Cadillac has decided to refresh the Escalade line starting in 2014. There are no definite specifics available yet as far as exactly what will be tweaked. I would imagine it will see some form of engine upgrade, trying anything to bring it a bit more of a fuel efficient image. You can also assume that it will have the next generation OnStar setup and enough tech goodies to make everyone from soccer moms to rap stars alike feel like they are riding in a NASA command center. We will have to see how Caddy ups the ante on a model that has sort of become an icon for them.

The final version will supposedly be a little less boxy and a little more truck like. It will also apparently be a little larger. It isn’t known yet if it will carry the Holden badge or Chevrolet branding. And before any of you small truck/SUV enthusiasts grab your checkbook and run out the door… it will not be heading to the states. Chevrolet has basically said that the Equinox is enough for the time being and does not want to end up directly competing with themselves. We will have to see what the final consensus on the Trax is after it’s debut, but it just might make enough of an impression to make GM think twice about that.

The NHTSA investigation found that debris can collect in between the skid plate and automatic transmission housing. Possibly resulting in said debris catching fire due to coming in contact with the catalytic converter. Chrysler/Jeep has already started notifying affected owners. If you have any questions about this recall you can contact Chrysler directly at: 1-800-853-1403. Chrysler’s recall number for this event is M22.

This remote controlled Lego model of a Land Rover Defender 110 is the brain child of Lego master “Sheepo” and is now up on CUUSOO looking for supporters. If the design hits then Lego will officially produce the kit. This is one of those occasions when us gear heads on the internet can do a little good, and have some fun at the same time. Head on over to the CUUSOO site and if you like what you see, give it a vote. I’m sure there are a lot of folks out there that would enjoy building it, and then taking it out to the back yard for a little spin. You can see the spec and voting page [HERE].

Well, the military is looking to replace the original Humvee with something new and more technologically advanced. It would appear from all the scuttlebutt that the two top contenders are the AM General JLTV (Joint Light Tactical Vehicle) and the Lockheed-Martin JLTV. AM General was the original creator of the Humvee and already has the experience and street cred. Lockheed-Martin has also produced a lot of successful projects for the military over the years. It is going to be an interesting development battle to say the least. I would like to think that no matter who wins this contract competition, that the real winners will be our soldiers in the field that will benefit from the protection of this next generation of tactical vehicle.

The faulty sensor is causing the ‘R’ on the dashboard not to light up when reverse is engaged. It is also causing the backup lights to not come on when reverse is engaged which could result in injury or a crash due to a safety issue. Ford is notifying the affected owners and will schedule a repair at the nearest Ford dealership. If you have any questions about this issue please call your nearest Ford dealer.

Born January 11, 1923 in Leesburg, Texas, Shelby’s love of cars manifested itself early on while he was attending high school in Dallas, Texas. After serving in the United States Army Air Coprs he adjusted to civilian life by placing himself behind the wheel of a race car. The rest, as they say, is history. In the 1950′s Shelby drove for the Aston Martin, Cad-Allard, and Maserati race teams. He was named Sports Illustrated’s Driver of the Year in both 1956 and 1957. He set 16 speed records in his now famous Austin Healey 100s, and in 1959 won the 24 hours of LeMans. He raced Formula One, he raced LeMans, he raced hill climb events… you can see where this is going. The man was born to challenge any car he could get behind the wheel of, and he did it extremely well. After retiring from racing, Carroll Shelby went on to help design, build and influence some of the greatest sports cars in automotive history throughout the years. It would be easy to mull over the enormous list of cars that he has been responsible for, maybe even to make a top 5 or 10 list of them. However, I think it is more fitting to remember the man not for the vehicles he helped to create, but instead, to remember him as a man that truly loved anything automotive and helped show us how to love and appreciate them as well. I don’t see anyone being able to step into his shoes to bring future generations to the joy of sitting behind a steering wheel, and that is a sad thing indeed.

The expedition started in Birmigham, England and wound it’s way around the world before finishing up in Beijing, China, just in time for the Beijing Auto Show. Along the way they even managed to become the first private vehicles to tour Chernobyl since the disaster over 25 years ago. And to top all of that off, Land Rover managed to raise just over $1.6 million for the Red Cross. All said and done, I would call it a very successful little jaunt around the globe. Congratulations Land Rover!

The affected production plants are scheduled to be close anywhere from 20 to 22 weeks. GM plans to begin the updating of their full size SUV line after the full size truck line has been updated and production set and underway. Dealerships have been increasing their inventory before the lull in hopes that demand and special incentive programs will increase sales. So if you have your heart set on the current model of Chevy Silverado or GMC Sierra now might be a good time to get a sweet deal.

As we said, the Ford F Series leads the way with 47,453 units sold for April, an increase of 4.4% over last year. The Chevy Silverado also had solid sales numbers in the #2 slot with 30,749 units sold, which is a solid gain of 4.8% over last year. The big surprise is our #3 entry. Ram scored a solid 21,126 units sold. The impressive fact with that sales number is that it shows a gain of 19% over last year! That is a huge improvement that Ford and GM will not be able to ignore. Looks like the pickup truck wars are heating up. We will have to keep an eye on things during 2012 to see how the big three cross that finish line.