4-liter V8 is gone, meaning the 6.2-liter 411-horsepower V8 is standard. For all the specs, check out our previous post on the new F-150s.

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Ford Updates 2011 F-150 Engine Lineup, Includes New 3.5L V6 EcoBoost Turbo

Ford's 2011 F-150 will be welcoming some new members into its engine family. The lineup will include a 3.7-liter V6, 5.0-liter V8, 6.2-liter V8, and the long-anticipated, twin-turbo 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6. Each engine will come with a 6-speed automatic transmission. All told, Ford says the new lineup will be good for a 20% boost in fuel economy over the 2010 model year. Here are the key bits:

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2011 Ford F-150 Harley Davidson Edition with SVT's 411HP 6.2L V8 Unveiled

It's that time of the year again when Ford drops the curtains on a new Harley-Davidson edition of its F-150 full-size pickup truck. The big news for the 2011 model year version is that it receives the same 6.2-liter V8 powerhouse found on the 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor making it the most powerful F-150 Harley-Davidson to date.

The new 6.2-liter V8 engine pumps out a hefty 411 horsepower and 434 lb.-ft. of torque, providing an improved maximum trailer towing capacity of 9,300 pounds. The gasoline unit is hooked up to a regular six-speed automatic transmission as standard with manual gearshift functionality available as an option.

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