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The SSI Dual-Shear M160 Two-Shaft shredder can employ anywhere from 300 to 600 horsepower to turn two 33.5-inch, counter-rotating cutters. It’s The Terminator with less charm, as far as shredders go, and it is recommended for eliminating objects including steel drums, demolition waste and, humorously, paper and cardboard.

Some folks with a video camera decided to tinker with the hydraulic-drive variant of the M160, feeding it things like a refrigerator, a couch, and a six-foot-tall industrial OTR truck tire. Follow the jump for the quick video, and the most mesmerizing waste of time we’ve discovered so far this year.

Continue reading Watch one of the world’s most powerful shredders eat a six-foot tall truck tire

Watch one of the world’s most powerful shredders eat a six-foot tall truck tire

The L.L.Bean Bootmobile is perhaps the diametric opposite of the Oscar Mayer Weinermobile, promoting outdoor activity instead of consumption of sodium and saturated-fat-laden sausages. The well-known maker of high quality outdoor goods is celebrating its 100th anniversary, and the Bootmobile has been created as a way to celebrate the product that helped start it all.

After being unveiled to L.L. Bean employees at the Brunswick, Maine facility where the boots are made, the wheeled boot tribute is headed to Times Square to kick off a nationwide anniversary tour. The tour is intended to inspire people to frolic outdoors and L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery School guides will be traveling with the Bootmobile to help people learn how to do so.

Most important to auto enthusiasts might be what’s underneath it all. The underlying truck is a Ford F-250 Super Duty Diesel, and piled atop that base is a fiberglass body that stands 13 feet tall. Das Boot equates to a Size 747 bit of footwear – that’s the perfect size for a 143-foot tall person, but they are too big for the Statue of Liberty. Echo Artz of Florida handled the design and build process, first sculpting the body in foam and then laying the fiberglass and paying obsessive attention to the details along the way. L.L. Bean officials declined to tell us how much the unique build cost them, calling the Bootmobile “priceless.”

It’s a big way to celebrate a company that started as the result of cold, wet feet after a hunting trip. Check out a neat video and the official press release after the jump.

Continue reading L.L. Bean celebrates century of mucking about with Bootmobile [w/video]

L.L. Bean celebrates century of mucking about with Bootmobile [w/video]

Americans are driving their vehicles longer, as the average age of vehicles has nearly hit 11 years, according to a new study by Polk. Blame a wretched economy and more reliable modern automobiles, but cars and trucks continue to stay on the road much longer than they did 15 years ago, when the average age was just 8.4 years.

According to a report in The Detroit News, there are other reasons for the change, including a decline in the number of miles driven last year and improved resistance to rust and corrosion. Regardless of the reason for the record-setting age of our American fleet, the news has the auto industry salivating at the prospect of boom times ahead. The National Automobile Dealers Association is predicting that new vehicle sales this year will hit 13.9 million.

“The economy, unemployment are still going to be stubborn, but there’s so much pent-up demand I think the industry is going to have an awesome year,” Toyota President and CEO Jim Lentz told the Detroit News.

How old is your ride? We know that Autoblog readers have more cars than the average consumer, so join our poll below by answering how old your daily driver is.

View Poll

Average age of car is record-setting 10.8 years old [w/poll]

Pickup trucks and demolition are like the Reese’s Cups in a Manly Man’s diet: two great tastes that taste great together. John Watson Chevrolet in Utah whipped up its own treat when it needed to accelerate the deconstruction of its old building, grabbing four Silverado pickups of various specification to do the destructive honors.

Whether or not the trucks in question had help from a certain orange excavator lurking in the background is beside the point – pretend demolition can be just as much fun as the real thing. You can get a glimpse of the tire smoking action in the video after the jump.

Continue reading Utah Chevy dealer calls on new pickups to help remodel showroom

Utah Chevy dealer calls on new pickups to help remodel showroom

The mid-size pickup truck segment should get a much-needed shot in the arm when the global Chevrolet Colorado reaches our shores in the near future. We’re not exactly sure when the Colorado will be built and sold here, but thanks to its 2011 reveal we have a good idea of what it will look like. We also don’t know any specs for the North American model, and we haven’t received confirmation whether a GMC variant will follow to replace the current Canyon model.

Car and Driver reports that General Motors President Mark Reuss still won’t confirm a GMC spinoff, but he does add that if a “Professional Grade” version of the Colorado is built, it will be very different than its Bowtie-wearing counterpart. As the current Canyon is essentially a badge-swap away from being a Chevy, the idea of increased differentiation strikes us as a welcome development. We aren’t exactly sure how much different the would-be pickup might be, but we’re guessing that Reuss is referring to more unique parts than than the front fascia and minor trim enhancements that differentiate the GMC Sierra from the Silverado.

Reuss also tells C/D that the new Colorado is surprisingly large – about 90-95 percent of the size of the Silverado, and he notes the truck will feature different powertrains. We assumed that the Colorado will feature different powertrains, and we hope that a fuel-efficient six-cylinder and a diesel offering will be available under the hood.

GMC version of Chevy Colorado to look “significantly differentiated” – if it gets built

We can’t tell you how many times we’ve each been asked about concept cars, “Why can’t I buy one of those?” Well you can. Not often, mind you, and not cheaply. But every once in a while, one of those glitzy concepts you see on a show stand comes up for sale. And now, it’s time to grab your checkbooks.

The show car (or truck, to be precise) you see here was the centerpiece of the Ford display at the 2001 Chicago Auto Show. Dubbed the F-150 Lightning Rod, it takes the formula employed by the SVT Lightning to a more stylized extent, with a chopped roofline and raked windshield, flush-fitted neon head- and tail-lights, and a minimalist interior. The whole package is finished in metallic red with a tribal tattoo motif. A 5.4-liter SOHC V8 sat under the hood, mated to a four-speed automatic. The 21-inch aluminum wheels wear tires whose tread is cut to match the tattoo pattern.

This unique concept truck is expected to fetch around $50,000 when it crosses the block at the RM Auctions event in Arizona next week, but while it’s in proper running condition, it isn’t certified to drive on public streets. Check it out the listing after the jump and browse the attached photo gallery.

Continue reading 2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept up for grabs at RM Auctions

2001 Ford F-150 Lightning Rod Concept up for grabs at RM Auctions

Here we have the kind of sleeper that’ll wake you up no time: a short-bed, four-wheel-drive Chevrolet Silverado with an LS9 from the Chevrolet Corvette ZR1. With dyno numbers of 510 horsepower and 504 pound-feet of torque, there’s a jump of at least 205 hp and 169 lb-ft over the most powerful factory engine you can get in that truck.

The result? Sound and fury, both of which you can get a taste of in the video after the jump.

Continue reading Corvette ZR1-powered Chevrolet Silverado has us feeling sleepy

Corvette ZR1-powered Chevrolet Silverado has us feeling sleepy

Every year at the Detroit Auto Show, the Eyes on Design awards honors the best designs among production vehicles and concepts debuting that year. Unlike, say, the North American International Car and Truck of the Year awards, the only vehicles eligible for an Eyes on Design award are the ones that introduce themselves to the world – well, really just North America – in Detroit.

What’s particularly interesting is that the judges for these two awards (one for production vehicles and the other for concepts) are all active or retired designers themselves, so they know a little something about the topic. This year’s group includes, among others, Volkswagen head of design Walter de Silva, President and CEO of SRT Ralph Gilles, and GM Vice President of Global Design Ed Welburn.

This year, the Eyes on Design awards were handed out to the 2013 Ford Fusion in the production category and the Lexus LF-LC in the concept category. The Fusion’s fellow finalists were the 2013 BMW 3 Series and 2013 Cadillac ATS, while the LF-LC eked out a W over the Chevrolet Tru 140S and Lincoln MKZ.

Ford Fusion, Lexus LF-LC win Eyes on Design awards

If you happen to call the East Coast home, there’s a good chance you recently woke up to plenty of winter weather. Given that we’re facing down a few long months of snow and ice ahead, we thought we’d take the time to explore one of the more interesting innovations in snow removal.

Behold the TowPlow: a steerable trailer that allows one truck to clear up to two and a half lanes of roadway in a single pass. The machinery effectively doubles the efficiency of a truck and driver, but it comes with a heady price tag. The TowPlow will set your local department of transportation back around $100,000 a pop.

The TowPlow can also be fitted to disperse sand, salt or liquid calcium chloride, which makes it a triple threat when it comes to keeping roadways free of the slippery stuff. The machine was pioneered in Missouri, but states like Pennsylvania have also taken to using the TowPlow when the worst winter weather hits. Click past the jump for a few videos of the mega plow in action.

Continue reading Missouri rolls out mother of all snow removal equipment, the TowPlow

Missouri rolls out mother of all snow removal equipment, the TowPlow

One man’s new toy can be another’s Moby Dick. Typically we’d mean that in a figurative sense, but Audi has taken things one step towards the literal – or literary – with its latest advertising spot.

The commercial centers around a Captain Ahab-like tow truck driver who has, when the roads turn white with deep snow, hooked just about everything on the road. Everything, that is, except the elusive Quattro.

The 60-second spot – called “Ahab” – features the latest A6, and is scheduled to air tomorrow during the NFL division playoffs (making it something of a junior Super Bowl ad). It will be followed by a 30-second version that will air nationally on other broadcasts, and Audi is building a broader digital content campaign around the ad as well, including a Facebook app to follow. You, however, don’t have to wait for all that to see the clever clip: just click past the jump.

Continue reading Audi goes all Herman Melville on us to highlight benefits of Quattro

Audi goes all Herman Melville on us to highlight benefits of Quattro

What Are You Willing To Sacrifice For A Low Price?

The compact car market is white-hot. The new Ford Focus, Chevrolet Cruze and Hyundai Elantra have lifted the segment to new levels of refinement while at the same time improving fuel economy to 40 miles per gallon on the highway and beyond. Instead of turning their attention back to trucks and SUVs, manufacturers are going even smaller. Automakers have begun pouring vast resources into the smaller subcompact segment, and the result has been a wealth of all-new models. The Chevrolet Sonic, Hyundai Accent and Ford Fiesta are all-new or updated and vastly superior to prior subcompacts that still linger in our memories like an unpleasant aftertaste.

Nissan has put its subcompact under the knife, too, as the 2012 Versa features all-new sheetmetal, revised powertrains and a fresh interior. The previous Versa was known for being larger and less expensive than its competition, and its sales reflected that – it’s been the most popular model in its segment. But we’ve been curious to learn if this latest redesign may help or hurt the Versa’s standing, so we borrowed the keys to a top trim 2012 Nissan Versa SL Sedan for a week to find out.

Continue reading 2012 Nissan Versa Sedan [w/video]

2012 Nissan Versa Sedan [w/video]

Nissan has good news for anyone weeping about the fact that the 2013 Pathfinder has abandoned its body-on-frame ways. The company isn’t completely ditching legitimate SUVs for the crossover crowd. According to Car and Driver, the Nissan Xterra will continue to shun a unibody design for the conceivable future. The magazine spoke with engineers familiar with the development of the Xterra who said the vehicle will share its DNA with the Nissan Frontier for years to come.

That means buyers will still be able to enjoy the vehicle’s truckish charm and legitimate off-road chops. Those who want something a little softer or smaller can turn to the automaker’s Rogue, while the 2013 Pathfinder will now offer mall-goers a suitable alternative to the Ford Explorer. The times may be changing, but for now, the Xterra isn’t.

Nissan Xterra to continue as traditional SUV

Ich bein ein Mainstreamer

Volkswagen tried building cars in the U.S. once before, and it didn’t end well for the Rabbits assembled in Westmoreland, PA. “In Vietnam, ‘Westmoreland’ was a synonym for boundless optimisim in the face of raw facts. The same principle applies here,” said my friend Mike, explaining why his Rabbits at the time were imported from Das Vaterland. The real problem with American-made VWs wasn’t Pennsylvania or a self-deluding General, Mike continued, but “mushbucket suspensions, chintzy build quality, frou-frou styling compromises,” all resulting in a sub-par experience that’s got Volks-folks with long memories wondering if we’re doomed to repeat the past.

Volkswagen wants its new 2012 Passat to disprove that trope about repeating history, and the Passat has racked up awards like the Motor Trend Car of the Year and was a North American Car of the Year finalist, lending credence to VW’s efforts. We contemplated if the United States earning its own version of the Passat makes us elite or uncultured swine in the wake of our First Drive, and so we signed out a Passat SEL with a 2.5-liter five-cylinder engine to see what the Mainstream American Sedan Songbook sounds like when delivered with a German lilt.

Continue reading 2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5L SEL Premium

2012 Volkswagen Passat 2.5L SEL Premium

Want to know how highly regarded the multiple-award winning Land Rover Range Rover Evoque is? At the recent Auto Expo in Delhi, India Maruti Suzuki showed a concept that is, to our eyes, extraordinarily reminiscent of the small English SUV – although we’ll readily admit the glasshouse is a tweaked version of the current Suzuki Swift.

Called the XA Alpha concept, some reports say that it’s underpinned by the Swift platform, while others report that the Maruti Suzuki Gypsy off-roader, based on the Jimny, provides the chassis. For comparison purposes, the XA is just a few inches shorter and narrower than an Evoque, but the same height as the Evoque four-door.

Plans for production are said to rest with audience reception, which appears to have – understandably – been quite positive. If and when a production version does arrive, you can probably kiss the suicide doors goodbye, but it is predicted to be offered with four-wheel drive and “a range of K-Series petrol engines and 1.3-liter DDIS engine.” Click the link for more photos of the flexible Indian flyer.

Suzuki shows Concept XA trucklet in Delhi

The Ford Ranger has finally been shown the door, and Nissan apparently wants to seize the opportunity to make its Frontier the the standout in what remains of the compact pickup truck segment. Though the sun has been setting on the Ranger for some time, it’s still outselling the Frontier – even after Nissan kicked up its marketing efforts as a way to grab the real estate Ford is cedeing by creating the first advertising campaign for the Frontier in four years.

That’s not to say the Frontier is doing poorly; Nissan moved more than 50,000 out the door in 2011. That’s 20,000 fewer than the Ranger’s 70,000 unit performance, and well behind the 500,000-plus F-Series pickup models Ford shifts, but the aging Frontier is the popular sister in the Nissan truck family. Just 22,000 Nissan Titan full-size pickups found a home last year, though the latter is another product that’s been languishing on the market with little marketing effort behind it. The Frontier might do better without the Ranger around regardless, but a commercial about a snowboarding truck couldn’t hurt. Check it out after the jump.

Continue reading Why has Nissan started to advertise the Frontier again? Ford killing the Ranger [w/video]

Why has Nissan started to advertise the Frontier again? Ford killing the Ranger [w/video]

The Chicago Auto Show has always sort of been known as a truck show, and because of that, many new pickups, SUVs and crossovers tend to debut in the Windy City. That in mind, it comes as no surprise to learn that General Motors plans to debut an all-new version of the GMC Acadia in Chicago next month. The Acadia, which launched in 2006 as a 2007 model, is indeed due for an overhaul, with its only major update being the addition of a Denali model (pictured) in 2011.

If you recall, the Acadia was the first of the Lambda crossovers to go on sale, alongside the now-departed Saturn Outlook. When asked about the possibility of a new Chevrolet Traverse or Buick Enclave making an appearance in Chicago, GMC Communications Manager Joe LaMuraglia stated that it “will be a GMC show,” leading us to believe that we’ll have to wait until New York or even Los Angeles to see the rest of the Lambda portfolio.

No specific details about the new Acadia were revealed at this time, nor was there any hint as to whether we’ll see just the standard CUV or whether it will be joined by a Denali version. Stay tuned for the full details next month.

Next GMC Acadia to debut at Chicago Auto Show

This afternoon at a Detroit Auto Show media roundtable event, Renault-Nissan boss Carlos Ghosn unequivocally confirmed that Nissan will build a next-generation Titan pickup. “We are going to replace it. We are going to present in every segment in the market in the United States.” Previous news stories indicated that Nissan was pursuing a new Titan, but persistent reports indicated that the automaker would pursue an outside partner for the vehicle’s development.

A subsequent Autoblog discussion with a Nissan official revealed that not only is the company developing the next-generation Titan right now – internally and without another automaker as a partner – it’s not that far off. Our source confirms that Nissan will first show the truck “in about a year’s time” and the vehicle will likely go on sale as a 2014 model, consistent with earlier reports.

One of the chief issues the current Titan has faced, according to our source, has been its limited configurability versus competitors’ offerings. But the next-generation Titan won’t make this same mistake – it will offer multiple engines and cab configurations.

Nissan first introduced the Canton, Mississippi-built Titan in 2004, but it’s suffered from slow sales and limited updates. More recently, The Japanese marque entered the North American commercial truck market with its NV van line, but in 2011, it only managed to sell around 6,500 units.

Nissan’s Ghosn directly confirms next-generation Titan pickup

The Smart team looked to none other than actor/comedian/SNL-alum Jon Lovitz to introduce its pickup truck concept. We’re not sure what is stranger: the other J-Lo at an auto show press conference or a Smart with usable bed space.

The Smart For-Us concept features a 75-horsepower electric motor that twists up 98 pound-feet of torque. The battery is a 17.6 kW/h lithium ion battery pack, which is more juice than a Chevrolet Volt. Smart promises zero to 60 times in the range of five seconds and an 80 mph top speed, which isn’t bad for a green machine with a bed. Smart claims that the battery pack can go from 20 percent charged to 80 percent in 3.5 hours, while a full juicing takes place in eight hours.

The For-Us boasts a smallish but undoubtedly handy 11.6 cubic feet of space. Smart no doubt isn’t interested in going toe-to-toe with the likes of the F-150 and the Silverado, but it’s still difficult to see such a concept model ever making its way to production.

Hit the jump to read over the press release, and feel free to peruse the live high resolution pics from the Detroit Auto Show floor.

Continue reading Smart For-Us brings truckness to the urban jungle

Smart For-Us brings truckness to the urban jungle

Compared to most SUVs-turned-mommy-mobiles, the Nissan Pathfinder has had an odd 27-year existence. Like all ‘utes, it’s first iteration was built on a truck platform, which was then followed by a unibody second generation. But unlike the rest of the pack, the third-gen Pathfinder swapped back to a body-on-frame architecture and it’s stayed that way for the last seven years.

Now the Pathfinder is swapping its underpinnings, yet again, utilizing a unibody platform that weighs “substantially less than the previous design,” houses seven seats, a new V6 and a CVT, all of which adds up to a claimed 25-percent improvement in fuel economy.

But even with all that information, Nissan is still calling this a “concept.”

Before it goes on sale later this year, we’ll get a real glimpse of the interior, which Nissan says will have more interior and cargo capacity thanks to its new platform. The outside, on the other hand, is almost a dead-ringer for the production version, with an aero-honed nose that’s much more handsome than some of Nissan’s recent snouts, along with a low beltline, a sizable greenhouse and A- and D-pillars that should lessen the blindspots that plagued the outgoing model.

We’ll have more from the floor momentarily, but until then, get the full details in the press release after the jump.

Continue reading 2012 Nissan Pathfinder Concept goes back to unibody

2012 Nissan Pathfinder Concept goes back to unibody

And now, ladies and gentlemen, the moment you’ve all been waiting for… the Car of the Year awards to rule all Car of the Year awards… the definitive selection of the very best the industry has to offer has been decided. Well, we don’t know about all that, but the votes have been tabulated and the assembled jurists (including our own Chris Paukert) have selected the 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year.

The finalists were whittled down from a list of 30 candidates to include the Ford Focus, Hyundai Elantra and Volkswagen Passat (on the car side of the equation) and the BMW X3, Honda CR-V and Range Rover Evoque (on the truck side, despite them all being car-based crossovers). And after (what we hope was) careful consideration, the panelists have selected the Elantra and the Evoque as the overall winners.

The awards will undoubtedly sit proudly atop the mantles at both Hyundai and Jaguar Land Rover’s headquarters, but will surely be received with particular jubilation by Range Rover, which has won the award for the first time in this, its largest market.

Hyundai Elantra, Range Rover Evoque named 2012 North American Car and Truck of the Year