As is usually the case when complaints of unintended acceleration are levied against a vehicle, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has concluded that no specific vehicular defects have been found in 2004-2008 Toyota Tacomas. The mid-sized truck had been under fire from over 400 owners who claimed their trucks had accelerated without them touching the gas resulting in 51 crashes and 12 injuries. According to Toyota, however, the truck features a drive-by-wire system and its computer records any event of a mismatch between the gas pedal and the engine’s throttle. None of the trucks involved in accidents reported any such codes. The NHTSA has closed its investigation and believes that driver error is the most likely cause for the vast majority of complaints while a few could be attributed to loose floor mats.
While the fact that the Tacoma has received so many specific complaints is worrisome, we are not big believers in unintended acceleration and tend to agree that publicity of the issue may well have attracted more erroneous claims. Debris stuck under the brake or pedals that are just closer together than some drivers are used to remain possible explanations, but could hardly be considered defects.
[Source:Autoblog]
Sensing the ripe market opportunity, Nissan will start producing various light-commercial and medium-duty trucks in 2010. The targeted segment is currently dominated by Ford and GM, where the miscellaneous cabs and frames are used to produce such vehicles as dump trucks, tow trucks, and school buses. Now, Nissan wants a piece of the pie. Larry Dominique, Nissan’s VP of product planning, wouldn’t disclose details right now, but he did say that a handful of new products will be needed to satisfy the new commercial truck dealers – and Nissan is more than willing to oblige. Joe Castelli, the former director of Ford’s commercial trucks (and now a VP of commercial trucks at Nissan), said the Japanese automaker will be pulling from their global stable of commercial components (branded Atlas and Atleon in other markets) to quickly adapt them for the U.S. market. Nissan’s official commercial truck plans will be announced in January at the Detroit Auto Show, and we’ll be there to judge reactions.
[Source:Autoblog]
Truck shoppers hoping to grab a Mahindra pickup early next year are gonna have to wait a little longer. It seems the challenges of bringing an India-made vehicle to the U.S. are difficult, and the vehicles now won’t go on sale in the U.S. before the fourth quarter of 2009.
Even though 324 dealers have signed up to sell the truck, few of them have actually built the needed facilities. That’s not enough to keep Georgia-based Global Vehicles from going ahead with their plans to begin U.S. sales. But GV’s CEO John Perez recenly spoke to Mahindra’s global managing director Anand Mahindra who, according to Automotive News, said that no truck with his family’s name on it was going to fail in the U.S. Mr. Mahindra plans to run a fleet of his company’s vehicles over 3.2 million miles of U.S. roads before he’ll be approve the trucks for sale here.
The plan is for the trucks to utilize a 4-cylinder diesel engine not yet approved by the EPA. But Perez says he has no fear their January application will have any trouble getting blessed.
While the trucks are getting some U.S. experience, Global Vehicles will continue to sign up new dealers, and hopes to have 450 by the end of 2009. The importer has a sales goal of 50,000 vehicles a year, though Mahindra says it could produce as many as 400,000 U.S.-bound trucks if demand is there. And if Mahindra’s promise of 30 mpg holds true, there could be huge demand. If things go well, look for a diesel-powered Mahindra SUV to follow.
[Source:Autoblog]
The Toyota Tundra is the most competent pickup Toyota has ever produced, but the two-year-old truck has been hit hard by the harsh reality of the US auto slump. Gas prices and a sluggish housing industry have conspired to put a wet blanket on the Tundra party, and the San Antonio plant will be closed from August 8 until mid-November to allow dealers to clear out Tundra inventory. When the Texas plant does come back online, a portion of its production could wind up overseas.
At the Management Briefing Seminars, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Kentucky Inc. President Steve St. Angelo said some Tundras and Sequoias could be produced in the US and shipped overseas. While markets like Europe and Asia aren’t likely to turn to trucks and SUVs in large numbers, both the Tundra and Sequoia could be a welcomed addition in the Middle East, where cheap gas prices makes big vehicles more acceptable. While the overseas truck market isn’t likely to produce huge demand for the Tundra and Sequoia, the currently untapped markets could help the San Antonio plant come closer to running at its peak efficiency.
[Source:AutoBlog]
It is a universal truth that for every Chevy truck that debuts, there is a GMC version not far behind. This maxim even extends to the two-mode hybrid versions of the automaker’s GMT900 half-ton pickups. At the LA Auto Show late last year, Chevy debuted the 2009 Silverado Hybrid. At the Chicago Auto Show next week, we’ll meet the 2009 GMC Sierra Hybrid, which is virtually identical to its bow tie brother. That means the Sierra Hybrid gets the same two-mode hybrid drivetrain and 6.0L V8 used in the Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon Hybrids, as well as the Silverado Hybrid. Like the latter, the Sierra Hybrid pickup features a 300-volt nickel-metal hydride battery pack beneath its second-row bench. Those cells can power the pickup up to 30 mph for a full mile without help from the gas engine, even when towing. Speaking of which, the 2WD model can tow 6,100 lbs., while the 4WD model dials it down to 5,900 lbs. The 6.0L V8 also features Active Fuel Management (cylinder deactivation), which allows it to run on as few as four-cylinders when not under load. There’s also the requisite chin spoiler and tonneau cover to help reduce aerodynamic drag. All of this adds up to a 40% increase in fuel economy during city driving and a 25% improvement overall. That’s identical to the increase you’ll get in the Chevy Silverado Hybrid, but perhaps you prefer the hybrid truck with the biggest logo on the market.
[Source: Auto Blog]
