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Ford F-Series Super Duty earns Truck of Texas award

Texans love their pickup trucks, which you already knew. That means the Texas Auto Writers Association and its "Truck of Texas" award is a big deal. And the latest trophy goes to the 2017 Ford F-Series Super Duty. The pickup truck managed to snag TAWA's award at the 2016 Texas Truck Rodeo. The award marks the 13th time Ford's F-Series has been named the pickup king of the Lone Star State. Roughly 70 journalists converged outside at the Longhorn River Ranch, just outside of Austin, TX, for the 23rd annual Texas Truck Rodeo where a host of Ford's vehicles won awards. In addition to the F-Series Super Duty being named the "Truck of Texas," the 2017 Ford Super Duty won the Heavy Duty Pickup Truck award, while the 2017 Ford F-150 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 engine won the Best Powertrain award. The journalists also awarded Ford for having the "Truck Line of Texas." Ford wasn't the only winner at the Texas Truck Rodeo, as Nissan brought home five awards, including one for the 2017 Titan in the fullsize pickup category and one for the Armada in the SUV segment. Ram also won a few accolades with its trucks. The 2017 Ram 1500 won for being the most luxurious pickup truck, while the 2017 Ram 2500 Power Wagon won the off-road pickup truck award. Last year, TAWA named the 2016 Nissan Titan XD the Truck of Texas, but Ford's all-new F-Series Super Duty managed to keep the Japanese automaker's full-size offering at bay. For the 2017 model, Ford placed aluminum body panels into the F-Series Super Duty's body, which not only shed weight, but also make the truck stronger. Scroll down to see the entire list of TAWA's winners from the 2016 Texas Truck Rodeo. Truck of Texas: 2017 Ford Super Duty SUV of Texas: 2017 Nissan Armada CUV of Texas: 2017 Volvo XC90 Truck line of Texas: Ford Motor Co.

FCA goes all-in on Jeep and Ram brands on cheap gas bet

It's no surprise that as SUV and truck sales remain strong in the wake of unusually cheap gas, Jeep and Ram sales are taking off. What is a surprise is that FCA CEO Sergio Marchionne thinks that cheap gas will be a "permanent condition," and feels strongly enough about it to change up North American manufacturing plans. Jeep appears to be the biggest beneficiary of the product realignment. In addition to increasing the sales estimates for the brand worldwide upwards to 2 million units a year by 2018, the brand will get a flood of investment for new product and powertrains. Consider the Wrangler Pickup to be part of the salvo, as well as the Grand Wagoneer three-row announced in 2014 as part of the original five-year plan. The Wrangler four-door will get at least two new powertrains, a diesel and mild hybrid version, in its next generation. That mild hybrid powertrain may utilize a 48-volt electrical system like the one that's being developed by Delphi and Bosch – which the suppliers think will be worth a 10 to 15 percent fuel economy gain at a minimum. Down the road, in the 2020s, the Wrangler could adopt a full hybrid system. The diesel powertrain is planned for 2019 or 2020. The Ram 1500 is also pegged to receive a mild hybrid system, again potentially based on 48-volt architecture, sometime after 2020. Lastly, Jeep and Ram will take over some of the production capacity of existing plants. The Sterling Heights, MI, plant that builds the Chrysler 200 will now build the Ram 1500; the Belvidere, IL, facility that produces the Dodge Dart will take over Cherokee output; the big Jeep facility in Toledo, OH, will be used for increased Wrangler demand. In 2015, according to FCA's numbers, car and van demand went down by 10 percent, but SUV demand went up 8 percent and truck demand 2 percent. Considering that these are high-margin vehicles, FCA can't ignore the math. FCA also won't build any new factories to supplement production to meet demand, but instead are reshuffling production priorities. Think of it this way: FCA is gambling on cheap gas being a permanent part of our lives, at least into the 2020s. By doubling down on SUVs and trucks, the company stands to win big, unless a spike in gas prices changes the landscape. FCA isn't talking about a Plan B, so they're all in. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.

2018 Jeep Wrangler Moab splits the Sahara and Rubicon gap

We knew it was coming, and it's pretty much what we were expecting. The 2018 Jeep Wrangler Moab Edition is now official, is available solely as a four-door Unlimited Model with the 3.6-liter V6 engine, and splits the gap between the luxury-biased Sahara and the off-road-ready Rubicon. It's easily identifiable by the big Moab lettering on the hood, but there's a lot more to this limited edition model besides its graphics. The Moab borrows its hood and steel bumpers, complete with removable end caps, from the Rubicon. The 17-inch wheels are painted in a low-gloss black that matches the headlight surrounds, grill inserts, and tow hooks, and are shod in 32-inch mud-terrain tires. LED lighting clusters are standard front and rear. Rock rails from the Rubicon are standard, but the Sahara's side steps are a no-cost option for owners who don't plan to do any hardcore rock crawling. Jeep's new Selec-Trac full-time four-wheel-drive two-speed transfer case is also standard equipment, which means all Wrangler Moab models will have an eight-speed automatic transmission. A limited-slip rear differential is also standard. The Safety Group, which includes blind-spot monitoring, rear cross path detection and a rear backup camera, is included along with an 8.4-inch Uconnect touchscreen infotainment system. A leather interior package comes standard on the Moab and includes contrast stitching on the seats and dash. Granite Crystal, Billet Silver, Punk'n Metallic (orange), Mojito! (green), Black, Bright White, Sting Gray, Ocean Blue Metallic and Firecracker Red are all available on the Moab, which leaves the recently introduced Hellayella (bright yellow) as the only stock color that's not offered on the Moab. A body-color hard top comes standard on the Moab, and the Dual Top Group and power-operated Sky top are optional. Jeep didn't release pricing when it announced the 2018 Wrangler Moab, but an ordering guide showing a starting price of $52,695 out the door has already made the internet rounds. That makes the Moab Edition Jeep's priciest Wrangler package... so far. Related Video: This content is hosted by a third party. To view it, please update your privacy preferences. Manage Settings.