At present, save from slight trim and equipment (such as the Denali trim package shown above) there really isn’t much to differentiate the GMC Sierra from it’s Chevy Silverado counterpart. However, that’s set to change.

During an interview in Detroit, Mark Reuss, GM’s North American President said that for the next generation of GM full-size pickups, due for launch as 2014 models, the plan is to move the Sierra more upmarket with a greater list of standard equipment, more distinctive sheetmetal and corresponding higher sticker prices; a similar strategy has so far proved quite successful for GMC’s line of SUVs.

Such a move finally sweeps away the last vestiges of badge-engineering at America’s biggest automaker, something the “old” General Motors was notoriously known for.

“I think you will see equipment and models attacked very differently,” Reuss declared. “If we are going to carry two brands, we are going to make them pay their way.”

[Source: Autoweek]

According to Chris Lee, a spokesman for General Motors, the automaker is planning a 21-week suspension at its assembly plants that build full-size trucks and SUVs, namely Fort Wayne Indiana, Flint, Michigan,  Arlington, Texas and Silao, Mexico.

The reason, is to allow time for the General to re-tool these facilities so they can switch over to the updated 2013 full-size pickups, of which production is scheduled to begin during the latter half of next year. The idle is slated to begin at the Fort Wayne plant in January, with a seven week idle schedule planned through October, while the Flint and Arlington facilities will start their idling process in June, with seven and five weeks planned through November and December respectively. As for the Silao facility that produces full-size trucks and SUVs, GM has said it will announce that plant’s idling schedule in the new year.

In preparation for the changeover and to ensure adequate supply for dealers, GM has been ramping up production of current Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra models, aiming for around 200,000 pickups inventory by the end of the year, giving dealers around 90 days supply of 2012 models.

[Source: The Detroit News]

There’s been quite a lot of talk over the last few years concerning the replacement for Nissan‘s venerable Titan full-size pickup.

After the plan to offer a Ram based vehicle went away, following Chrysler’s bankruptcy and subsequent restructuring, Nissan chose to go it alone when it came to a next generation big pickup, bringing the entire development and engineering process in-house.

However, those plans, which reportedly would have seen a revamped Titan rolled out in 2013, have now been pushed back at least a year, largely as a result of supplier fallout from Japan’s natural disaster back in March. This has left the automaker scrambling to get production back on track as a top priority, diverting resources away from some upcoming vehicle programs.

As a result, during a Q&A session with Automotive News at the LA Auto Show last month, Andy Palmer, Nissan’s vice president for vehicle planning and program management, stated that, regarding a new Titan, “we will come out a little later now. I have made the decision.”

As to what form the new Titan will take, or which powertrains it will offer, little is known at this time, though expect V6 and possibly V8 engines as well as extended and crew cab models. It’ll be also interesting to see if Nissan will attempt to target heavier-duty customers with this one (it’s Titan based NV van currently comes in 1/2 ton, 3/4 ton and 1-ton configurations).

Perhaps the most exciting addition to the new Titan, however, will be the addition of a Cummin’s sourced diesel engine.

[Source: Autoweek]

Since its introduction as a 2009 model, the Ford F-150 in many respects has raised the benchmark when it comes to 1/2 ton full-size pickups. Incorporating many features that improved ride, handling, capability and practicality, the lineup received a major boost (literally) with new powertrains for the 2011 model year.

Collectively this has resulted, not only in maintaining the one-fifty’s position as sales leader in the segment, but also in a truck that consistently stands apart from the herd.

This is something Motor Trend magazine duly noted, during it’s annual truck of the year test for 2012 models. When all was said and done, the F-150 scored a solid lead over rival contenders, including Nissan’s new full-size van, the NV, the Ram HD Laramie Longhorn and Toyota Tacoma.

And a big part of that had to do with the truck’s 3.5-liter twin turbo EcoBoost engine, which today, is accounting for around 40 percent of all F-150 sales in the US. Said Motor Trend‘s editor-in-chief Ed Loh of the EcoBoost. “It mastered every task we subjected it to, acing our instrumented tests at the proving grounds and swaying opinions during our real world evaluations.”

Upon the announcement of the 2012 MT Truck of the Year, Mark Fields, Ford’s President of the Americas remarked, We are proud to receive this award and even more pleased that our F-150 customers have additional validation of their top choice.”

Ford’s F-150 has previously garnered Motor Trend Truck of the Year honors in 1997, 2004, and 2009.

It seems that pickup trucks with “rugged outdoors” themes are becoming increasingly popular. Ram has released the Outdoorsman and more recently the Mossy Oak Edition as production specialty trucks, while General Motors is now taking a stab with this, the Chevy Silverado HD based “Realtree.”

Unlike the Ram offerings, for now at least, the GM truck is purely a showpiece, built for this year’s SEMA show, however, it hints at what could possibly materialize down the road and certainly follows a similar theme to the Mossy Oak.

Standard kit on this SEMA show stopper, includes custom Champagne Metallic exterior paint emblazoned with Realtree graphics, while inside, one finds Dark Cocoa finished leather seating with Blaze Orange stitching and camouflage piping, plus a smattering of Realtree AP accents throughout the cabin. Retractable running boards provide easy entry/exit without compromising ground clearance.

In keeping with the rugged outdoors theme, the Realtree 4×4 rides on 35-inch off road tires and 18-inch wheels, plus boasts a custom rear cap for storing hunting and fishing gear, as well as one-off front bumper and winch, for dealing with sticky situations.

Naturally, a truck of this stature needs a torque monster under the hood to cope with the extremes mother nature can throw at mankind and the Realtree sports GM’s 6.6-liter Duramax Diesel rated at 397 horsepower and a whopping 765 lb-ft of torque, coupled to an Allison six-speed automatic transmission.

According to Tony Truelove, marketing manager for Chevy trucks the [Realtree] “is a celebration of the seven-year partnership between Chevrolet and Realtree Outfitters. It’s only natural to combine the dependable, long-lasting Silverado HD with Realtree, the best gear for the outdoors,” said Tony Truelove, marketing manager for Chevrolet pickups. “Like all great outdoor gear, the Silverado Realtree Concept is designed to get the job done and;  look sharp while doing it.”

At the annual Truck Rodeo in San Antonio, the Texas Auto Writer’s Association (TAWA), declared that of the 48 vehicles evaluated among 57 members, the 2012 Ford F-150 was most deserving of the prestigious “Truck of Texas” award for 2012.

In other categories, the Ford Edge was named best Crossover Utility Vehicle of Texas, while Ford’s EcoBoost direct injection/turbo technology, available in both vehicles was named best overall vehicle feature.

In addition, the entire Ford truck line was also named “Best in Texas” for the 12 consecutive year, in recognition of best-in-class durability and capability.

“Texan consumers put their trust in TAWA’s automotive journalists,” stated the association’s president Mike Herzing. “After lining up vehicles from major auto manufacturers, our members determined Ford simply had the best trucks and crossover.” He also went to say that “ the real winners here are Texas’ truck buyers. Ford delivers the trucks that fit their lifestyles.”

Ford’s President of the Americas, Mark Fields, added, “these awards validate what our customers have been telling us about our ‘Built Ford Tough’ F-150, and we are honored by their recognition of the strength of our truck lineup as well as our crossovers and EcoBoost engines.”

Chrysler has announced that it will expand its Ram trim levels for 2012, offering two new ones on the 2500 3/4 ton Power Wagon, plus a limited run “Mossy Oak” Edition as part of the 1500 1/2 ton lineup aimed at the hunting and fishing set.

Getting back to the Power Wagon, the two trim levels include a base ST, essentially a no frills version of the heavy-duty off road rig, that features a black painted grille and bumpers, single tone paint and available roof mounted clearance lights – a truck largely aimed primarily at the likes of mining contractors, forestry services and border security agencies (essentially fleet buyers who need some serious four-wheeling capability). Plus, Ram will also offer a luxo-lined Laramie trim (shown) that slots in above the existing Power Wagon (which will be called SLT).

Like other Laramie trimmed Ram trucks, the Power Wagon version sports all the creature comforts one could ask for, including a woodgrain dash, leather seats, dual zone air conditioning, premium sound system and on the outside, plenty of chrome gingerbread, including the grille, bumpers, exterior mirrors and door handles. The base Power Wagon ST has a MSRP of $42,620, the mid-range SLT, $46,560, while the new Laramie retails for $51,995.

Moving on to the Mossy Oak, this truck is designed to capitalize on the success of the Outdoorsman and indeed is based on this truck, adding special “Mossy Oak Breakup Infinity” camouflage on the pickup bed trim and tailgate, plus the dash and door panel inserts.

There’s also Mossy Oak logos on the head rests and on the rear quarter panels. Retailing for $39,910, the Mossy Oak Edition will be offered in a variety of exterior colors (including Black, Bright White, Deep Cherry Red Crystal Pearl (all of these in either mono or two tone), plus Mineral Gray Metallic, Saddle Brown and Sagebrush monotone. However, it will only be offered as a crew cab rig with four-wheel drive.

According to Ram Division, the Mossy Oak Edition answers a need for a “premium” outdoor truck, since demographics supposedly indicate that 30 percent of all Ram 1500 buyers like to hunt, while 42 percent like to camp and 44 percent like to fish.

Obviously, with stats like that, the former sun belt urban cowboy buyers, who once snapped up two-tone Laramie 1500s by the bucket load, must have largely evaporated.

GALLERY: 2012 Ram Power Wagon Laramie

Despite getting long in the tooth, Nissan isn’t giving up on its stalwart F-Alpha pickups just yet. For 2012 the now almost seven-year-old trucks have been injected with a bit of new life, thanks to a pair of quite comprehensive appearance packages.

The full-size Titan, the so-called Sport Appearance Package adds body colored bumpers, Dark Hyper Silver grille, black step rails, a set of 20-inch alloy wheels and a lockable storage compartment inside the bed. Moving to the cabin, the SAP adds white faced gauges and seats with special ‘Titan’ embroidery.

On the mid-size Frontier, the Sport Appearance Package follows a similar theme. Offered on the SV King Cab and Crew Cab models, it adds the dark grille, the body colored bumpers, special Frontier graphics and 18-inch alloy wheels. Inside white faced gauges can be found, along with special cloth sports seats and even a Bluetooth hands-free system.

In terms of pricing the Frontier Sport Appearance Package will set  you back an additional $1,190 over the cost of the truck, while the Titan SAP retails for $2,490 on top of one of these big rigs.

Given how hotly contested the full-size pickup truck market has become in recent years, those manufacturers participating are constantly looking for ways to one-up each other. Most recently, in the half-ton segment, Ram has attempted to do such a thing by going after the fleet crowd with its 2012 model year 1500 Tradesman Heavy Duty.

Although only offered as a no frills work truck, which means just two-wheel drive, a regular cab and eight foot box, the Heavy Duty Tradesman is essentially a half-ton, entry-level rig with 3/4 ton cargo and towing capacity, something the brand believes will appeal to value conscious commercial buyers during these hard, Dickensian times. Besting both Ford and GM’s current entry level work trucks in terms of loading and hauling capability doesn’t hurt either.

Ram has also been playing around with other 1500 options and features, in the Express line, for example, buyers can now opt for Quad and Crew Cab configurations, as well as a Ram box  bed in six foot, four-inch configuration.

Considering that the Express Quad starts at $28,050 and the Crew version at $30,010 (with standard 5.7-liter Hemi V8 no less) these new configurations and the HD Tradesman should be enough of an incentive for more folks to consider stopping by their local Ram showroom.

GALLERY: RAM 1500 Tradesman HD

Despite being the consistent number one seller of pickup trucks in the U.S. with its every popular F-150, the Ford Motor Company is wisely choosing not to rest on its laurels.

After the big splash of new powertrain options for 2011, the folks in Dearborn are attempting to stay ahead of the curve by donning their sales champ with a number of upgrades for 2012.

Perhaps most noticeable, is the debut of a new, rather sinister looking FX appearance package (shown), which sports flat black accents, special 20-inch flat black finished alloy wheels with stylized exterior graphics and ID lettering. Inside, the FX incorporates black upholstery surfaces, including the seats, which sport contrasting red piping and perforation inserts.

Red stitching on the steering wheel and brushed metal accents round things off. An FX luxury package is also available which adds both heated and cooled front bucket seats.

On the greasy bit front, Ford has added electronic locking rear differentials on trucks equipped with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost and 5.0-liter V8 engines, as well as an updated 4×4 system with a fully automatic selection mode. In addition all 4 x 4 F-150s now have the ability to be flat towed, while a new Hill Start assist feature has been added to prevent the truck from rolling back on inclines. In addition, EcoBoost powered rigs get a boost (pun intended) when it comes to operating range, thanks to a new 36 gallon fuel tank which now permits some 756 miles worth of driving between fill ups.

GALLERY: 2012 Ford F-150 FX Appearance Package

Click here to read AutoGuide’s 2011 Ford F-150 EcoBoost Review