#Pickup

Price, looks and size… these are the few factors that used to decide what vehicle you’d park in your driveway. Looking for a cheap and small car? A Toyota Corolla or Honda Civic will do. Need something bigger, perhaps a mid-size Hyundai Sonata or an SUV. Things used to be pretty easy.

With increasingly high gas prices and an overall movement towards green, fuel efficient vehicles, fuel economy has become more important. In fact, for many price, looks and size are now completely trumped by fuel economy.

“Buyers just look at the MPG on the sticker,” says IHS Automotive Analyst Devin Lindsay commenting that car buyers are now completely mesmerized by the EPA sticker label.

Take a look at the Toyota Prius, for example. It’s not terribly big, is fairly expensive, and looks… well… weird. But that didn’t stop three million of them from being sold, all thanks to a hybrid gas-electric engine that provides excellent fuel economy.

The Prius isn’t the only option for someone looking for a fuel efficient car, however; especially those in search of a more engaging driving experience. If you want to cut down on trips to the pump, and still drive a fun, powerful, good looking car, your best bet might just be in a diesel powered vehicle. That does mean you’ll almost certainly have to drive German, although a flood of new diesel-powered vehicles are about to hit our shore.

Back in 2002, a special edition Ram 1500 pick-up truck was launched specifically for Texan truck buyers. Called the Lone Star edition, it quickly became the top selling Ram model in the vast state.

When we think of tuners and enthusiasts shoehorning engines into other vehicles, the thought of Honda‘s F20C S2000 powerplant making its way into a Toyota Pickup isn’t exactly on our list… at all.

While automakers and outside research firms publish sales figures and earnings reports on a regular basis, one metric we rarely get a glimpse of is how profitable each vehicle is. In an era of re-badging and platform sharing, one would think that the most profitable vehicles are those with a large number of derivatives to spread the cost around. But a new report from Bernstein Research suggests that two factors – price point and volume – are the keys to making big bucks off vehicles. And judging by the list, longevity seems to help as well.

Even as General Motors readies their new Chevrolet Colorado mid-size pickup, Ford and Chrysler are hedging their bets that consumers won’t return to the floundering small truck market, and continue to opt for full-size pickups instead.

Chevrolet‘s new mid-size Colorado pickup will offer most of the functionality of a full-size light-duty pickup without the operating costs, according to Mark Reuss, head of General Motors North America.

Toyota recently announced an updated version of its Tacoma pickup for 2012 and has now revealed pricing, with the top-selling truck starting at $16,875.

The five-speed transmission, “545RFE,” features an interesting split dual cog 2nd gear. Engagement on one cog or the other depend on whether the transmission is performing an upshift or a downshift. The 1.67 and 1.50 ratio cog are used for the upshift and downshift respectively. An electric range select is also featured in the 545RFE, allowing driver to manually limit the highest available gear, a handy device during hilly terrain or tow situations.

Production will end for the Ford Ranger on December 22, according to the United Auto Workers 879 June-August newsletter. The Ranger is currently built in Ford’s Twin Cities assembly plant and the truck has been built since January 1982.

Mazda is very excited to show off its Freestyle Cab version of its BT-50 pickup at the upcoming Australian International Motor Show that will be held in Melbourne on July 1st-10th. The BT-50 receives Mazda’s now infamous Freestyle door configuration that was first revealed on the RX-8. By utilizing the unique door configuration, the BT-50 Freestyle gives a way to comfortably seat four while retaining a large carrying capacity.

A $30 million federal- government grant, half funded by the Department of Energy is development of a high efficiency Cummins four-cylinder diesel engine to be used in the Nissan Titan.

The Ram Long Hauler concept is getting a fair amount of attention for its ability to travel 1,600 miles on a single tank of fuel, but you won’t have to wait for its Kentucky Derby debut on May 6th to see the rest of the truck.

We’ve all needed a tow one time or another, and for those who like off-roading, it seems to be inevitable. One unlucky Chevrolet Silverado owner found himself stuck in some not-too-deep mud, and the vehicle that was up for the job was none other than a Subaru Legacy GT, a family sedan with a pretty peppy turbocharged engine.

Conventional wisdom says that this situation should be reversed. But as the video shows, the little Subaru had no trouble hauling the big pickup out of the mud. Hit the jump to see the video below.

Ford is asking dealers to curtail orders of three shades of red paint, and one hue called “Tuxedo Black” due to difficulties sourcing metallic elements needed for the paint. The element, which is produced by a Japanese supplier, is unable to be produced to due damage resulting from the natural disasters that occurred in the country.

General Motors Shreveport, Louisiana factory that builds the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon will face a production halt until March 21st due to supply chain issues stemming from Japan’s natural disasters.