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Ford dropping Ranger pickup from U.S. lineup after 2011

Ford Motor Co., as expected, is dropping the venerable Ranger compact pickup from its U.S. lineup after the 2011 model year. Ford is consolidating its global pickup truck platforms from three to two with the introduction of an all-new Ranger to be sold outside North America starting next year.

Watch the sad, final moments of a crusher-bound heap

Automotive wrecking yards are good places to reflect on the real-world values of heavily depreciated vehicles versus global current scrap-metal prices, and to see which cars have suddenly had the fix-it-versus-total-it line moved by insurance companies (the early-21st-century Subaru Legacy Outback, for example, appeared in large numbers in high-turnover wrecking yards just during the last year, as fairly minor collision damage on these cars is no longer worth fixing). You'll see the things that a car's last owner does in a desperate attempt to sell (or at least live with) an increasingly decrepit heap (as we learned in "Repo Man," you really will find a Little Tree in every car). During a recent trip to a San Jose, Calif., yard, I encountered this sad yet strangely compelling scene.

BMW X1 (2009) at 2009 Frankfurt motor show

By Ben Barry First Official Pictures 02 July 2009 00:01 CAR’s Georg Kacher drove a camouflaged prototype a few months back, but now BMW has pulled the covers off its X1 mini-SUV and revealed UK specs and pricing for the first time. Nope. Firstly, only diesel power will be offered in the UK, buyers getting a choice of 18d, 20d and 23d models.