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New Toyota Tacoma, Ranger, Colorado/Canyon fight for midsize truck dominance

Sam Wedll has been driving his Toyota Tacoma pickup on the rugged roads of Northern California for seven trouble-free years, racking up almost 100,000 miles, so he’s interested in the redesigned version of the truck coming later this year. He paid $34,000 for his truck in 2016, loading it with plenty of options. HeÂ’s eyeing the new gas-electric hybrid Toyota Motor Corp. is going to offer, but Wedll, who does his own repairs, isnÂ’t interested in paying luxury prices. “The hybrid is pretty interesting to me because I like the idea of the fuel efficiency,” says Wedll, 47, a casino operations manager in Blue Lake, California. “IÂ’m just trying to save some costs wherever possible.” The Tacoma, known as the Taco to its legions of loyalists, is the leader of the pack in midsize pickups, one of the fastest-growing auto markets of the past decade. With outdoorsy weekend warriors and do-it-yourselfers looking for a truck that could fit in their garage, sales of midsize pickups more than doubled from 2010 to 2020. General Motors Co. and Ford Motor Co., which abandoned the market segment when sales slowed early this century, returned with new trucks to take on the Tacoma, which has dominated the medium truck market for almost two decades. Although it's easy to predict that the most lushly appointed versions of the new Taco could approach $50,000 (prices wonÂ’t be announced until later this year), Toyota insists it isnÂ’t backing away from budget buyers even as it rolls out fancier trucks. The current Tacoma starts at $28,030, and the company says affordability is critical to its success. In fact, Toyota will continue to offer the Taco with an old-school stick shift. The Tacoma controls 42% of the midsize truck market and outsells FordÂ’s offering 4 to 1. ThatÂ’s a role reversal from the full-size pickup market, where FordÂ’s F-Series has ruled the road for 46 years. Tacoma sales in the U.S. surpassed 237,000 last year, more than twice the number of GMÂ’s No. 2-ranked Chevrolet Colorado, according to consultant LMC Automotive. But as growth in the overall segment slows, the midsize market is developing into more of a turf war, with manufacturers vying for the sweetest highest-margin spots. “This segment is likely past its prime growth spurt,” says Jeff Schuster, president of the Americas for LMC Automotive.

2015 Roush Mustang lineup officially revealed

Just last week, Saleen revealed initial details of its tuning program for the new Ford Mustang. And now Roush is following suit.
Available in three stages - based on the V6 (RS), EcoBoost (RS1) and V8 (RS2) models - the 2015 Roush Mustangs all feature the venerable Ford tuner's latest R7 aero kit complete with remodeled fascia, five-blade grille, gaping air dam with integrated driving lamps and splitter. Around back there's a one-piece deck spoiler and "race-inspired lower aero-valance."

Ford spider screen keeps creepy-crawlies out of cars

Ford is waging a global war on spiders with the 2016 Focus RS. The little beasties can be a real menace to a vehicle by blocking lines with their dense webs, but engineers at the Blue Oval now have a new screen that they claim keeps the bugs at bay. Yellow sac spiders especially like to craft their webs in fuel vapor lines, but blocking the way can cause pressure to build, leading to a safety issue. Implemented in 2004, Ford already has a screen to keep the creepy-crawlies out. But the company now has an updated version in North America, and the Focus RS is the first global vehicle with it. "We are constantly improving and adapting, even when it comes to technologies that are already working," said William Euliss, Ford fuel systems engineer, in the screen's announcement. It might seem like a waste to put engineers on the task of making a spider screen, but the device could save Ford money in the long run. Arachnids have been responsible for the recalls of hundreds thousands of vehicles in the US over the years. Mazda issued two campaigns on the Mazda6 due to the webs causing pressure to build up in the fuel tank and potentially leading to a split. There was also a similar recall from Suzuki, and another one covering the air conditioning system on Toyotas. LOOK OUT! HERE COME THE SPIDERMEN: FORD ENGINEERS USE ARACHNID LEARNINGS TO DEVELOP INNOVATIVE SCREEN TO KEEP CREEPY CRAWLERS OUT AUG 5, 2015 | DEARBORN, MICH. Ford engineers developed an innovative spider screen to keep the creepy crawlers from nesting inside vehicles Screen prevents spiders from building cocoon-like webs dense enough to potentially block fuel vapor lines, which can damage engines and diminish vehicle performance Now, an updated version of the spider screen is being implemented in Ford vehicles in North America; it will go global with launch of the all-new 2016 Ford Focus RS DEARBORN, Mich., Aug. 5, 2015 – Arachnophobes may not know this, but there is a team of Ford engineers who developed an innovative spider screen to keep the creepy crawlers from nesting in Ford vehicles. You're welcome. Cheiracanthium mildei and Cheiracanthium inclusum – more commonly referred to as yellow sac spiders – have been known to nest inside vehicles in North America, causing problems for car owners and automakers alike over the years. Instead of using webs to catch prey, these spiders build cocoon-like webs for shelter and to lay eggs.