Every year, we brave the cold winter freeze of Detroit to attend the biggest unveiling of new cars and trucks in the world. The North American International Auto Show (NAIAS), better known simply as the Detroit Auto Show, brings together the A-list of car manufacturing and engineering for three days of press conferences, product reveals, and backwater deal-making.
Though this year's event seemed quite subdued-the biggest newsmaker was Chevrolet's plug-in electric concept car-we still learned a lot about what to expect in the coming years of diesel. Much of the following speculation and predictions are based on our own diesel-power intuition, fueled by bits of #2 info from some of our Detroit sources. Still, some of our conclusions may not be worth betting the farm on. But clearly, there are diesel connections out there to be made, so we felt an obligation to pass along what we found.
 All New HDs? For 2007, Chevrolet...  All New HDs?
For 2007, Chevrolet and GMC pickups made the migration to the GMT900 platform. Typically, when General Motors revamps the platform name, we get a whole new chassis design. It appears these new HD trucks will keep much of last year's GMT800 frame and torsion bar suspension and give us a whole new body and upscale interior. |  How Long Till GMT 1000? Everyone...  How Long Till GMT 1000?
Everyone seems to love the new interiors of the GM trucks. We like them too, but we're more into the drivetrain and were hoping to catch a glimpse of the rumored 6.9L UMAX diesel. The list of new hardware (integrated trailer brake controller, 17-inch wheels, and larger brakes) under the body structure of both the Chevrolet and GMC makes us wonder if a GMT1000 platform can be more than a few years off... |  Get Used To This Duramax-equipped...  Get Used To This
Duramax-equipped trucks with the new 6.6L LMM engine and diesel particulate filters (DPF) will be easy to spot thanks to this new exhaust tip. This double-pipe system brings fresh air into the exhaust stream in order to cool the exhaust before it leaves the tailpipe. This is critical when the engine goes into its active regeneration mode, where the soot trapped in the DPF is burned out by super-heated exhaust gases. |
 Allison For Sale? As we went...  Allison For Sale?
As we went to print, rumors were floating around that GM is interested in selling off its Allison division in order to focus on its core business. We could see GM spinoff Allison like it did with its electronics divisions (Delphi) and its axle business (American Axle & Manufacturing). We could speculate that GM may even keep the Allison 1000 found behind the Duramax as part of its Powertrain division, yet sell the off-highway business to someone like Case New Holland, Ingersoll Rand, or even Navistar. |  New Tundra...With a Diesel?...  New Tundra...With a Diesel?
The new Tundra pickup from Toyota is much larger than the previous model. We've sat in the back of the new Crew Max four-door's cab, and it seems every bit as big as Dodge's Mega Cab. Toyota's regular-cab and extended-cab models (shown) also have a ton of room inside. Notice whose engine that is in the bed. |  More Than Just a 1/4-ton ...  More Than Just a 1/4-ton
It appears Toyota is positioning its new Tundra to go up against the 1/4-ton trucks from Ford, Dodge, GM, and Nissan. But certain components (like the rear axle) seem too big for the truck in its current configuration. At 10 1/4 inches in diameter, the rear axle ring gear used in the 5.7L gasoline V-8 models is as big as an F-350's, which suggests that a larger, more powerful engine is in the works. |