*Seems you can sell just about anything on the Internet these days, even parking spaces. Chicago-based ParkingSearch.com bills itself as the "first commercially available Web-based search engine and marketplace for buyers, renters, and sellers of parking spaces nationally." We haven't spent much time in the Windy City recently, but the parking situation must be just hideous.
*Nissan will unveil two trucks at the New York Auto Show in April. One will be a crew-cab version of the Titan pickup, the other a fullsize sport/utility based on the same platform.
*We're not sure what the judges were thinking, but the Volvo XC 90 (in our minds a tall station wagon) was voted North American Truck of the Year by a panel of U.S. automotive journalists. How that mom-mobile beat the H2 is anybody's guess.
*Toyota is going Winston Cup racing. That's right, the Japanese automaker has announced it will field a Camry with a carbureted V-8 in the 2007 season. As a warm-up, Toyota is building a Tundra-bodied racer for the '04 Craftsman Truck racing series.
*Jeep wins. J.D. Power and Associates ranked Jeep.com highest on its 2002 Manufacturer Web Site Evaluation Study, lauding the site for its "usefulness to consumers in the areas of navigation, appearance/presentation, and relevance of information provided."
*VW has announced pricing for its upcoming Touareg SUV. Prices for the 3.2L V-6 model will start at $34,900, while the 4.2L V-8 model will begin at $40,700. Sounds like a lot of dough for a VW, but it is substantially less than the $55,900 Porsche is asking for its base Cayenne S model. (You don't even want to know how close to $100K the turbo model is.) The Porsche and VW SUVs share a common platform, though as you might guess the performance envelope of the Porsche is much higher.
*More VW news: In its pricing release, the maker offered this handy pronunciation guide for its SUV. Now, repeat after us: "tour-regg." One journalist we spoke with said the best way to say that last syllable is to pretend you're a cat hocking up a hairball.
*Speaking of pricey, um, pricing, Chevrolet has announced the MSRP for its retro-convertible SSR pickup. How does $41,995 strike you? Yeah. Ouch.
*Where do you go to be safe in a tornado? According to the American Meteorological Society, not in a mobile home or outdoors. Duh. Instead, climb into a minivan. Recent studies by the society showed that it took winds of 115 to 150 mph to tip over a sedan, and 130 to 180 mph winds to tip a minivan, even after tilting the suspension five degrees over on its side.
Lexus Accepts 4x4 of the Year Trophy in DetroitWith all the work behind us, it was time to award the hardware. A very happy Denny Clements of Lexus accepted the 2003 4x4 of the Year trophy from Truck Group Director Jim Ryan and Editor Rick Pw on behalf of the winning vehicle, the Lexus GX 470. Ryan and Pw braved bitter Midwest cold (not to mention the food on Northwest Airlines) to make the presentation in January at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit.
This was the first time Lexus has won the prestigious award, which goes to the best overall 4x4 for the new model year. The all-new GX 470 topped the largest-ever field in the competition's history, as 16 vehicles battled for the coveted ring-and-pinion trophy. Coverage of the test appeared in our Feb. '03 issue.
Recalls
If you own one of the following vehicles and haven't been notified by the maker that your vehicle is under recall, get yourself down to your local dealer to find out if the recall affects your 4x4.
*'02 Chevy TrailBlazer/GMC Envoy: Some of these SUVs are missing welds on the rear floor plan. In a crash, the missing welds could degrade performance of the third row seat and safety belt anchorage, and occupants could receive greater injuries. Dealers will inspect the vehicle for missing welds. If they are found, GM will exchange the vehicle for an equivalent vehicle or provide a refund of the purchase price.