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Filed under: Car Buying, Trucks/Pickups, Toyota

That’s 13 new versions of the Tundra for 2008. The new variations all come from the addition of what Toyota calls the Tundra Grade, which slots in above the plain Tundra, but “just below the SR5″ grade which is mere inches from the Limited Grade. Got all that? Good, now throw in two transmission options, three engine choices, regular cab, Double Cab or CrewMax, two bed lengths, two- or four-wheel-drive, and a partridge in a pear tree and you get a total of 44 different ways to order your truck.

The Tundra Grade lets customers get the popular CrewMax and Double Cab options without paying for extras on the Limited and SR5 levels and starts at $24,715 for a V6, Double Cab, 4×2, automatic, and goes up to $27,685 with the addition of a V8 and the CrewMax cab.

Tundra’s top-of -the-line Limited trim with the Double Cab, V8, automatic and 4×4 starts at $38,770 and goes up to $42,070 with the addition of CrewMax seating.

The photo above is a Tundra CrewMax with the V8. For more photos check out our gallery.

You can read Toyota’s full press release after the jump to see what other options are now standard on what levels. Toyota is definitely aiming straight for Chevy and Ford with these new variations, and are obviously intent on selling more than 200,000 Tundras in 2008.

[Source: Toyota]

Filed under: Concept Cars, SUVs, Trucks/Pickups, Japan, Tokyo Motor Show, Suzuki

When was the last time you used “Suzuki” and “awesome” in a sentence and weren’t talking about a motorcycle? Well, get ready to do it now. Behold the Suzuki X-HEAD, one of several new concept vehicles the automaker will be showing off at next month’s Tokyo Motor Show. Looking like it’s ready to punch a HUMMER in the mouth and audition for a part in Transformers 2, the mega-trick-looking X-HEAD (dig the “X” tread pattern on the rubber) is all about flexibility (we think). If we’re reading the Google-translated press release correctly, the “X” in its name signifies the unknown — as in unknown or unlimited number of uses. Figure it could be everything from a camper, to a pickup, to a rescue vehicle and beyond. This, from a company whose bread-and-butter is kei cars? A round of applause is in order for this Eastern take on our childhood Tonka fantasies. We’ll be sure to bring you more on this one from the show floor next month.

[Source: Suzuki]

Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, Dodge, Misc. Auto Shows

2008 Resistol Edition Dodge Ram

General Motors unveiled its two-mode hybrid Chevy Tahoe and GMC Yukon. Ford unveiled a 60th Anniversary package for the F-150 and Super Duty, as well as the 2008 Harley Davidson editions. Finally, Dodge has taken the stage at the Texas State Fair, the new de facto venue for truck announcements, and unveiled the 2008 Dodge Ram Mega Cab Resistol Edition. For those like me who had never bothered to Google “resistol” before, it’s a hat, a cowboy hat to be precise. The company who makes them is Dodge’s newest co-branding partner, and the resultant love child is a giant truck with a cowboy hat theme. And yes, for your $48,310, Dodge will give you a Resistol Black Gold 20X felt cowboy hat with your truck, but you’ll have to buy your own chaps and spurs.

The truck itself is a Ram Mega Cab with dual rear wheels, and is available as a 4×2 or 4×4. 17-inch chrome wheels turned by the company’s 6.7L Cummins turbodiesel with a six-speed automatic are standard. What makes this a Resistol truck, however, is the two-tone color scheme of Dark Khaki Metallic and Light Khaki Metallic (who knew cowboys liked khakis so much?). The requisite spate of special badges adorns the exterior, along with a set of new stainless steel tubular running boards. Inside the cab awaits Yuma and Graystone leather seats embossed with the Resistol cowboy hat logo, as well as premium floor mats that have been branded with the company’s logo in stitch.
Dodge is only producing a limited run of the Resistol Edition Ram Mega Cab, but declined to reveal how limited, so if you’re a cowboy who needs a new horse, might want to mosey on over to your nearest Dodge dealership and make acquaintances with the purveyor.

[Source: Dodge]

Filed under: Car Buying, Trucks/Pickups, Marketing/Advertising, Chevrolet, GM, GMC

General Motors had a good August, bucking the industry trend with a year over year sales increase. A big part of that success came with zero-percent financing on the Silverado and GMC Sierra, and the General is looking to ride the wave by extending free loans through October first. GM isn’t stopping with pickups either. Several 2007 models are getting an additional $1,000 on the hood, including the Yukon, Impala, and G6.

GM has done a pretty good job of staying off incentives through 2007, but the last few months have been brutal. Even some automakers from across the Pacific, who traditionally shy away from cash on the hood, have felt the pinch. GM hasn’t announced additional production cuts, but if the incentives don’t work, the Detroit-based automaker may have little choice.

[Source: Detroit News]

Filed under: Trucks/Pickups, GMC

Well, the rumor came true. Mike Levine at Pickuptruck.com noticed that at the website for the ‘08 GMC Canyon, a V8 engine is listed as an option coming in early 2008. Mike called up the General and got confirmation that yes, a V8 is indeed coming for both 2WD and 4WD versions of the midsize pickup. They wouldn’t confirm which V8 the Canyon’s getting, but since that platform’s already been modified to accommodate the 5.3L unit for the HUMMER H3 Alpha, it’s likely to be the same one. Considering that the 5.3 does just fine in the much larger Sierra, it ought to be a hoot in the Canyon. GM hasn’t put up a web page for the ‘08 Chevy Colorado yet, but we have to believe that whatever Canyon gets, Colorado will, too.

[Source: PickupTruck.com]