2014 Ford F-150 Rumored to Make Extensive Use of Aluminum Body Panels

For decades, America's best-selling pickup trucks turned a collective blind eye to what were foreseeable technological advances in most areas of their construction as Detroit's Big Three preferred simple solutions that significantly hiked up their profit margins.

However, these past few years, automakers like GM, Ford and Chrysler are slowly trying to modernize their trucks mostly in the name of fuel efficiency and CO2 emissions, especially now that the U.S. Corporate Average Fuel-Economy standards are getting stricter.

We've already seen some advances on the engine front including the availability of Ford's EcoBoost V6 on the F-150 and GM’s hybrid lineup, but there's more to come in different areas than you'd normally expect.

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Chuck Norris Approved: Amazing Hole in One Wins 59-Year-Old Woman a 2011 Ford F-150 [Video]

They say seeing is believing but you'll probably want to watch the video of Brenda Hewett shooting a puck in a barely visible, tiny hole on a board from the far blue line during the Akwesasne Warriors Federal Hockey League game this past Saturday more than a couple of times to become a believer.

What makes the feat, which won her a brand new 2011 F-150 truck from Frenchie's Ford in New York, even more spectacular is that the 59-year-old woman is said to have never held a hockey stick in her life. Truly unbelievable. Watch the clip after the break.

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Mythbuster: Are Modern Truck and Car Emissions Comparable to that of Lawn Blowers? [Video]

With government agencies enforcing stricter emission regulations every year and auto manufacturers doing their best to prove that their cars are as eco-friendly as possible, hyperbole is part of the game.

A common saying is that the modern cars are cleaner than lawn equipment and that the carbon dioxide emissions they release are actually lower than that present in the air that comes into the combustion chamber.

Edmund's Insideline decided to put the theories to the test. Since cars come in all shapes and sizes, they chose two examples from the opposite side of the spectrum: a Fiat 500 mini and a Ford F-150 SVT Raptor Crew Cab pickup.

The diminutive Fiat is powered by a 1.4-liter four with 100HP, while the big and menacing-looking Raptor sports a 411HP 6.2-liter V8.

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Watch a Ford F-150 Raptor SVT Molest a Toyota Corolla Just for Fun [Video]

Ford's F-150 Raptor SVT is one of those trucks that doesn't make much sense but somehow people like it and are willing to buy it despite its lofty $42,000+ price tag (in the States).

Being big, brawny and surprisingly powerful thanks to the ferocious 6.2-liter V8 with 411-ponies that's lurking under the hood, definitely helps.

Now there's a question of what to do once you get yourself in a F-150 Raptor SVT and while we can think of many things, for this particular owner, the answer was to climb over a Toyota (Corolla we believe). Whatever pops your cork...Watch the clip after the jump.

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New Study Reveals the Most Profitable Vehicles in the USA

All carmakers want their vehicles to sell in big numbers. And they make a big fuss out of it when they succeed, especially when they top the sales charts in their respective segments. However, high sale numbers don’t necessarily translate to high profits, especially with the discounts that have become a common practice to draw customers to dealerships.

A recent study conducted by Max Warburton of Bernstein Research, a market trends and analysis firm, reveals which models sold in the U.S. are the most profitable for automakers.

Despite being blamed for almost anything, from the greenhouse effect to the costly bailout a couple of years ago, the study shows that Detroit’s Big Three light-truck models lead the list of the most profitable vehicles in the U.S.

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1,308bhp Monster Truck with Scooter Firing Air Canon to Star at Top Gear Live Event

One of the stars of this year's edition of the Top Gear Live show that takes place at the NEC Birmingham from November 11 to 13, and at the ExCel London from November 24 to 27, will be the Red Dragon monster truck.

Hand-built by former European Monster Truck Champion, Rob Williams, this beast made its stage debut at the Top Gear Live event in South Africa last year.

The Red Dragon is based on the Ford F-350 Super Duty but power come courtesy of a bespoke 9.5-liter supercharged V8 engine from Chevrolet that delivers 1,308bhp and 1,040 lb-ft while burning through a gallon of methanol fuel every 50-60 yards (!).

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Cadillac Escalade Remains the No1 Target for Car Thieves in the USA

For years, Caddy’s big SUV, the Escalade is the number one target of thieves in the States and this hasn't changed in the latest study from the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI).

According to the latest data for 2008-10 models from HLDI, the Escalade is more than six times as likely to be stolen by thieves compared to the average vehicle.

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2012 Ford Harley-Davidson F-150 Comes Complete with Snakeskin Leather

Since teaming up in 1999, the brand alliance between Ford and Harley-Davidson has produced 10 F-150 models, six Super Duty F-250 and F-350 models, as well as the first Harley-Davidson F-450 edition truck in 2009, resulting in more than 70,000 sales.

The latest Ford model to wear the Harley Davidson badge is the 2012 F-150, which like its predecessors, gains distinctive design tweaks and added standard features.

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Pickup Trucks Inventories Rising, Manufacturers are Worried

It seems like US carmakers are beginning to worry about the rising inventory of their big pickup trucks. For example, General Motors has an inventory of 122 days (or 4 months) of its Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra according to a report from Reuters, or 50% higher than the typical industry inventory of 80 days.

But GM isn’t the only automaker in distress. Chrysler, Toyota and Ford also are behind their projected sales, with 93 days inventory for the first two makers and 79 days for the third respectively.

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Oops Video: Brand New 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8 392 Limited Edition Rear-Ended by Ford F-150

If we didn’t know better, we’d say that Ford is trying to wipe out the competition with its F-150 pickup truck, or as some may know it, the Ferd F-Teehthousand. The latest victim of the F-150 after the memorable stomping of a Ferrari F-150 is a brand new 2011 Dodge Challenger SRT8, which judging by the bodykit, stripes, alloy wheels and badges, is the 392 limited edition with the 470-horsepower V8 Hemi.

The driver of the Dodge’s muscle car was waiting for the light when a Ford F-150 decided to give the Challenger an unnecessary -and quite painful- rear-end makeover. Follow the break to watch the clip.

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