Update: Commenter Wyatt offered this correction: An error in your post. The legendary 7.3L V8 engine is returning, but only in GAS. The diesel engine will still be the standard (yet upgraded) 6.7L Power Stroke Turbo Diesel. Performance numbers have yet to be released, but my thoughts for diesel are around 450-460 hp and around 940-950 lb.-ft. torque, and for gas engine will be around 450 hp and around 505-510 lb.-ft. torque.

Thank you, Wyatt!

Original Story:

When Ford Motor Company comes to mind, they want you to think of two things – trucks and SUVs. The brand is essentially abandoning anything shorter than a crossover, making it imperative that they get their trucks and sports utility vehicles exactly right. The all-new 2020 Super Duty F-250 and F-350 are coming out. Did they get them exactly right?

On the outside, they definitely did. These are arguably the most attractive big trucks every designed. Big without being too bulking. Sleek without being too wimpy. Bold without being too loud. The combination of tasteful and ominous seem to have blended perfectly in the new Super Duty.

The question that every big truck lover is asking is whether or not this is going to deliver the power Ford owners have grown accustomed to over the decades. In short, yes. The aluminum body still presents them with the strength and light weight that most consider to be an advantage over other trucks in the segment. Combine that with the legendary 7.3L diesel turbo Powerstroke and it’s a winning mix that rides on a 10-speed automatic transmission.

The numbers for towing and hauling are not released, but experts expect it to be the top of the line ahead of Chevrolet and Dodge. As Alex on Autos notes, it’s very likely they’re holding back on the numbers because they’re so good.

What he didn’t care for as much as the Chevrolet is the interior. It’s a big pickup, but this isn’t the 1980s. Drivers aren’t expecting it to be a luxury interior, but they still want it to be more comfortable than the old farm haulers of the last century.

There’s no word on when they’ll be released, but expect Ford to time it out around the summer heavy duty season. Will this be the truck to put the rest to shame. Until we drive it, we won’t pass judgment but so far, so good.

DETROIT (AP) — General Motors posted an $8.1 billion net profit for 2018, fueled by better prices for vehicles sold in the U.S., its most lucrative market.

It’s a strong rebound from the previous year when the company lost $3.9 billion on a giant tax accounting charge.

GM made $10.8 billion before taxes in North America, down about 9 percent from 2017. But it still means big profit-sharing checks for about 46,500 union workers in the U.S. They’ll get $10,750 each, less than last year’s $11,500.

The company said Wednesday that it made $5.58 per share for the year. Without $2.5 billion worth of special items largely due to restructuring, the profit was $6.54, easily beating Wall Street expectations of $6.29, according to a survey by FactSet.

Full-year revenue rose 1 percent to $147.05 billion, also beating estimates of just over $145 billion.

GM made $2 billion, or $1.40 per share in the fourth quarter. Excluding restructuring charges, the company’s per-share earnings were $1.43, also breezing past Wall Street expectations of $1.24.

Shares of GM rose almost 3 percent at the opening bell.

Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara said GM said it made $2 billion on its joint venture in China last quarter, despite slowing auto sales in the country.

The Trump administration’s tariffs on imported aluminum and steel raised prices of those commodities, costing the company more than $1 billion last year. Suryadevara expects another $1 billion increase this year.

“It’s a volatile environment as you well know, and we’re going to have to see how that goes,” she said.

GM has managed to offset some costs with efficiencies, she told reporters Wednesday.

Even with the profit, GM’s U.S. sales last year fell 1.6 percent as big SUVs and the company’s top-selling Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck faltered during the fourth quarter. But sales of many smaller SUVs rose and the average sale price of a GM vehicle hit a record of $36,974, the company said. GM’s U.S. market share 0.4 percentage points to 16.7 percent.

The profits are being announced as GM lays off about 4,300 white-collar workers, many of them at its giant technical center in a nearby suburb of Warren, Michigan. The company plans to close five U.S. and Canadian factories and eliminate a total of 14,000 salaried and blue-collar jobs as part of a giant restructuring to boost profit margins, prepare for a downturn and invest more in electric and autonomous vehicles.

GM wanted to cut 8,000 white-collar workers. About 2,200 took retirement offers, and the company let go of another 1,500. This week, GM started telling 4,300 other salaried workers that they were out of a job.

The company plans to eliminate about 6,000 factory worker jobs by closing three car assembly plants and two other factories. But it says there are 2,700 openings for U.S. workers at factories across the nation.

In 1992, Wayne’s World did a bit where they mock product placement and promotional materials in movies by claiming they would never do such a thing. While they were railing against the practice, promotional material was prominently placed throughout the scenes and even worn by the characters. It was an iconic moment in the classic comedy because in many ways, it was true.

For decades, companies have placed their products in television and movie sets to drop the subtle (and sometimes not-so-subtle) message into the flow of the entertainment. Cars are especially prominent, especially when there’s a high speed chase scene to film. But what about kids’ movies? LEGO and Chevrolet teamed up to make the epic video above that proves you don’t have to be subtle when pitching your vehicles.

Cross-promotional advertisements aren’t new, either, but this one is one of our favorites. It’s literally an options-laden ad without the pretense of working in features into the entertainment. That alone would make it epic, but there’s one more thing to consider. The blatant marketing working against the backdrop of an upcoming movie gives it viral potential for fans of both brands. The whole can be made greater than the sum of the parts.

Rather than working products into movies, perhaps they should follow Lego’s and Chevy’s lead and start working the movie into the product advertisements. It’s more honest and likely more effective.