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industry news
This Is Our Country, This Is Our Truck...And It Will Be For Quite Some Time
General Motors is planning to extend the current product cycle on its full-size trucks and SUVs, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday. New designs had been expected to come in time for the 2012 model year. However GM spokesperson Tom Wilkinson told the Journal that GM was "looking at the whole product portfolio" in an effort to bring more fuel-efficient vehicles to the U.S. market. While the change in product planning should free up much-needed R&D funds, there's little doubt the lukewarm launch of the latest Toyota Tundra and the gas prices-induced slow-motion 2009 Dodge Ram and 2009 Ford F-150 launch train-wrecks influenced top brass at the Ren Cen. More »
over the back fence
GM May Divorce SUV's From Truck Frames, Why Not Just Go to Skateboards?
Rumors emanating like a cloud of gas from Aunt Mable's Thanksgiving table are coming out of Bloomberg regarding the possible move at GM to push for unibody construction on full size SUVs. While there isn't anything inherently dumb about this idea, we have to question the impact on brand perception, long term durability, towing capability, chassis complexity, production line capability, and competitive impact. Hmm. Maybe it is a little dumb. More »
novelties
The Japanese Convert JDM Boxes Into American Iron
Apparently, the custom van fad of the '70s never died in Japan. But what if you want all the style of a vintage American full-size, but you need the efficiency and small size of a Japanese econobox? Well, do what these guys did, and convert the front end to look just like a Dodge or Chevy Van. Auto-Otaku found these custom creations at the Japanese Mooneyes Street Car Nationals, a gathering of all kinds of American iron in the land of the rising sun. Besides the vans, there were also a couple JDM rides transformed into old Chevy Suburbans, as seen above. [via Auto-Otaku]
maximum el camino day
You know what's wrong with the Chevy Suburban? Aside from the fact that it hasn't resembled a real Suburban for decades, that it? Yep, the lack of a pickup bed! Fortunately, someone has finally grafted a pickup bed on an '87 Suburban, dropped a Cummins diesel under the hood, and painted the whole thing in eyeball-charring purple... and you now have the opportunity to buy it! Is it just us, or does that driveshaft look awfully vulnerable? Thanks to Carless for the tip. [eBay Motors]
El Suburbamino Conquers New Jersey, World Next
You know what's wrong with the Chevy Suburban? Aside from the fact that it hasn't resembled a real Suburban for decades, that it? Yep, the lack of a pickup bed! Fortunately, someone has finally grafted a pickup bed on an '87 Suburban, dropped a Cummins diesel under the hood, and painted the whole thing in eyeball-charring purple... and you now have the opportunity to buy it! Is it just us, or does that driveshaft look awfully vulnerable? Thanks to Carless for the tip. [eBay Motors]
classic ad watch
Is The Trunk Monkey Ford's OnStar Solution?
Ford announced that they would be adding SmartAlert service to their cars in the hopes of competing with OnStar from GM. One of the services offered by SmartAlert is the ability to track down stolen cars. The video above of the Trunk Monkey (or maybe TrunkMonkey) shows a similar feature, as well as some not yet offered with either OnStar or SmartAlert, including: chaperone services, vandalism interdiction and law enforcement bribery. We like the way this monkey thinks. [Trunk Monkey]
custom cars
Most guys into off roading will equip their rig with anything from a set of 33" tires for light duty rock crawling to 44" tires for deep mud bogging. Of course everyone has their preferences and guys usually make tire size decisions based on ego as much as utility. Kristjan Kristjansson of Iceland either has a big purpose, or an enormous ego because he's gone ahead and fitted his GMC Suburban with 49" flotation tires. They make sense for playing in Iceland's frozen wonderlands, but we have to wonder how the tire hum has affected the cabin ambiance.
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GMC Suburban with 49 Inch Tires Will Stop At Nothing
Most guys into off roading will equip their rig with anything from a set of 33" tires for light duty rock crawling to 44" tires for deep mud bogging. Of course everyone has their preferences and guys usually make tire size decisions based on ego as much as utility. Kristjan Kristjansson of Iceland either has a big purpose, or an enormous ego because he's gone ahead and fitted his GMC Suburban with 49" flotation tires. They make sense for playing in Iceland's frozen wonderlands, but we have to wonder how the tire hum has affected the cabin ambiance. More »
crime
Wheels Stolen From Meals-On-Wheels Suburban, You Can Help
Though most commit crime out of need, not sport, it's hard to feel anything but angry at those who stole the wheels from a Meals-On-Wheels vehicle in Clark County, Washington. Seriously. Without the wheels all they have is, you know... hot meals getting cold. The thieves weren't even kind enough to put the truck on blocks, meaning that there is possible damage to the undercarriage (there's never an alligator around when you need one). If you're in the Portland/Clark County area you can help by volunteering to deliver the food yourself. It's an excuse to take a long drive and help people. Details below the jump. More »
down on the street
1963 GMC Suburban Carryall
I'm a little puzzled about where the "Carryall" name figured into the branding of the '63 Suburban (if this is, in fact, a '63; GMC experts, please weigh in if I'm off by a year or two), but there's no doubt in my mind that this is what an SUV should be. Yes, Detroit took a serious wrong turn when they convinced Americans that passenger vehicles built on truck chassis needed leather upholstery and TV sets, killing the appeal of both the station wagon and the plastic-rococo luxury barge in the process. More »
detroit auto show
Gwen "Chevrolet" Stefani, We Can Totally Out-Product Place Your Skinny Ass
I don't know if anyone else has seen the new
custom cars/hot rods
Riding the Post-Apocalypse in Style, Greenness: Ai Design's Biodiesel Chevy Suburban Show Truck
The third in a trifecta of showcase cars from NY local boys, Ai Design, is a Chevy Suburban that would be a perfect complement to the Official Jalopnik Unibomber Shack(TM). Ai Founder Matt Figliola calls it a "post-apocalyptic road rider." The tricky truck started life as a 2002 Suburban gas V8 (Chevy didn't offer Duramax diesels that year). It was fitted for oil burning by a Colorado outfit, Duramax Suburban, with the engine modified to sustain biofuel's more corrosive properties (we did not know this was a problem). Then Ai installed a mess of performance tweaks, including transmission, turbochargers, exhaust system, fuel injection, and ECU mods. Next stage, Brembo brakes and 12" lift kit, followed by an entirely custom interior with carbon-fiber trim and switches for everything from the climate control to the engine management system relocated to a hand-fabricated console. Finally, it's Alpine F-1 audio, satellite antenna and enough AV tech to keep the Jalopniks on the road, and out of the shack, permanently. Or until Lord Humungus gets all the biofuel. More »
hybrids
CNET Shows Off How To Upgrade A Prius For 100 mpg
Yes, the story isn't like brain science here. Add a few more lithium batteries to a Prius and the mpg rating goes up. What is interesting is this is basically now a plug in hybrid that still uses gas. The original plug-in electric cars were generally derided because of their inflexible use. The big question is whether you could still take your plug-in Prius cross country without plugging in and still get your regular mileage. Commuting daily you get a definite advantage but you'd be held hostage. Oh one company has also turned a Chevy Suburban into a plugged in hybrid. Is this the future? Going back to the 1980s and plugging the car in? More »
news
Jay Leno Goin' For Sweaty Mansex In a Suburban
The trek up from Pedro to the Convention Center took a tad longer than we expected this morning, and missed arriving in time to catch Jay Leno's arrival onstage in a Z06 Daytona pace car, which he'll pilot during the next running of the 500. The paint job was stupid. Mark LaNeve played straight man to Leno's goofball, and after saying that he thought bi-fuel vehicles would go over well in California because he has a lot of friends that're bi, he went for the biggie in the run-up to the launch of the new-and-ugly Suburban and Yukon XL. More »
news
GM Debuts Largest GMC, Chevrolet SUVs in Los Angeles
GM picked the Los Angeles show today to launch its redesigned GMC Yukon XL and Chevrolet Suburban SUVs — the latest of its GMT-900 full-sized trucks for 2007 to break cover. If the press releases give any indication, the Yukon is the slick, powerful one and the Suburban is its safer than milk counterpart, with a "360-degree perimeter safety system" that includes roof-mounted head curtain side air bags with rollover protection, front-seat safety belt pretensioners and traction control. We love marketing. Click through for more pics. More »
spy photos
Spy Photos: 2007 Chevrolet Suburban
To awkwardly paraphrase the retail pizza industry, you've seen all the rest, now see the biggest. The Car Connection has a bunch of shots featuring the newest release among GM's GMT-900 full-sized trucks for 2007, the Chevrolet Suburban, clad in a typical leather bustier and chaps. It pretty much looks like you'd expect it to, having already seen its Tahoe sibling, so we won't mind if you don't even bother to click through. But go ahead, we know you can't resist. More »
8:15 AM on Mon Nov 14 2005
By Mike Spinelli
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