The 2011 Ford F-150 will be the first full-size pickup truck offered with standard electric power steering instead of conventional hydraulic assisted turning.

EPS offers up to a four percent improvement in fuel economy by getting rid of the losses that come from operating a hydraulic pump, a nearly infinite tuning of steering feel and the elimination of hydraulic steering fluid and hoses.

Until recently, EPS systems were available only in smaller cars and crossovers because the components weren't strong or efficient enough to meet the higher front axle steering loads of pickup trucks. Only GM's 2009-11 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra Two-Mode Hybrid pickups offered EPS because their powerful (and unique) 42-volt electrical architectures provided enough energy to support the feature.

Whereas a hydraulic power steering system uses an engine-driven pump and pressurized hydraulic fluid to help turn a truck's wheels and reduce driver effort, EPS replaces the hydraulic pump and fluid with an electromechanical motor-driven connection to the steering system.

And whereas a hydraulic steering pump always requires power, even when the truck is traveling in a straight line, EPS requires power only during steering maneuvers, which helps make the vehicle more fuel efficient.

According to Ford’s 2011 F-150 order guides, sent to dealers last week in the U.S. and Canada, EPS will be standard for trucks equipped with the new 3.7-liter V-6, 5.0-liter V-8 and 3.5-liter EcoBoost V-6 engines.

EPS won’t be available for specialty models, like the Ford F-150 SVT Raptor and Harley-Davidson F-150, that are equipped with the heavier large displacement 6.2-liter V-8. They’ll stick with conventional hydraulic steering.

The latest Ford half-ton will also receive several other notable improvements.

• New tilt and telescoping steering is standard on FX and Lariat models
• An electronic-locking rear differential is available for multiple models, not just the dedicated FX4 and Raptor off-road trucks
• The Lariat Limited model is confirmed for 2011, with unique wheels and interior trim.

[Source: 2011 Ford Order Guide, H/T to PowerKid]

The 2011 Chevrolet Cruze compact sedan will get an EPA-estimated 26/36 mpg city/highway when fitted with the base 1.8-liter four-cylinder and a six-speed manual transmission. With a six-speed automatic, the rating drops to 22/35 mpg. The Cruze takes regular gas.

The Cruze's manual transmission rating is a little bit better than the rating of a comparable 2010 Honda Civic (26/34 mpg), but the automatic rating isn't as good as the Civic's (25/36 mpg). Meanwhile, the 2010 Toyota Corolla's manual-transmission rating of 26/35 mpg with its base engine is nearly identical to the Cruze's rating, but the Corolla's automatic-transmission rating of 26/34 mpg offers notably better city fuel economy.

Chevrolet also revealed that Cruze sedans with the optional turbocharged 1.4-liter four-cylinder – which goes in LT and LTZ trim levels – will get 24/36 mpg with a six-speed automatic. The turbo four-cylinder will also be offered with a six-speed manual in what Chevrolet calls the Cruze Eco, but its official gas mileage estimates have yet to be released. The automaker will only say that this engine and transmission combination is expected to achieve a 40 mpg highway rating.

2011|Chevrolet|Cruze

U.S. car shoppers appear to be getting back on track with their car loans.

There has been a 19.7% drop in past due payments in the first half of this year, according to TransUnion, a credit bureau that tracks the national 60-day delinquency rate for auto loans. TransUnion defines delinquency as being past due on a car loan for more than 60 days.

Average auto debt rose to $12,643 from $12,501, a 1.13% increase. A rise in loan amounts is one reflection of lenders increased wiliness to lend. Auto originations increased by 18.7%, which is the largest increase in new loans since the recession began in 2007, TransUnion found.

These changes have a lot to do with the continuing strengthening of the U.S. economy, which expanded by 1.6% in the second quarter.

Year over year, late payments have dropped nationally by 27.4%, the largest decline since summer 2001, according to TransUnion.

It’s important to note that delinquency in auto financing is very low already, with only 0.53% of auto loans being 60 days behind. In comparison, the U.S. mortgage delinquency rate stood at 9.85% in the second quarter, according to the Mortgage Bankers Association.

Infiniti has confirmed – and provided a few photos (above and below) — that it will debut the company’s first hybrid model at this fall’s Los Angeles Auto Show.

Unfortunately, we don’t have much information on the new M35's hybrid powertrain, but Infiniti does say the hybrid “promises V-8 performance with four-cylinder fuel economy — without compromising driving excitement or trunk space.”

Just looking at the images, there don’t appear to be any cosmetic changes for improved aerodynamics such as different wheels or a redesigned front bumper and grille.

The 2012 Infiniti M Hybrid goes on sale this spring. For now, check out the pictures below and click on them for larger versions.

However, there are changes even to the sticker of gas-powered cars that shoppers of a Toyota Prius or a Corvette will need to pay attention to.

The sticker on the left is by far the more radical of the two, introducing not just a letter grade to rate the vehicle against an average of all vehicles across both its segment and all classes, but also a monetary figure of how much money it will save you over five years versus that average. The average fuel cost over five years is $10,000. Using that calculation, the average mileage the EPA is using is 22 mpg combined, or the combined mileage of a V-6 powered 2011 Ford Mustang.

The sticker on the right shows only the annual fuel cost without the savings figure. They both have a scale showing how the combined mileage rates against all cars. They differ when showing how the vehicle in question compares against its own segment. The label on the left lists in-class mileage as plain text separate from that scale; the label on the right adds that class’ parameter to the scale itself.

Note, the best mileage is 103 mpg. What car gets that mileage?

None. That figure stems from the new sticker and ratings for electric vehicles that you can see below. The EPA has determined an equivalent mileage rating called “MPGe” or MPG equivalent that is calculated as 33.7 kilowatt-hours being the equivalent of 1 gallon. A 1,000-watt hair dryer generates 1 kwh for an actual hour of use. So this is using the equivalent of 33.7 hours of running a hair dryer for 1 MPGe.

We’re not sure if the EPA will change the top end of the scale’s 103 mpg as new technology increases figure. Labels for alternative-fuel vehicles are unique from the standard labels for gasoline and diesel vehicles. There is a specific label for electric vehicles, plug-in electric-hybrids, natural gasoline vehicles and flex-fuel vehicles that can run on E85 fuel.

The electric and the plug-in hybrid stickers also include a range for the vehicles when fully charged or for the full-charge plus the extended range of a plug-in’s gasoline power source. They also show the amount of time it takes to fully charge the vehicles, but they don’t explain if that is via a standard 110-volt outlet or the larger 220-volt outlets commonly used for electric and plug-in vehicles.

All labels also add a new figure for gallons per 100 miles driven. Many advocates have championed this as a more accurate alternative to the typical mpg figure. Now it seems, consumers will see both.

All labels show environmental impact of the vehicles in terms of greenhouse gasses and other pollutants.
 

You can view all the stickers below with both versions, and you can enlarge them by clicking on them, the current label is shown above. The EPA is asking for comments from the public on these new stickers for the next 60 days, so go ahead and let the EPA know which version you like better here.

Just a year and a half after opening its doors, well-known Southern California diesel repair house OC Diesel Shop celebrated its booming business with a party for its customers this past weekend.

“We started in 2008, and since then we’ve had to double the size of our garage,” said Bud Anderson, OC Diesel’s founder. “The party was a chance to give back to our customers. It’s some good news in a down economy.”

More than 400 people attended the event, which included a portable dyno where high-powered oil burners showed off tons of horsepower and torque. Chevy Silverado, Dodge Ram, Ford F-Series Super Duty and GMC Sierra owners all had a good time.

OC Diesel has five mechanics that specialize in Cummins, Duramax and Power Stroke engines. The shop is in Mission Viejo, Calif., and it’s worth checking out if you have a diesel repair need for your heavy-duty pickup or if you want to add more power with an aftermarket mod.

Even though Chrysler pulled the plug on the Two-Mode hybrid version of the Ram 1500 half-ton pickup earlier this year, it's full speed ahead for a plug-in electric version, as seen in pictures just caught by our spies and confirmed as the PEV Ram prototypes by Chrysler sources.

Close-up of the plug-in port used to recharge the batteries off the electric grid. The system is similar to the Chevy Volt's powertrain.

Chrysler is using a modified version of the Two-Mode hybrid transmission (manufactured by GM) to develop a test group of extended-range electric Rams as part of a $48 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. The vehicles — paired with a 5.7-liter Hemi V-8 and 12-kilowatt-hour lithium-ion battery — are capable of up to 20 miles of zero-emission, all-electric range without gasoline. Overall fuel economy is expected to improve by more than 65 percent for average drive cycles.

The 2011 Hyundai Tucson gets a new GL base trim level, with a smaller engine that reduces the starting price by $250 to $18,745 (last year’s GLS model started at $18,995), not including destination charges. Along with that, the existing GLS and Limited trims get significant content upgrades for 2011.

Indian automaker Mahindra & Mahindra has received official certification from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that allows its compact diesel pickups to be sold in the U.S.

“The EPA just certified Mahindra,” an EPA representative confirmed to PickupTrucks.com this morning. “It's for their diesel pickup for the 2011 model year.”

Emissions certification was one of largest hurdles facing Mahindra and its American distributor, Global Vehicles USA. It became a point of contention between the two companies after numerous delays launching the truck in the U.S. Mahindra and GV USA are currently in litigation over the delays.

“We're very excited about getting certification,” said Max Butler, vice president of marketing for Global Vehicles USA. “Our dealers are excited as well. This is great news.”

Mahindra TR20 and TR40 pickups reportedly will be offered in two cab
configurations: a two-door regular cab and a four-door crew cab. Both
will use a slightly modified version of Mahindra's mHawk 2.2-liter
inline-four-cylinder diesel engine that uses diesel exhaust fluid (urea) selective catalytic reduction to maintain emissions compliance. It's expected to have fuel economy
ratings as high as 30 mpg and 1.3-ton hauling capability. Pricing is
expected to start around $22,000.