A new 2011 Ram Chassis Cab is coming in the Fall.  The 2011 Ram Heavy Duty Chasis Cab is arriving soon, and it is specifically aimed at commercial and fleet users, buyers of serious, diesel-powered chassis cabs; upfitter friendliness and low maintenance costs are best in class. These trucks will continue to use the previous generation’s proven chassis and frame, but with more comfort, higher capabilities, and more body options, including a crew cab. Thanks partly to a new six-speed transmission, chassis cab gas mileage has been best in Class 4 and Class 5 — 14% better than Ford F-550 and 23% better than GMC C5500. Still, the 2011 Dodge Ram will have the largest standard fuel tank. For lower maintenance and better stopping power, the Ram 4500/5500 has the largest front brake rotors (390 mm) and calipers (66 mm), and a standard diesel exhaust brake. The standard diesel 24,000 lb. Gross Combined Weight Rating (GCWR) and optional 26,000 lb. GCWR package are both best-in-class on 3500. The ride was greatly improved through re-tuned suspension components; handling under a full load was also beefed up. Fluid-filled hydro-mounts under the cab reduce beaming and bounce over rough surfaces. The 6.7 Cummins turbodiesel will be essentially unchanged, but with a new particulate feature that slashes nitrides of oxygen by 90%; in the pickups, the engine produces 350 hp at 3,000 rpm, and 650 lb-ft of torque at a stunning 1,500 rpm, just off idle (automatic transmission). With the G56 manual transmission, the Cummins puts out 350 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque; with the chassis cabs, 305 hp and 610 lb-ft of torque.

The interior was naturally upgraded, with optional heated/ventilated front seats; heated rear-seats and steering wheel; automatic temperature control; two-tone upholstery; memory seats, radio and mirrors; navigation; adjustable pedals and numerous infotainment options including Backseat TV(tm) with three channels of programming, uconnect tunes with a 30-gigabyte hard drive, and a first-in-segment 10-speaker surround-sound system. Numerous storage options include in-floor storage.

Mazda Motor Corp. has agreed to lease a hybrid drivetrain technology from Toyota Motor Corp. The deal gives Mazda access to the electric powertrain system used in the third-generation Toyota Prius. Mazda Executive Vice President Masaharu Yamaki said the electric-gasoline powertrain will debut in 2013 in a Mazda-brand hybrid for the Japanese market. Mazda didn’t announce plans for overseas versions, but a spokesman said selling the car in North America is a possibility.

The agreement helps Mazda meet its goal of improving fleet fuel economy 30 percent by 2015 compared with 2008 levels. Mazda already has rolled out plans for a more efficient gasoline engine, called the Sky-G, and measures such as weight reduction and idle stop technology. For Toyota, the deal also pushes its hybrid technology closer to becoming a global standard. Leasing it to other companies is not only a cash stream for the world’s biggest auto company, it’s also a potent way to guarantee volume for its suppliers, which drives down cost.

Teaming with Toyota signals another Mazda break from Ford, which reduced its stake in the Japanese automaker to 13 percent, from 33 percent in 2008. Since then, Ford and Mazda have embarked on largely separate powertrain strategies. While Ford is chasing greater fuel economy with its turbocharged EcoBoost engines, Mazda is developing its own line of Sky engines, which rely mostly on direct fuel injection.

The four-cylinder, direct-injection Sky-G gasoline engine will range between 1.3 and 2.0 liters and deliver 15 percent better fuel economy than current engines in the same class. Its diesel partner, the Sky-D, will get a 20 percent increase over today’s offerings.

In the coming weeks, more than one million young adults will graduate from college and step into the job world. While many students make it through college with a minimal cost clunker, it may be time for a change. Often times, when recent college grads get their first ‘real’ job, they may get their first new car. But young adults of today will not be going for what their parent’s first car probably was.

Right now, new car supplies are plentiful, carmakers are cranking up zero-percent financing and subsidized leases to boost lagging sales, and struggling dealers are making deeper concessions than ever before. There is a wide range of vehicles that the twenty-something crowd may consider.  Styles run the gamut from ultraconservative to trendy, and so do their auto preferences. While tastes are varied in this youthful demographic, two things are certain. First is that today’s best and brightest probably won’t buy the car, or even the brand, that mom and dad were loyal to. Thankfully, younger buyers have more choices than their parents did. Even budget cars offer reliability and come with warranties that the older generation couldn’t have dreamed of — so first-timers don’t have to settle. The second consistency among first-time buyers: When it comes to cars, they are less frivolous than their parents were back in the day. Younger buyers have a better understanding today of how to spend their money. Since the recession started, it’s more about rational choices, with less emphasis on frills and more on value.

Despite increased awareness and safety technology, a pedestrian being hit by a car is not really that unusual. In the U.S., 4,654 pedestrians were killed in motor vehicle collisions in 2007, while pedestrian accidents comprise about 11 percent of motor vehicle deaths annually, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). While pedestrian deaths have declined steadily, they still occur.

In order to design vehicles to cause less injury to a pedestrian in a collision, engineers and researchers spend time reviewing real-world crash data, using computer simulations of crashes and performing actual crash testing with full dummies and test devices, called impactors, that represent portions of dummies’ bodies. Statistics show that most pedestrians are struck by the front of a vehicle, but what happens in the crash varies widely depending on several factors, including the type of vehicle, its speed and the height of the pedestrian. The result is a multitude of scenarios that makes studying these accidents challenging.

To respond to this wide range of scenarios, automakers began addressing pedestrian accidents decades ago by focusing on the obvious vehicle features that could cause harm. Protruding hood ornaments, for example, were embedded in the grille or designed to collapse on impact, while exterior mirrors are now mounted on springs. Even a styling feature such as recessed door handles has helped reduce pedestrian injury. In recent years, vehicle design has focused on making subtle changes to the front end of the vehicle that aren’t obvious to consumers. One example is changing the way that the fenders, hood and windshield wipers are attached, so their performance strength is maintained but they can easily collapse when impacted by a pedestrian.

Hood design and engine compartments have received many subtle design changes. Today the vast majority of vehicles sold in the U.S. have braces supporting the hood that crush when they are impacted from above, such as by a person’s head. In addition, a plastic engine cover serves to soften the impact, as does increased space between the hood and the cover.  Automotive engineers and researchers, as well as experts from the safety and medical fields, continue to study vehicle-pedestrian collisions, developing other ways to reduce pedestrian injury while still maintaining a high level of safety for the vehicle’s occupants.

One vehicle design we may see on future U.S. models is a pop-up hood system, which would lift the hood a few inches in the area closest to the windshield, effectively giving a larger cushion of space underneath it in the event of a pedestrian impact. It’s likely that the future design changes we see on vehicles in the U.S. will be driven by safety standards overseas. Both Japan and Europe recently instituted more pedestrian safety standards and the European Union has even more stringent standards set to go into effect in 2010.

Chrysler has announced they will build two new Alfa crossover models for sale in North America and Europe. The Chrysler-built vehicles for Alfa will include:

A compact SUV: This will be based on the Compact architecture that underpins the Giulietta hatchback in Europe. Production will begin in 2012

A large SUV: It will be similar in size to the next Jeep Liberty, which is sold as the Cherokee in Europe. Production will start in 2014.

Crossover Models: The crossover models will be built in two of the three U.S. plants that Chrysler Group plans to retool for new Chrysler, Dodge and Jeep models based on Fiat-Chrysler’s Compact Wide architecture.

Sedan / Station wagon: Alfa will also sell a mid-sized sedan and station wagon when in the United States starting in late 2012. These two vehicles will have the name Giulia and in Europe will replace the 159 range. They will be built in Italy.

Two other models, States a five-door version of its MiTo minicar, and the the five-door MiTo will be sold in Europe and North America starting in 2013.

For 2010, the Dodge Caliber got many updates improvements. In addition to many added cabin features, the new 2010 Dodge Caliber features new lifestyle-oriented models (Express, Mainstreet, Heat, Uptown and Rush) bundled with more features.

For customers looking for capability combined with added technology and refinement, the new Dodge Caliber Uptown adds automatic climate control, five-passenger leather seating, power driver’s seat and four-wheel Anti-lock disc Brakes (ABS) to the Caliber Mainstreet.

The new Dodge Caliber Mainstreet offers the features of the Dodge Caliber Express with added capability and style featuring standard 17-inch aluminum wheels, chromed crosshair grille, body-color door handles, fog lamps, folding front-passenger seat, 60/40 split-folding and reclining rear seat, touring suspension, tachometer and 2.0-liter 16-valve World Engine with second-generation Continuously-variable Transmission (CVT2).

For customers looking for efficiency and value, the new 2010 Dodge Caliber Express delivers with standard Uconnect Phone, iPod Control, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, SIRIUS Satellite Radio, power windows, mirrors and locks, 115-volt power outlet, cruise control, remote keyless entry, tonneau cover, air conditioning, four-wheel Anti-lock Brake System (ABS) and 2.0-liter 16-valve World Engine with fuel-efficient five-speed manual transmission capable of 31 mpg on the highway.

The all-new Dodge Caliber Heat model takes the Caliber Mainstreet model and adds a sport-tuned suspension, 18-inch polished-aluminum wheels, four-wheel Anti-lock disc Brakes (ABS), performance steering, color-keyed instrument panel and seats, B- and C-pillar blackout accents and five-speed manual transmission. MSRP for the 2010 Dodge Caliber Heat is $18,625 (including $630 destination).

And for more power, Dodge Caliber Rush includes a unique five-speed manual transmission mated to a larger 2.4-liter World Engine with 172 horsepower (128 kW) and 165 ft.-lb. (224 N•m) of torque. Equipment differences from the Caliber Heat include 18-inch chrome-clad wheels, SRT-designed spoiler, automatic climate control, Premium Sound Group, Media Center 430 radio with touchscreen and 30-gigabyte hard drive. A CVT2 with Auto Stick is optional.

For those shopping for a Jeep and interested in venturing off road, it may be interesting to learn about an organization that is supported by Jeep owners nationwide. Tread Lightly! is a national nonprofit organization with a mission to promote responsible outdoor recreation through ethics education and stewardship. The organization was launched in 1985 by the US Forest Service, and became a nonprofit organization in 1990.

Tread Lightly!’s educational message, along with its training and restoration initiatives are strategically designed to instill an ethic of responsibility in a wide variety of outdoor enthusiasts and the industries that serve them. The program’s goal is to balance the needs of the people who enjoy outdoor recreation with our need to maintain a healthy environment.  Tread Lightly!’s core focus is on people that use or are affected by motorized and mechanized vehicles. The organization offers unique programs and services to help remedy growing recreation issues. Unique enough, the federal government officially recognizes the organization as a sole-source service provider of education and training on how to be environmentally and socially responsible while using motorized and mechanized vehicles in the outdoors.

Tread Lightly! is the nation’s only source for a full line of motorized and non-motorized outdoor ethics training and education. Tread Lightly!’s educational materials include: guidebooks, quick-tip brochures, a hunting education curriculum, an online awareness course, how-to videos, teaching materials, and a line of children’s materials.

Tread Lightly!’s positive message of balancing outdoor ethics with recreation has reached nearly 50 million people through strategically-designed public service announcements for print, radio, television and the web. More than $1 million in ad space is donated each year for these important messages. News coverage involving Tread Lightly! reaches an additional 10 million people per year. So next time you are venturing off the road with your Jeep, remember to ‘tread lightly’.

The new 2011 Lincoln MKZ Hybrid was unveiled at the New York Auto Show. The MKZ hybrid is essentially a badge-engineered Ford Fusion Hybrid, along with some cabin and styling updates. The MKZ hybrid is also twin to the Mercury Milan Hybrid. The main difference between the three is that the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid takes it a step further in the luxury department, and considering this, is more expensive. Lincoln bills the new MKZ model as ‘Hybrid efficiency meets Lincoln luxury’. In addition to 41 city mpg, MKZ Hybrid offers all the standard luxury features you expect from Lincoln. The MKZ Hybrid features hand-crafted eco-conscious Bridge of Weir leather, olive ash wood trim from sustainable sourced forests, heated and cooled front seats and SYNC voice-activated communications system. It offers a spacious interior proves that you can enjoy the indulgence of a luxury sedan and all the environmental benefits of a hybrid vehicle. The MKZ Hybrid is expected to arrive at dealerships in the fall 2010.

For power, the MKZ Hybrid pairs an innovative nickel-metal-hydride battery with a 2.5L Atkinson-cycle I-4 hybrid engine providing a combined 191 hp. The vehicle operates in electric mode when traveling up to 47 mph–the best top speed in its class. The traditional combustion engine takes over once 47 mph is reached, and also steps in if more power is needed at lower speeds. The Regenerative Braking System captures 94 percent of the kinetic energy usually lost to friction and heat, and uses it to recharge the high voltage battery. When brakes are applied, the traction motor is turned in reverse, which generates electricity and concurrently slows the vehicle down without applying the brake pads. In addition to recharging the battery, this action also helps reduce wear on the brake pads.

To track fuel efficiency, an innovative gauge cluster provides enhanced real-time feedback on fuel efficiency and driving performance. Two high-resolution, full-color LCD screens display your choice of four data categories, while steering wheel-mounted controls make it easy to manage information. All categories can indicate instant fuel economy, fuel economy history, odometer, engine coolant temperature, plus trip data, including current and time-elapsed fuel economy and miles to empty.

The New York International Car Show has arrived, it officially opens today, April 2nd. the show is open to the public until April 11. For any car enthusiast, this is a great way to see the latest models, premiers, and new technology. The New York International Auto Show is an annual auto show held in New York City and is held at the Jacob Javits Convention Center. World debuts include the Chevrolet Cruze Eco, the Chevrolet Cruze RS Package, and the Lincoln MKZ Hybrid, all and much anticipated models. For further details about this year’s show, visit the official New York Int’l Car Show website.