06 Honda Trx450er Engine Skid Plate Stock Engine Guard on 2040-parts.com

Ford trucks pulling it to the next level

With the heavy-duty truck segment heating up, Ford is breaking out some tough new vehicles and an upgraded 6.7-liter diesel engine. The second-generation 6.7-liter Power Stroke V8 turbo diesel packs a manufacturer estimated 440 hp with 860 lb-ft of torque. This is a gain of 40 hp and 60 lb-ft over the first-gen 6.7 oil burner.

Toyota 4Runner

Toyota unveiled the fifth-generation 4Runner at the 2009 LA Auto Show. The new design embraces its robust SUV identity more than its immediate predecessors, which also distinguishes it from the similarly sized but more urban Toyota Highlander sibling. To read our opinions of the new 4Runner's design see our 2009 LA Auto Show Highlights.

Toyota condemns the Electric Car

Electric cars - like the Reva NXG - are not a viable mass-market option. Toyota’s head of R&D in Europe – Masato Katsumata – said in a speech that the electric vehicle won’t be a mass-market phenomenon, and that the future – at least in the coming decades – will be petrol engine hybrids. “We don’t see any short-term breakthrough in battery technology” he said.