The cab is available in two colours: a white ‘Millennium Silver Metallic’ and a dark blue ‘Dark Knight Pearl’. Both colours have been especially chosen for the Volvo Ocean Race Limited Edition and so have the black painted grille, the side stripes with a wave decoration and the globetrotter sign displaying the words ‘Volvo Ocean Race’. There are also ‘Limited Edition’ emblems on the sides of the cab.

The sailing-inspired interior features exclusive materials and details. With plenty of leather, exclusive seams and embroidered details, the driver area exudes quality and craftsmanship. The leather-covered seats are embellished with a blue accent colour, while other interior details such as the steering wheel, mats, door panels and grab rails have unique accent blue stitching. Curtain retainers made of sheet cord are an unexpected feature that heightens the overall effect.

The Volvo Ocean Race Limited Edition will be available for order from June 20^th, with the first of the trucks to be delivered in mid-September – a few weeks before the start of the 2011 Volvo Ocean Race.

The new Mazda BT-50 Freestyle features Freestyle door configuration first seen on the RX-8, the BT-50 Freestyle Cab offers a unique combination of seating for four, an exceptionally wide pillar-less door opening, and a large carrying capacity. What’s more, a front-hinged door and a rear access panel combine to provide a 1,408mm-wide opening that makes for easy entry to and exit from either the front or rear seats.

Rear-seat comfort has been taken to levels never seen before in the Freestyle Cab. Cushions have been lengthened by 50mm for better thigh support and more stable fitment of child seats while the seatback height has been increased by 128mm. It also has an overall cargo volume of 1,453 litres.

No word on pricing yet, but it will go on sale later this year.

Mazda Australia managing director, Doug Dickson, points to the significance of this global unveiling. “Just as we were delighted to be given the privilege of hosting the global debut of the All-New BT-50 Dual Cab in Sydney last year, we are equally delighted to be hosting the global debut of the Freestyle Cab in Melbourne this year. With Australia expected to be the largest market for the All-New BT-50 it’s no coincidence that we’ve been asked to host not one but two global unveilings of this important new model. It’s only appropriate that the Australian public see it first.”

Inspired by the early open-cabin models of 1951 and a frog! this concept Unimog is the ultimate expression of what a sporty truck would be like. The design concept has been created as joint cooperation between the MBS development team, the Daimler commercial vehicle designers in Sindelfingen and a model designing partner.

The design concept is based on the Unimog U 5000 chassis with its outstanding off-road capabilities. The traditional and well-known unique selling-point of the Unimog, its coil springs, are painted red in the concept vehicle, whereas Bertrand Janssen and his team have let its hulk of a bonnet with its typical Mercedes-Benz line and the mudguards shine out in a fresh green.

When selecting the colours used, the designers in Bertrand Janssen’s team were inspired by an unusual amphibian, the poison dart frog: Just like the Unimog it is also extremely mobile both in water and on land. And furthermore in this point it is once more the link between past and future as green was the colour of the very first Unimog and numerous follow-up generations of the vehicle. The headlights are like stage lights, which focus the beam of light. The clearly visible, sweeping lines of the frame have been finished with high-grade trims cut from aluminium blocks. The four same-size wheels make a strong optical impression with their five star alu-rim design.

The latest offering is the Mopar Ram Runner Kit which in brief turns your Ram truck into a full-on off-road racer inspired by Baja cars. The Mopar Ram Runner Kit, developed with successful Baja off-road racer Kent Kroeker, includes the following: Pre-Runner Stage II Lift Kit, off-road front bumper, off-road front and rear fenders, off-road rear-tire carrier, sport performance hood and cat-back exhaust. Each element of the kit may also be purchased separately. The street-legal kit may be installed by do-it-yourselfers or in a Ram dealership.

Here’s more information on the Mopar Ram Runner kit, which is available for owners of 2009 to 2011 model-year Ram 1500 models:
Pre-Runner Stage II Lift Kit: 5-link coil-spring rear suspension, 4130 chrome moly lower control arms, upper control arms, rebuildable high-angle ball joints and forged steel, high-angle tie rods. Fourteen inches of suspension travel in front and rear, 3-inch internal bypass Fox shocks. (MSRP: $13,270, Part No. P5155662)

Off-Road Front Bumper: Steel construction with integrated aluminum skid plate, high approach angle of 41 degrees provides greater clearance over off-road obstacles. (MSRP: $1,250, Part No. P5155663)

Off-Road Rear Tire Carrier: Rear placement allows for easier access and ability to carry larger tires needed for the off-road. (MSRP: $1,010, Part No. P5155664)

Off-Road Front Fenders: Tough, durable fenders feature wider wheel wells allowing for tremendous suspension articulation, zero tire-to-body interference, and provide an imposing, aggressive look. (MSRP: $1,020, Part No. P5155665)

Off-Road Rear Fenders (6’4″ bed): Tough, durable fenders feature wider wheel wells allowing for tremendous suspension articulation, zero tire-to-body interference, and provide an imposing, aggressive appearance. (MSRP: $1,350, Part No. P5155666)

Sport Performance Hood: Stamped aluminum, dual-scooped hood with molded bezels adds to the forceful appearance of the Ram Runner Kit. (MSRP: $978, Part No. 82211065AD)

5.7L Cat-back Exhaust: Dual exhaust with chromed tips for bumper with cut-outs. (MSRP: $1,135, Part No. P5155280)

Looks like Chrysler is pretty serious about becoming the first company that fully functional hybrid pickup trucks. They’ve even signed a partnership with the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for this.

The Ram 1500 PHEV includes a liquid-cooled 12.9kWhr lithium ion battery pack and a 6.6 kilowatt (kW) on-board charger. Additional features include AC power generation of up to 6.6kW; directional charging; reverse power flow and full regenerative braking used to capture more energy. For fuel economy improvements, the front axle can be disconnected when not needed. The powertrain also includes a 5.7-liter HEMI® V-8 engine and a two-mode hybrid transmission. The 5.7-liter HEMI is equipped with a Multiple Displacement System (MDS) that improves fuel efficiency at highway speeds by shutting down fuel delivery to up to four cylinders.

The Chrysler Group also is developing a similar fleet of 25 Town & Country minivans with plug-in hybrid technology for demonstration and evaluation that will be allocated to select cities later this year.

To make this thing, designers started with a Class 5 Ram 5500 Crew Cab and converted to a Mega Cab passenger compartment, added an 8-foot box and upped the range between refueling stops with a mid-ship fuel tank. Combined with a second frame-mounted tank and a third, optional, bed-mounted auxiliary tank, total fuel capacity is 170 gallons. It has an overall length of 24 feet and curb weight of 9300 lbs. It’s a monster!

The powertrain for the concept truck includes an inline six-cylinder 6.7-liter High Output Cummins Turbo Diesel engine rated at 800 lb.-ft. of torque. The Ram’s legendary diesel engine is mated to a six-speed, Aisin AS68RC automatic transmission with four-wheel-drive transfer case coupled to a 4.88 Dana 110 axle with dual rear wheels.

For now the Ram Long-Hauler is just a concept and will be shown at selected events across the country. There’s no plans to actually make it.

Check out the new XPLORE Adventure Series Jeep Wrangler by Venchurs. It is apparently a one-off and will soon be auctioned-off to benefit the National Park Foundation. But you can order the package form Chrysler dealerships, and it includes four stages of upgrades fro your Wrangler.

Visually, it features matte dark green paint and Mopar and ARB accessories.The options depending on the stage include Xplore/Method Racing aluminum wheels in black or machined-finish, Bilstein 5100 Series shocks, Mopar cat-back exhaust and Xplore aluminum badges and floormats, BF Goodrich off-road tires, expedition quality ARB roof racks, rock-rails, roof-top tents, bumpers, tire carriers, Warn winches and IPF lighting; all available as mix-and-match accessories.

Recently in Reading, UK, they had to demolish an old chimney which weighed nearly 140 tonne. VW picked up the challenge and did it using only four Amarok diesels which pulled the big chimney done using nothing but engine power and some 200 meters of rope!

A series of tests were developed to challenge the power and traction delivered by the Amarok.  The structure was prepared using a standard procedure for any ‘pull-down’ demolition of flame cutting a ‘shark’s mouth’ into the base of the chimney, reducing its structural integrity, though ensuring that it remained free standing. Four 200m lengths of rope were rigged to the top of the chimney and attached to the towbars of four standard Amarok pick-ups, each with Volkswagen’s latest four-cylinder, 2.0-litre TDI engine producing 163 PS of power.

This will remain in the car’s portfolio as one of its greatest achievements. They may even make a commercial based on it.

The package includes different options for you to choose from, such as iPod adaptors and Bluetooth kits, to hard tops, tonneau covers and towbars, will be available for the new Volkswagen Amarok pick-up when it goes on sale in the UK on 1 May.The exterior styling kit includes décor sets, side steps, plus stainless steel side rails and styling bars for the loadspace plus 19-inch wheels.

There is a choice of accessories to offer greater security for the loadspace.  These start with a lockable toolbox designed to fit between the wheelarches, across the load bay.  Alternatively, to cover the entire loadspace there is a choice of tonneau covers, or a complete body-coloured hardtop.  Tonneau covers range from a soft waterproof cover which can be rolled out the way, or a choice of aluminium or body-coloured hard plastic covers which are lockable and hinge open for access.

For the interior you get stuff like seat covers and rubber or carpet floor mats for the cab, parking sensors, mud flaps, an aluminium liner for the loadspace. More off-road protection equipments are also available to order but the pricing has not been revealed yet.

Blue Crush! Now that’s a weird name. But the car itself is such a stunner.It looks like one of those extreme off-roaders they race in Iceland, mixed with inspirations from the King of the Hammers race in the deserts of California, the Jeep Wrangler Blue Crush combines high-speed off-road racing and rock-crawling capability.

Power comes from a Mopar 426 cubic-inch HEMI with 540 horsepower. The all-aluminum V-8 is paired with a 545RFE performance transmission and a gear-drive transfercase.

To help the suspension keep up with the engine, Mopar added a high-speed, performance off-road suspension system with internal bypass shocks, front stabilizer bar and full hydro-steering. Gigantic 39-inch tires are turned with the help of custom driveshafts. The Wrangler Blue Crush also features a baja-style full cage, race seats, fuel cell and short aluminum