The show kicks off at a General Motors party where you can see the unveiling of GM's Jon Moss concept vehicles. Then our multimedia studio will deliver the sights, sounds and innovations of this everything-automotive megashow, open only to automotive industry manufacturers and dealers. You'll have the opportunity to see the products and behind-the-scenes action of more than a thousand vendors covering a staggering 620,000 square feet of floor space. Plus, you can vote online for your favorite project vehicles.
Check out the show schedule at 4wheeloffroad.com for 2001. Once the show begins there will be nearly real-time coverage with exciting sneak peeks at all the products you'll see next year.
And watch for special post-SEMA Show coverage in the pages of an upcoming issue.
Campfire Talk
Construction is underway to double Toyota's light-truck building capacity at the Princeton, Indiana, plant. The $800 million renovation will allow the manufacturer to command a greater portion of the U.S. automobile market.
Cummins will be the exclusive supplier of diesel engines for 2500 and 3500 Dodge pickup models. Cummins said that the latest contract would go through the '03 model year.
Dieter Zetsche, CEO of the Chrysler group, said that the Jeep Grand Cherokee will share a considerable number of components with the Mercedes-Benz sport/utilities. Interchangeable components might include transmission, transfer case, and/or braking systems.
You're only 15 once. But you can relive your driver's education days by taking a Ford-sponsored "How to drive an SUV safely" course. The course, designed to boost trust in the Ford brand, will be taught by a driver's training firm in Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. Top Driver Inc. is expected to commence the safety courses in October 2001.
Daimler-Chrysler will produce an electric hybrid Dodge Ram. The electric pickup will target "professional-grade" people like contractors and the like. The combustion/electric motor can be used to generate electricity at a construction site and will use 15 percent less fuel than its combustion-only siblings.
When you hear the words Isuzu Rodeo, it is never next to the word diesel, but that may be just what Isuzu Motors Ltd. has in mind. Isuzu is considering producing a diesel-powered Rodeo for 2004. Isuzu is one of the world's largest makers of diesel engines, and it helped design the GM Duramax diesel.
It won't be long until automakers decide to switch to a clutchless transmission. How else would you be able to maintain a decent fuel economy and the convenience of not having to shift in New York traffic? Siemens Automotive, Sachs Automotive, Aisin Seiki Co. Ltd., and Magneti Marelli have developed variations of the clutchless technology.
Who Says There's No Rockcrawling in Nebraska?Well, he'd be right. There isn't. The closest boulder to 40-year-old Joel Randall's farm in Nebraska is 800 miles away. That's why Randall will be traveling to, and competing with, 70 other drivers for the rockcrawling championship title sanctioned by American Rock Crawlers Association (ARCA). Randall finished Third overall in the second Goodyear/Skyjacker Extreme Rock Crawling Nationals in New Mexico. The series will go to Cedar City, Utah, for the third leg on July 12-13, then on to Farmington, New Mexico, September 27-29, for the last event in the series. Matt Burkett of Texas and Jason Paule of Rapid City, South Dakota, grabbed First and Second place in Las Cruces, New Mexico. For more information, contact ARCA at 801/446-5337 or visit www.rockcrawler.org.
Laugh. Chortle. Fall Down LaughingDeep Thoughts (on Trucks) From HollywoodKing of the Hill (2000)Working on Hank's pickup truck...Dale: You know what the problem is? It's a Ford. You know what Ford stands for? Fix It Again Tony.Henry "Hank" Rutherford Hill, Boomhauer, Stuart Dooley: Dale, that's a Fiat!