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2016 Green Truck of the Year, Commercial Green Car of the Year finalists

Not only are commercial-grade haulers getting more green love lately, they're getting more different kinds of green love. The 2016 Green Truck of the Year, the second time the award has been handed out, is being decided by judges from Green Car Journal and the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show. This year the award is joined by the new 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year, which crowns one of the little vans increasingly used by small business as cargo and delivery vehicles. The Green Truck of the Year finalists are the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax (pictured), Ford F-150, GMC Canyon Duramax, Nissan Titan XD, and Toyota Tacoma. The first three of those were on last year's list, but since they are completely new or upgraded for 2016 - Ford with its all-aluminum body, the General Motors twins with the new diesel Duramax engine - they qualify for entry again. The Ram 1500 EcoDiesel won last year. The Commercial Green Car finalists are the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster City. You can read more details in the presser below, and the awards will be announced in San Antonio sometime during the show from November 19-22. San Antonio Auto & Truck Show Announces 2016 Green Truck of the Year and Commercial Green Car of the Year Finalists SAN ANTONIO, Oct. 22, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Green Car Journal and the San Antonio Auto & Truck Show have announced finalists for the 2016 Green Truck of the Year™ and 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ awards. The Green Truck of the Year™ nominees are the Chevrolet Colorado Duramax, Ford F-150, GMC Canyon Duramax, Nissan Titan XD, and Toyota Tacoma. Vying for the all-new 2016 Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award are the Chevrolet City Express, Ford Transit Connect, Mercedes-Benz Metris, Nissan NV200, and Ram ProMaster City. "Over the past few decades, new car models have benefitted from design and technology improvements that have brought higher fuel efficiency and greater levels of environmental compatibility," said Green Car Journal and CarsOfChange.com Editor and Publisher Ron Cogan. "With models like these ten deserving finalists, we're witnessing the pickup and light commercial vehicle field enjoying the same attention." The new Commercial Green Car of the Year™ award is part of an expanded awards program presented at this year's 2015 San Antonio Auto & Truck Show.

Ram 1500 Texas Ranger Concept celebrates brand's law-enforcement partnership

While the auto industry's eyes are fixed on New York for its annual extravaganza at the Javits Center, Ram is making an end-around play. The truck maker is showing a new concept at the 2015 Dallas Auto Show based on the company's long-running partnership with the Texas Rangers (the lawmen, not the baseball team). Exterior changes to the 1500 are kept rather light, with badging inspired by the Rangers' iconic badges fitted to the front fenders and tailgate. The Rangers' badge is also found at the center of each 20-inch alloy wheel. As for the white/silver color scheme, it "embodies the white hats and silver badges that the good guys always wear." Starting with the handsome Canyon Brown and Tan leather of the Laramie Longhorn, Ram designers fitted four, five-peso coins to the door inserts. Texas Rangers' badges have long been hewn from the limited-issue Mexican currency, hence its inclusion in the 1500. The coins in the front door show "heads" and the back door coins are flipped to "tails." Adding to the unique touches, a prominent Texas Rangers' badge sits over the center console and is also embossed in the leather seatbacks. Even the dash cluster's display shows the Rangers' badge upon startup. Ram and the Texas Rangers formed their partnership back in 2014, with the truck maker "aiding the preservation of the history of the renowned law-enforcement organization," the company said in its press release. You can check out the full gallery of images, which include plenty of updated interior shots, above. As for Ram's press release, that is, as usual, available below. Related Video: Ram Unveils Texas Ranger Concept Truck Ram Texas Ranger concept follows 2014 partnership announcement Iconic Texas Ranger badges highlight Ram's interior and exterior design Western-themed trucks dominate Ram lineup in Lone Star State March 25, 2015 , Dallas - The Ram Truck brand today unveiled a one-of-a-kind Texas Ranger concept truck to commemorate and promote the brand's partnership with the renowned law-enforcement agency and the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame and Museum. Introduced by Ram Truck Brand President and CEO Bob Hegbloom at the 2015 Dallas Auto Show, the Ram Texas Ranger concept truck brings the legendary spirit of the Rangers to the road.

Chrysler recalling hundreds of thousands of Jeep Grand Cherokee and Commander SUVs

The public might associated ignition switch recalls with General Motors - and with good cause - but that's not the only automaker calling its vehicles back in to fix that sort of issue.
Last month we reported that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was investigating an array of Chrysler Group vehicles for electrical-related safety issues. The administration and Chrysler subsequently issued a recall for 700,000 Dodge Journey crossovers, Dodge Grand Caravan minivans and Chrysler Town & Country minivans. But while the Jeeps that were also under investigation were not covered in that recall, they are being addressed in a separate one now.
Although Chrysler reports that it is only aware of a single accident stemming from this issue, it is "committing now to conduct a recall out of an abundance of caution." The recall affects the 2006-2007 Jeep Commander and 2005-2007 Jeep Grand Cherokee, of which it reports there are 792,300 on the road: 649,900 in the United States, 28,800 in Canada, 12,800 in Mexico and a further 100,800 outside of North America.