June sales get a pick-me-up from pickups

If there's a bright spot in June's tepid light-vehicle sales, it came from an unlikely segment. After slumping for several years as the economy tanked and gas prices spiked, pickup demand is rising faster than the overall sales gains of most automakers--serving as a pillar once again during the industry's fledgling recovery. And most of the buyers returning to showrooms are pickup enthusiasts, automakers say.

V6-only Ford F-150 Limited gets more luxury and utility

The big news for the Limited trim option of the 2013 Ford F-150 is that it will be powered exclusively by the company's EcoBoost V6, making 365 hp while returning a claimed 22 mpg on the highway in two-wheel drive trim. The new F-150 Limited gets 22-inch polished aluminum wheels, body-color front and rear bumpers and standard HID headlights. The Limited comes only in SuperCrew configuration, and only in three colors—red, black and white.

MINI Countryman / Crossman – the camouflage tease

MINI Crossman/Countryman Camouflage Tease Here we go again – more teases. This time it’s the MINI SUV – either MINI Countryman or MINI Crossman – which is the new MINI 4×4 we can expect to see at the Geneva Motor Show in a few weeks. We had the MINI Brachcomber Concept at Detroit last week which was the first real ‘In the Metal’ clue on the new MINI SUV, admittedly without doors or a roof.