Ram Patents Retractable Pickup-Truck Bed Ramps

 Repost from original article by Robert Sorokanich on Car and Driver

July 15, 2015 at 1:02 pm by Robert Sorokanich 

Original post on CAR AND DRIVER 

Ram Trucks recently received a patent for a truly brilliant, if so far nonexistent, pickup-truck feature: fold-out ramps integrated into the bed of a pickup truck. Damn, why didn’t we think of this?

The patent, titled “Adjustable Loading Ramp System for a Vehicle” and awarded on June 30, was noticed by a tipster who forwarded the info along to the Mopar-mad folks over at Allpar, who first reported on the finding. It describes a system featuring two slide-out ramps that stow in the floor of the pickup bed and also lock into channels at the far end of the folded-down tailgate. Sliders allow the user to adjust the width of the ramps to fit the vehicle being loaded in or out.

Now, there’s a long road between patent and production, and automakers often file patents on ideas that they never end up bringing to market. Sometimes, the design challenges are too great to overcome, while other times automakers patent something simply to prevent competitors from using that particular idea. For instance, Ram’s patent for a two-way tailgate that can hinge from the bottom or the side hasn’t yet appeared in dealerships. And we see at least one unanswered challenge in the design proposed by the patent sketches: It seems like stowing the ramps would be difficult if your cargo was situated over the channels (i.e., if your quad’s tires were resting inside them).

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Regardless, we love seeing automakers come up with novel solutions to make it easier to use hard-working vehicles as they were intended to be used. Here’s hoping Ram can bring this idea to production—and help save the backs of the folks who use their trucks to haul vehicles for work and for play.

Six Ways to Customize your 2015 Jeep® Cherokee with Mopar Accessories

Can’t wait to get your new 2015 Jeep® Cherokee out on the trails when the weather warms up? We don’t blame you. While you’re waiting for Old Man Winter to finally move out, spend some time adding a few Mopar accessories to your Cherokee that’ll be great to put to the test this summer.

All-Weather Slush Mats

The snowy season may be winding down, but that doesn’t mean the outdoor slush and mud will stop anytime soon. Protect the interior of your 2015 Cherokee with these slush mats.

Jeep® Cargo Management System

Keep all your gear organized and ready to go with this cargo management system in the back of your 2015 Jeep Cherokee.

Door Sill Guards

Add these guards to the interior of your 2015 Jeep Cherokee to help protect your vehicle from the wear and tear of your everyday adventures.

Front Stabilizer Bar and Rear Stabilizer Bar

Thinking about modifying the suspension on your 2015 Jeep Cherokee? Adding stabilizer bars to your vehicle can help reduce the sway of your vehicle during a tight turn.

Rock Rails

With Mopar rock rails, you can explore the toughest trails with confidence. These rails run along the side of your vehicle to help protect it from any obstacles you may encounter during your off-road excursions.

Removable Roof Rack

Need a little extra storage space on your next adventure? Add this Thule roof rack to the roof of your 2015 Jeep Cherokee to help haul all your extra luggage and equipment.

Have you already added a few Mopar accessories to your 2015 Jeep Cherokee? Let us know which parts you love in the comments section below!

NEW F-150 RAPTOR WRAPS UP INITIAL DESERT DURABILITY TESTING

 JUL 7, 2015 | DEARBORN, MICH. From Ford Media Blog

 – The 2017 F-150 Raptor – Ford’s toughest, smartest, most capable off-road truck ever – recently completed more than 1,000 miles of testing in the southwestern United States.

Over 1,028 miles of desert trail designed to parallel the Baja race course in Mexico, the 66-mile route featured a wide range of surfaces including fast sandy washes, deep-rutted silt beds, steep climbs in deep sand, and slow meticulous crawls through tight trenches. The truck topped speeds of 100 mph in places, slowing to 10 mph in others, for an average speed of approximately 50 mph. The 2017 Raptor is 25 percent faster than the current truck based on lap times.

At the end of each lap, the new Raptor completed a tabletop jump consisting of a steep ramp up to a two-foot plateau, then a step-off back to level ground. The vehicles tested were early build prototypes made from a mix of 2015 F-150 and 2017 F-150 Raptor components.
As is the case with all Built Ford Tough trucks, Ford engineers pushed the new Raptor harder in a few days than it will be pushed over the lifetime of a typical vehicle – far exceeding what an owner would do on the trail.

Testing of the next Raptor, first revealed earlier this year, continues into 2016. The 2017 F-150 Raptor goes on sale in fall 2016.

What Makes The New Ford Mustang Shelby GT350 So Good At The Track | New & Used Auto Dealer

On the previous generation Mustang—and particularly with the Boss 302 Laguna Seca Edition—Ford Motor Company engineers demonstrated just how capable they could make a vehicle with a live rear axle.

And while current Mustangs sport independent rear suspension, the Ford Performance team took the setup another big step forward. Its Ponies will now pack the potent MagneRide system—developed by Delphi Automotive and first used on the Cadillac Seville STS—which uses dampers filled with iron-infused hydraulic fluid and electric current to make thousands of tiny suspension adjustments per second. Today, MagneRide is seen on everything from the C7 Corvette and Cadillac's ATS-V, to uber exotics like the Ferrari 458.

That's a big step up from a bit of kit which wouldn't be out of place on a farm truck.

To insure drivers get all the performance the trick tech can offer, Ford Performance went and made the Mustang's already-stiff chassis even stiffer by adding an aluminum tower brace and carbon reinforcements in the grill opening. Of course, if you're going to go, you're going to want to stop, so beefy Brembo calipers—six-piston in the front, four in the rear—are mated to massive cross-drilled rotors—394- front, and 380-millimeter rear—at each corner. According to the press material, they're "the largest rotors Ford has ever put on a production Mustang."

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Chevrolet Impala’s Dark Side: Midnight Edition Heads to Production | New & Used Auto Dealer

Chevrolet announced today it will sell a special edition blacked-out package for the Chevrolet Impala based on a concept shown at the 2014 SEMA Show in Las Vegas.

Arriving in dealerships early this summer, the Impala Midnight Edition is outfitted to give the full-size sedan a more dramatic, sinister look.

“Since its introduction in 2014, Impala has become a benchmark for Chevrolet car design,” said Steve Majoros, Chevrolet director of car marketing. “The Midnight Edition further strengthens the Impala’s dramatic, head-turning styling.”

The Midnight Edition includes:
Jet Black exterior, including body color mirrors
19-inch machine-faced aluminum wheels with black accents
Black grille and surround
Front and rear black Chevrolet bowtie
Jet Black interior
Sport pedals
Black rear spoiler.

Customers can purchase the Midnight Edition package on 1LT, 2LT and LTZ trim levels. Package prices range from $995 to $1,595 above the starting retail price.

The Impala Midnight Edition will be available with a choice of two powertrains – the standard 2.5L iVLC with stop/start technology and a 3.6L V-6 that is the most powerful naturally aspirated engine in the segment.

The Midnight Edition will be available for the 2016 model year, although a small number of 2015 Midnight Editions will be produced in the 2LT trim level with the standard 2.5L engine.

Since the Chevrolet Impala’s redesign in 2014, it has been named the Cars.com Best Car of 2014 and one of Kelley Blue Book’s 12 Best Family Cars for 2014.

Buick Introduces 2016 Enclave Tuscan Edition | New & Used Auto Dealer

 

Bronze accents distinguish crossover that ignited brand’s renaissance

Buick today introduced the 2016 Enclave Tuscan Edition – a more distinctive expression of the popular crossover, highlighted by a bronze-tone grille and 20-inch chrome-clad wheels with bronze accents.

The Enclave sparked Buick’s renaissance eight years ago and continues to fuel its momentum, with 2015 sales building on record sales of 62,300 in 2014.

“Buick’s quality, refinement and style continues to attract more customers and this modern resurgence started with Enclave,” said Duncan Aldred, vice president of Buick. “It was a pioneer for three-row luxury crossovers and remains one of the segment’s most popular. The new Tuscan Edition celebrates Enclave’s achievement and rewards owners with a higher level of distinction.”

The 2016 Buick Enclave Tuscan will be on display at the New York International Auto Show and goes on sale this summer on the Leather (1SL) and Premium (1SN) trims. It is offered in three premium exterior colors: White Frost Tricoat, Dark Chocolate Metallic and Ebony Twilight Metallic.

2015 Ford F-150 Earns 5-Star Top Government Crash Rating | New & Used Auto Dealer

2015 FORD F-150 EARNS 5-STAR TOP GOVERNMENT CRASH RATINGS FOR ALL CAB CONFIGURATIONS AND CRASH TESTS

 

The all-new Ford F-150 has earned the government’s highest possible crash safety rating – adding to the F-150’s strengths as the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever.

The 2015 F-150 is the only full-size, light-duty truck to earn NHTSA’s highest rating, a 5-star crash test rating, for the driver and passenger for all crash test modes and cab configurations – SuperCrew, SuperCab and Regular Cab.

F-150’s improved performance is enabled by up to a 700-pound weight savings through the use of high-strength steel in the frame; high-strength, military-grade, aluminum alloy in the body; and smart engineering.

A cross-functional group comprised of Ford truck product development veterans and researchers worked to optimize vehicle weight savings and manufacturing design to deliver improved durability, capability, fuel economy and crashworthiness. The team created 31 safety-related innovations including new structures, materials and joining methods that were tested virtually with supercomputer simulations, then retested in Ford’s advanced laboratories to engineer the safest F-150 ever.