THE 2015 COLORADO GEARON™ SPECIAL EDITION

Motor Trends’s 2015 Truck of the Year® now comes with everything an outdoor enthusiast could want with the Colorado GearOn™ Special Edition.

The Colorado GearOn Special Edition starts with the best available V6 fuel economy†, towing† and payloadcapacities†. From there, Colorado takes things a step further with the patented GearOn cargo system. GearOn’s reconfigurable cross rails, bed divider and tie-down rings allow you to store bikes, skis and snowboards above the bed, giving you room to store smaller gear below.

The GearOn Special Edition will be available Spring 2015, and is offered on Colorado LT models, Extended or Crew Cab, 2WD or 4WD, Short or Long Box, and includes:

• GearOn bars package
• GearOn cargo divider
• GearOn cargo tie-down rings
• Spray-on bedliner
• EZ Lift & Lower tailgate
• Off-road assist steps
• Gloss Black 18-inch wheels
• Black Chevy bowtie on front grille and rear tailgate
• Body-color grille
• Front foglamps
• Rear window defogger
• Remote engine start

For more on the numerous ways you can configure your bed with GearOn, check out the video below.

POLARIS INDUSTRIES INC. ANNOUNCES HIRING OF MICHAEL SPEETZEN AS EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, FINANCE AND CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (July 13, 2015) – Polaris Industries Inc. (NYSE: PII) today announced that Michael Speetzen has been appointed Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, effective August 3rd, replacing the retiring Mike Malone. Speetzen has been CFO of Xylem Inc. since 2011, leading the finance organization of a company that does business in over 150 countries and generated 2014 revenue of over $3.9B.

“Mike Speetzen has just about done it all in his 20+ years as a finance professional and business leader. He has taken a spinoff company public, championed billions of dollars’ worth of M&A activity, mastered the intricacies of transacting international business, developed tremendous capital market and treasury insight, and generated significant stakeholder value for both public and private corporations,” said Scott Wine, Polaris Chairman and CEO. “Mike’s combination of world-class financial planning and analysis, strategic acumen and strong leadership will play a huge role in Polaris’ continued growth, and his proven commitment to improving the bottom line will ensure that we meet our strategic objective of profitable growth.”

Wine continued, “We are extremely grateful for the extraordinary career and significant contributions of Mike Malone, who has announced his intention to retire after over 30 years with Polaris, and are confident that Speetzen will hit the ground running thanks to the strong team and robust financial systems and processes developed, implemented and refined during the Malone era.”

Prior to Speetzen’s role as CFO at Xylem Inc., a publicly-traded spinoff of ITT Corporation’s water services businesses, he served as CFO of ITT Fluid and Motion Controls. From 2007 to 2009 Speetzen was CFO of StandardAero, a privately-owned aerospace company. Mike spent 12 years in positions of increasing responsibility with Honeywell International, formerly AlliedSignal.

Mike, his wife Julie, and their four daughters will be transitioning from Connecticut to the Minneapolis area in the coming weeks. He and his family lead an active, high energy lifestyle. He is also active in the community, having previously served on the local boards of both the YMCA and the Partnership for a Drug Free America. Mike earned his Bachelor’s in Management from Purdue, and his MBA from Thunderbird.

About Polaris®

Polaris is a recognized leader in the powersports industry with annual 2014 sales of $4.5 billion. Polaris designs, engineers, manufactures and markets innovative, high quality off-road consumer and military vehicles, including all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and the Polaris RANGER® and RZR® side-by-side vehicles, snowmobiles, motorcycles and on-road electric/hybrid powered vehicles.

Polaris is among the global sales leaders for both snowmobiles and off-road vehicles and has established a presence in the heavyweight cruiser and touring motorcycle market with the Victory® and Indian Motorcycle®and Slingshot® brands. Additionally, Polaris continues to invest in the global Work and Transportation vehicle industry with Global Electric Motorcars (GEM), Goupil Industrie SA, Aixam Mega S.A.S., and internally developed vehicles. Polaris enhances the riding experience with a complete line of Polaris Engineered Parts, Accessories and Apparel, Klim branded apparel and ORV accessories under the Kolpin®, Cycle Country®and Pro Armor® brands.

Polaris Industries Inc. trades on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol “PII”, and the Company is included in the S&P Mid-Cap 400 stock price index.

Information about the complete line of Polaris products, apparel and vehicle accessories are available at Sonju Two Harbors. 

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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• Ram Patents Split Pickup Tailgate That Opens Eight Different Ways
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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."

Sonju Superstore ... a full service Ford dealership ... Sonju Superstore's Award winning Ford dealer. Serving Duluth MN and Two Harbors, Minnesota. Sonju Superstore specializes in serving the MN metro area's of Duluth MN, Hermantown , MN and Two Harbors, Minnesota. Sonju Superstore Firmly believes that Low competitive Ford pricing, Superior service and our award winning employees will continue to earn your business year after year. Sonju Superstore provides the best new and used car inventory for all residents of Duluth, Carlton and Two Harbors, Minnesota. Our knowledgeable sales staff will provide you with a no obligation * No haggle price quote up front.

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.