Stunning is a word that gets thrown about a lot at auto shows, but rarely comes true. How many Yugo Cabriolets really have the power to stun?

Then there’s the Pontiac G8 sport truck, a truly stunning vehicle that’s about to make its world debut at the New York auto show.

Why’s it so shocking? Well, when’s the last time you saw a V-8-powered sports sedan with a pickup truck bed attached to the back?

If you recall from the 1970s, the last time this idea came from General Motors, it fathered the El Camino. This time around, it’s being borne from the Australian arm of General Motors, which already sells a car/truck half-breed Down Under.

The new G8 sport truck blurs the lines of cars and trucks right down the middle. Halfway back, down its sides, a pickup bed replaces where you’d expect to see another set of doors. And the pickup bed’s a useful, real one: Pontiac says it can tote 1000 pounds of payload and that the truck can tow 3500 pounds, while the bed’s long enough for some serious wood.

It’s based on the G8 sedan (a version of Australia’s Holden sedans) but the sport truck gets a longer wheelbase and longer overall body than the four-door version. And under the hood it gets a big V-8 that puts out 361 horsepower through a six-speed automatic. Pontiac says that’s good enough for a run to 60 mph in 5.4 seconds, faster than any truck we’ve driven lately.

Inside, the sport truck carries much of the same gear as the G8 sedan. Standard features include side and curtain airbags, anti-lock brakes, cruise control, power windows/locks/mirrors, and Bluetooth, along with a 230-watt, six-disc stereo. Options will include leather seats with two-tone trim.

Led Zeppelin’s back together. Stagflation and high gas prices have made a comeback as well. And late next year, you’ll be able to complete a 1970s revival with a two-door car that’s all business up front and party out back.

Answering the wishes of fervent fans — and the fears of some critics — General Motors Corp. was to unveil today its plans for a revival of the Chevy El Camino car-truck as a 2010 model Pontiac hot rod. The “sport truck” doesn’t have a name yet; GM will run a contest over the next month asking for submissions at a Pontiac Web site www.pontiac.com/namethiscar, and announce the winner April 15.

Here’s one: “Australiaino.”

Based on the same underpinnings as the G8 sedan and upcoming Chevrolet Camaro, the un-Camino will be built in Australia, where GM has centered engineering efforts for rear-wheel drive cars. It’s a risky strategy for GM, as Australian-built models have never sold well in the United States, and a weaker U.S. dollar threatens the business case for any imports.

But without its Australian arm, GM would not likely have enough resources to give Pontiac new models.

In addition to the mini-truck, GM also was to unveil today a version of the G8 sedan with the Corvette’s 402-horsepower engine that is to come to showrooms in the next year.

Australia has the longest history with so-called utes, since they were invented there by a Ford engineer in 1934 who got the idea from a farmer seeking one vehicle for church on Sundays and the pig market on Mondays. Ford brought the idea to the United States in the late 1950s, and GM followed, with the Chevrolet El Camino growing to define the segment.

GM’s U.S. production peaked in 1973 at nearly 72,000 El Caminos and GMC Caballeros. By the early 1980s, tighter fuel rules for cars had made small pickups more competitive, and GM ended production in 1988.

And by then, the El Camino and its ilk had become a punch line. President Bill Clinton told workers at GM’s Louisiana truck plant in 1994 that he owned an El Camino in the ’70s: “It was a real sort of Southern deal. I had Astroturf in the back. You don’t want to know why, but I did.”

Abandoned in the United States — save for some unsuccessful stabs at a comeback such as the Subaru Baja — the utility market flourished in Australia, where Ford and GM’s Holden have continued to build several models.

The G8-based vehicle will come only with the 361-horsepower V8 offered in the G8 GT paired with a six-speed automatic transmission. It will haul more than 1,000 pounds and tow 3,500 pounds — as much as some small pickups.

Rising gas prices are leaving some local truckers with nothing — no job, no rig and no home.

“I know two guys who took money out of their homes to buy trucks and now they are losing both,” said Tom Holden, owner-operator of Holden Trucking in Hesperia. “Unfortunately, it’s not uncommon.”

Holden, who has been in business for some 16 years, said his fuel costs were about $7,000 a month and jumped to $11,000 in the past few months.

“When companies pay 32 cents per mile and some older trucks get something like two miles to the gallon, the cost of fuel is more than the load pays,” said Dave Green, a mobile truck mechanic from Hesperia.

He added that some of the newer, lower-emission trucks get worse gas mileage than the ones built around 2005.
Skyrocketing gas prices are just one of the many problems facing the trucking industry, said Julie Sauls, spokesperson for the California Trucking Association. New environmental bills are pushing many truckers to flee the state while they still can experts said.

“At this moment I am keeping watch on 80 bills that can impact the trucking industry,” Sauls said.

The San Pedro Area Clean Air Action Plan may make the biggest impact, Sauls said.

According to the San Pedro plan, trucks need to make certain changes in order to meet environmental and air quality guidelines, including having to purchase either new lower-emission trucks or making modifications to existing trucks.

Many see this as a difficult balancing act.

“When you try to solve the environmental problem, which does have to be addressed, people don’t realize that it’s trucks that drive the food into the markets,” said Eddie Moreno, co-owner of Quality Driver Solutions, a driver-recruitment center in Ontario.

The CTA is working every day to strike a good balance between reducing emissions and transporting goods, said Sauls. Some of those efforts include California’s use of ultra-low sulfur fuel for almost a decade and traveling at more fuel-efficient speeds.

The ultimate increase in price in passed onto the consumer, said Sauls.

“This is the worst I have ever seen it in 19 years in the business,” said Green.

“Coupled with diesel prices topping off at more than $4 a gallon, some of the owners are finding it harder to conduct business and are operating on a thinner margin,” Sauls said.

The price of diesel in California has also impacted out-of-state drivers.

“We don’t fuel up in California,” said Robert Schaefer of Oklahoma. Other long-haul truckers share Schaefer’s sentiments.

“The big problem is that we don’t get any of that increase, the company doesn’t see the money. It all lines the pockets of those oil mongrels,” said Lisa Serrao of Arizona.

PACCAR Trucks Melbourne has achieved the highest recognition possible for DAF truck dealers in Australia by winning the 2007 DAF Dealer of the Year Award.

Winning the award is testament to its focus on growing DAF’s presence in the Melbourne market.

Andrew Kneebone, General Manager, Retail Operations for PACCAR Trucks Melbourne, says he is thrilled to win the award, which recognises excellence in overall dealer performance, truck sales, parts sales and customer support.

“It is great to be recognised for our DAF sales and customer service efforts. DAF is a premium European brand – and with good reason. The range meets the needs of virtually every niche market, from smaller rigids for metro and short-haul applications to prime movers for heavy-duty and line haul,” Kneebone says.

“At PACCAR Trucks Melbourne we have a closely-knit team of knowledgeable sales and service specialists who are dedicated to DAF trucks – and this award acknowledges their commitment to providing great customer service.”

PACCAR Trucks Melbourne services the western and northern suburbs of Melbourne, Ballarat, Geelong and surrounding districts. It is located only minutes from the Westgate Freeway and the Western Ring Road, and is within easy reach of CityLink, the Tullamarine and Calder Freeways as well as the Western and Hume Highways.

New and used truck sales, an ALLRig parts supermarket, an ALLRig Express truck wash, and state-of-the-art service facilities with 30 service bays including four fast lube service pits are all available at this leading dealership. It operates from 8am to 11pm Monday to Friday, as well as Saturdays until 6pm. A 24-hour breakdown and emergency parts service provides peace of mind for their customers.

In presenting the DAF Dealer of the Year award, Brad Wolstenholme, General Manager, DAF Trucks Australia, said PACCAR Trucks Melbourne is committed to excellence in every department. “We are proud to present PACCAR Trucks Melbourne with our premier award. This dealership has worked hard as a team to not only meet customer needs, but to also set a new standard for the industry,” he said.

“It has invested heavily in training staff and building a solid infrastructure that supports the DAF brand. It is proactive in the marketplace, by identifying and supplying a variety of transport solutions to new and existing customers. Above all else, PACCAR Trucks Melbourne has demonstrated its commitment to DAF customers, by providing them with the best service before, during and after the sale,” Brad added.

“We have had great success with the DAF CF range,” Andrew said. “These models feature a low tare weight for optimum payload, powerful engines and a broad range of chassis and axle configurations The CF series is suitable for a multitude of applications, ranging from inner-city delivery to construction vehicles and intrastate operations. DAFs are designed to make life easier for the professional driver.”

“DAF customer support is very important to us. We have two specialist DAF Sales Consultants and seven highly-trained DAF service technicians. As our DAF business grows, we will add other professionals to the DAF team,” he added.

DAF Trucks Australia, a division of PACCAR Australia Pty Ltd, distributes a range of medium and heavy-duty trucks throughout Australia.

When the call comes in, Carpio Fire Department responds. Now, thanks to a brand new fire truck, their response will be more efficient.

“To be able to respond quickly and put fires out faster then we were,” says Kalvin Myers, the Carpio Assistant Fire Chief.

“Newer vehicle. Quicker response time. Its a multipurpose type vehicle,” says Peter Thorp, the Carpio Fire Chief.

The new truck boasts a 400 gallon water tank, automatic nozzle, ample storage and a big crew cab. But by far the best part of the truck, is the maker.

“That is what we are here for. That is what we do,” says James Huston of Dakota Fire and Emergency.

James Huston is a service technician at Dakota Fire and Emergency in Minot. Basically, he builds fire trucks. From the water system, to the lights, sirens and storage, Dakota Fire and Emergency does is all. Carpio`s new fire truck is the first vehicle created by the company, which has been in business for about a year.

“We feel this is the perfect rural responding truck for North Dakota. It will do everything. It will fight a grass fire or a structure fire,” says Huston.

Not only does Dakota Fire and Emergency build response vehicles they provide a vital service for North Dakota as well. There are no companies in the state that build and repair emergency response vehicles. So when fire departments need their vehicles serviced they have to travel long distances out of state, wasting gas, money and leaving their departments without an emergency vehicle. Dakota Fire and Emergency not only can fix emergency vehicles, they also provide in-house service.

“I fight fires for volunteers at night and day and I build fire trucks. That is what I do is build and service fire equipment,” says Huston.

Huston is a volunteer firefighter for Burlington and like the rest of the crew at Dakota Fire and Emergency, looks forward to serving North Dakota`s Fire Departments.

Minot Welding helps with many of Dakota Fire and Emergency projects. Dakota Fire and Emergency is working on other vehicle projects for about six other rural fire departments in the state.

Ford Motor Co. is recalling about 100,000 2008 F-Series trucks because the front driver’s seat does not comply with federal seat back strength regulations, according to information reported by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Covered in the recall are F-250, F-350, F-450 and F-550 models of Ford’s (NYSE: F) Super Duty trucks, which are built at Louisville’s Kentucky Truck Plant. More than 87,000 of the trucks are in the United States, and 14,000 are in Canada.

“Some 40 percent split and captain’s chair driver’s seats, equipped with lumbar supports, may have improper welds at the joint of the seat back pivot bracket and seat back,” the NHTSA reported. As a result, “in the event of a crash, the seat side pivot bracket may crack or break, increasing the risk of injury to the seat occupant.”

However, no injuries have been reported, according to an Associated Press report.