Just saw a story that Volkswagon bought Navistar. Look for future trucks to contain twice as many parts as necessary. https://chicago.suntimes.com/busine...4/navistar-vws-traton-sale-truck-manufacturer
Now are the Navistars going to have their engines in the rear? Okay showing my age a bit here!
Maybe air cooled and the trucks being named after insects.
Volkstar or Naviwagen.
Will be a lot of bugs to work out. Lots of diesel pusher motorhomes but not sure how a diesel pusher semi is going to work. Would be great for launching a boat though.
Well,at least they know how to work around all that pesky emissions stuff...
Until they get caught and it costs them a billion $$$.
My very first car was a '64 beetle the Old Man paid $300 for. I paid him back every nickel, and STILL did not learn the lesson. 5 years and 3 cars later, I bought a 67 beetle and hung all the 'baja' stuff on it. Beat the living crap out of it, until it surrendered in a few months. They both taught me alot about cars, and some small lessons about German engineering. I am a vocal supporter of the notion that if it ain't under warranty. buy ye NO German Car......
If the Germans made a paper clip it would cost $1.45 each. It would have 7 moving parts, 4 replaceable at a cost of $.60 each. But it would be the best paper clip you ever used.
At least your lesions were cheap BMW , Audi, BVW lessons would have be quite pricey!
I started with a 56 Beetle. Had all of 36 horses at the rear bumper. I took off to a friend's house one afternoon and woke up the next morning with a concussion and twelve stitches over my left eye. My mother told me some ladies riding a horse heard a horn honking off the road on the other side of a ditch. Found me in the car with the spare tire and front end of the car wrapped around a tree. I don't remember a thing about it to this day. The odd thing is that the horn never worked before that afternoon? Last German product I ever owned.
Well, I suppose VW is jumping on a profit wagon in the USA. After all, Volvo has been Mack for some years. Daimler owns Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built bus. Seems VW is looking into a market (USA) that may have ups and downs, but at least is not stagnant like most of the EU markets. The USA market may be volatile at any given moment, but there's no doubt it's dynamic, while the EU is like seven day old stale bread, might as well jump in and ride the wave, at least that's my take on it. As Don King once said..."only in America"
I don't keep up on the diesel manufacturers. Did Ford cut all ties with Navistar after the 6.0 issues? I believe the newest Ford diesel was supposedly all Ford's design, but I don't know if that statement holds much truth. I have been waiting for an F150 with diesel engine since 2005. I think they might be finally doing it, but I don't want to sell a kidney for one. Remember when diesel in the US was almost $4 a gallon? Let's hope we don't encounter those prices again.
The Ford 6.7 is an all Ford engine and quite a damn good one - I own 2. Ford also offers the 3.0 Powerstroke in the F150's. IIRC Ford has been offering the 3.0 PS in the F150 since 2018.
I cant wait for the fold down hinged sides on the box .
Corvair did that 50 years ago.
Those were known as double ducks.
Saw one of these years ago leaving the local gravel pit loaded to the top of the sides and a heap in the center of 3/4 crush. Wasn't moving fast but it was moving.
My first car was a '60 Beetle. I paid $450 for it in '81. It was 7 different colors and had no interior to speak of, but it got me all over San Diego county.
Maybe these will come back:
Dear Lord don't let it have a VT365..
Dam ,i hate admit it but those sides do look kind of handy now im gettin old n crotchity. Looks smarter than the useless step and handrail thing Ford came up with my F 350. All that does is make the next new tail gate you have to buy completely unaffordable.
damned tailgate on my truck keeps getting higher from the ground too. Ed
I'm curious how much one of the fancy new GM tailgates costs? I'd bet they spent a lot of money trying to come up with something to compete with the Ford tailgate step. The Ford step is handy when you have to get in the box. Guys with dirt bikes like it as they can step on it when loading their bikes.
I know a lot of guys found out how much it costs to repair one of those fancy tailgates. If you leave a receiver hitch installed, it will dent up the power tailgates when they drop down. Great engineering on a $60,000 truck.
Guy I worked with years ago had one of those extended cab VW trucks!
GM should have thought about a sensor or extra eye on the backup camera to stop that, --------but wait there's more.
My beef with the ford tailgates is with the camera wired into them you cant readily remove them . Im often loading things with the forklift ,with the old tailgates you could slip them off the hinges and put them aside . Always kept my tailgates in good shape and simplified loading . And now with all that stuff in them they weight a ton to. I have no problem backing up with my mirrors,i can grab the end of my headache rack and step on the bumper to get in the box when i have to.
And i cut the dam backup beeper wires on the bumper,they made me crazy hooking up my gooseneck trailer
I love Ford trucks, but I have to say the step / handle integrated into the tailgate never impressed me. I understand it's uses, but never bought into the extra bulk of it. Seems like a hidden step bar or a fold out one beneath the bedside would be handy. I typically sit on the tailgate then work my way up. The little trucks with the fold down sides reminds me of the Japanese mini trucks. I'm not for sure why, but I always thought they were neat looking.
And that's no joke. I drive an old body style '99 GMC 2500. I can walk up to the side anywhere and reach over and touch the floor. Most trucks built in the last few years, the bed sides are above my shoulders. If you want something out of the bed, you get in or stand on something.
I can reach into mine when when i have clam bucket squatting it down.
Like I said before {big nose pickups} marketing, making people feel like they own a semi as a daily driver.
The newer Ford's have the step bar in the tailgate not on top of it like the first ones. I think the step tailgate is optional.
I run a Toyota Tacoma because I can fill the back full of tool boxes and be able to reach halfway across the bed when I need something.