The company that developed one of the first mid-sized sport utility vehicles and brought you an ad campaign with a fibbing salesman says it will stop selling new passenger vehicles in North America.

Isuzu Motors Ltd. said Wednesday it will end distribution of its sport utility vehicles and pickup trucks starting Jan. 31, 2009.

The Japanese company blamed the move on General Motors Corp. ceasing production for Isuzu of the Ascender sport utility vehicle and i-290 and i-370 pickup trucks.

“It has always been our intention to remain in the U.S. market,” Terry Maloney, Isuzu president and chief operating officer, said in a statement. “However, we were unable to secure any commercially viable replacements for these vehicles.”

Isuzu spokesman Chip Letzgus would give no more details about the decision Wednesday, saying the company was still talking to dealers and employees. He said Isuzu will likely release further details later this week.

Isuzu sold only 7,098 vehicles in the U.S. in 2007, down nearly 18 percent from the previous year, according to Autodata Corp.

The company said in a statement that it will back its products and dealers for years to come, honoring all product warranties and roadside assistance programs.

Isuzu will offer all current U.S. vehicle dealers the chance to stay on as service-only dealers, the company said.

“Isuzu will discontinue the sales of vehicles only. Our parts and service operation will remain fully functional,” Maloney’s statement said. “We expect the vast majority of our dealers will continue as service-only dealers.”

GM spokesman Tom Wilkinson would not comment on Isuzu and said the company has not made an announcement on whether it will stop producing its vehicles. The Detroit-based GM makes the Ascender at its plant in Moraine, Ohio, near Dayton, and the pickups are manufactured at a factory in Shreveport, La.

The Ascender is a mid-sized sport utility vehicle similar to a Chevrolet TrailBlazer, while the two pickups are similar to the mid-sized Chevrolet Colorado.

John Rogin, who owns Detroit-area Isuzu, Suzuki and GM dealerships, said he was blindsided by the news Wednesday. He said Isuzu vehicles have always been reliable and have a cult-like following among some owners.

Rogin said Isuzu was at its best when it focused on innovative, high-volume products like the Isuzu Trooper, which was one of the first midsize SUVs on the market in the early 1980s. But Trooper sales plummeted in 1996 when Consumer Reports said the Trooper was dangerous and prone to tipping.

Isuzu Motors America Inc. said Consumer Reports rigged testing on the Trooper, falsified documents and used “driving stunts” to make it appear the vehicle was vulnerable to a rollover, but the damage was done. Consumer Reports stood by its testing, and Isuzu said it lost $244 million in sales and damage to its reputation.

“They suffered an unfair mortal wound because of that,” Rogin said.

Rogin said the company also was hurt when it stopped distributing cars in the U.S. in 1993 and became fully truck-based.

Isuzu became a household word in 1986 with a popular ad campaign featuring the lying car salesman Joe Isuzu, played by actor David Leisure.

Isuzu made outrageous claims about vehicle performance even as his statements were contradicted and corrected in captions at the bottom of the commercial frame.

“It gets 94 miles per gallon city, 112 highway,” he said in one early commercial as the subtitle flashed: “He’s lying. 34 mpg city, 40 highway.”

The campaign was discontinued in 1990.

Isuzu and other small Japanese automakers were hurt badly by the rise of Korean automakers Hyundai and Kia, which took much of their sales of small sport utility vehicles and cars, said Erich Merkle, vice president of auto industry forecasting for the consulting firm IRN Inc. in Grand Rapids.

Recently, Isuzu relied on GM products in slow-selling segments, leading to its demise here, Merkle said. Since its products essentially are GM’s, customers will be assured that they can get parts and service, Merkle said.

As Isuzu exits the competitive U.S. market, Merkle said he will miss the clever Joe Isuzu ads.

“I always like to get a little chuckle,” he said. “Maybe somebody else can hire him.”

Maritime life and commerce are practically in our blood in these parts, but a lot of locals somehow don’t see what a boon port operations are to Hampton Roads.

They don’t see the many thousands of local jobs — some on the waterfront, others nearby, and more in big distribution centers in Isle of Wight and James City counties — or the $16 billion the ports add to the region’s economy.

They see trucks. Big trucks. More than 800,000 of them a year, hauling containers into and out of the ports.

And they don’t like what they see. It takes a well-informed imagination to see those trucks for what they are: the rolling sign of an industry that is a vast and central contributor to the area’s prosperity.

Trucks are easy to blame when you’re stuck in traffic in Hampton Roads. And stuck in traffic is too often a fact of life, and certain to get worse before relief comes in more lanes of highway, bridge and tunnel. Particularly as port traffic is expected to grow significantly.

So here’s an idea, just waiting for a politician or business leader to champion: Get some trucks off the roads during the time the rest of us are on them. Reduce the number of trucks when people are going to work and school and the dentist and the store.

How? Shift some port-related truck traffic from peak to nonpeak hours.

The port of Los Angeles and Long Beach has shown that such a system can be effective. Their key: a $100-per-container fee imposed on trucks leaving or entering the port weekdays between 3 a.m. and 6 p.m. The money goes to pay for second shifts on the docks, where container ships are loaded and unloaded, and at the terminal gates, where trucks enter and leave the port.

That economic incentive has shifted 40 percent of the port traffic to off-peak hours in L.A. and Long Beach. Next time you’re on Interstate 64, imagine two out of five trucks gone.

And there are environmental benefits. With less congestion, there are fewer vehicles idling, which cuts down on pollutants and greenhouse gases.

Shifting port traffic would change the way a lot of people do business. Terminal operators, truckers and shippers would see work hours and workers shifted. Distribution centers and warehouses would need to operate overnight.

Making it work in Hampton Roads would have to involve those stakeholders and find ways to help them manage the downside.

Maybe we could get the advantage of something that worked for California: Wal-Mart and Target helped make the change work when they added night shifts to receive cargo at their big distribution centers.

Jerry Bridges, executive director of the Virginia Port Authority, says he can foresee the possibility of an off-peak program in Hampton Roads in the next few years. But it won’t happen by itself.

In California, the legislature used a big stick: Facing congested ports and unhappy voters, the lawmakers threatened to force the port to extend its hours. So the business stakeholders came up with a system of their own.

Hampton Roads will also need a catalyst. How about business and political leadership, rather than a threat from Richmond?

It may not be simple, but it’s an obvious winner. On one hand, any reduction in traffic congestion will pay off for the area’s economy and quality of life. Under the best scenario, the projects to streamline port traffic — the third harbor crossing and an improved Route 460 south of the James — are years off. Spreading out the hours of truck traffic could make those years a little easier.

And on the other hand, it would be a public relations coup for the port and for regional transportation planning. A demonstration of the port’s wish to be a good and accommodating neighbor could soften negative feelings about this essential part of our economy. Those feelings, amplified when irritation about trucks combines with lack of understanding of how the ports benefit us all, have hampered the region’s ability to solve its transportation problems. They have fueled a sentiment that the public shouldn’t have to ante up for projects that will aid the ports. They helped kill a referendum to fund regional road projects in 2002, and today they fan the flames against the new Hampton Roads Transit Authority and the road projects it will build, especially those that will directly serve the ports.

Fewer trucks when the rest of us need to be on the roads. Traffic that flows better. Less pollution. Less anti-port sentiment interfering with necessary projects, and the taxes, tolls and fees to pay for them. All could be the benefits of a program to move truck traffic to the off-peak shift.

Kenworth Truck Co. will build liquefied natural gas (LNG) powered trucks in Renton beginning next year.

The Kirkland-based subsidiary of Paccar Inc. (NASDAQ: PCAR) will build its Kenworth T800 LNG trucks using fuel system technology from Westport Innovations Inc. of Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Westport technology will be installed in the Cummins ISX 15-liter truck engine.

Kenworth and Westport previously teamed up to offer the LNG-powered Kenworth trucks in an aftermarket conversion process on trucks used by the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. Those California ports recently approved a $1.6 billion plan to replace nearly 17,000 heavy-duty trucks that serve the ports with LNG-powered vehicles by 2012.

Westport’s LNG fuel system, according to Kenworth, is the only alternative fuel technology eligible for financial support as part of the ports’ new program.

Uncovered garbage trucks can no longer use the South Road Properties (SRP) road in going to the Inayawan landfill starting Monday.

Nagiel Bañacia, SRP’s newly appointed chief executive officer, announced Tuesday that the city will ban all uncovered trucks at the SRP to keep the area clean.

“This will keep the SRP area clean and free from falling garbage and filth,” Bañacia said.

Banacia said he noticed uncovered garbage trucks from the Department of Public Services (DPS) and the different barangays (villages) using the SRP road in going to the landfill.

Since the trucks were not covered, the garbage fell on the road. This happened especially to speeding trucks.

Banacia said the maintenance crew at the SRP spent more time cleaning the area of fallen garbage.

Banacia said cleanliness in the SRP area is important because this is the city’s prime project to attract investors.

He said he made the recommendation to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmena who agreed to his proposal to ban uncovered trucks.

Banacia said the ban also applies to other types of uncovered trucks like hauler trucks and dump trucks carrying sand and gravel.

“If they want to use the SRP road, they should cover their trucks,” he said.

Starting Monday, Banacia said checkpoints will be posted at different entrances of the SRP.

Barangay captains were all notified.

Banacia said DPS chief Dionisio Gualisa is aware of the new rule.

Banacia added that by Monday, strict traffic rules will also be implemented in the SRP to avoid accidents, like the wearing of helmets for motorcycle riders, and backriders should be limited to just one person.

Despite an overall solid sales month for General Motors, deliveries of full-size sport-utility vehicles made in Janesville declined in January.The automaker reported Friday that compared to January 2007, last month’s sales of Chevrolet Suburbans were down 14.4 percent, whiles those of the Chevy Tahoe dropped 12.1 percent.

Deliveries of GMC Yukon XLs fell 19 percent, while sales of GMC Yukons were down 17.3 percent.

The four vehicles are made at GM’s assembly plant in Janesville as well as at GM plants in Arlington, Texas, and Silao, Mexico.

Last month’s drop continues a declining trend in the full-size SUV market that’s been taking shape for several years. That trend has been fueled by an uncertain economic situation and a consumer shift to crossover vehicles that get better gas mileage.

Last year, GM sold 338,600 Suburbans, Tahoes, Yukon XLs and Yukons, a drop of 4.7 percent from 2006. The 2007 sales number extended a decline that dates to at least 2002, when GM sold more than 500,000 of the trucks common to the Janesville, Arlington and Silao plants.

Expecting that decline to continue, GM will slow its production rate in Janesville starting in April. The local assembly line will slow from 52 jobs an hour to 44.

The slowdown, layoffs and an expected GM buyout plan are expected to decrease employment levels in Janesville, where 2,500 hourly and 200 salaried personnel now work.

On a corporate basis, GM shined in January while the rest of the industry took a dive. GM posted a 2.6 percent sales gain in January.

U.S. consumers bought just 1.04 million cars and trucks last month, down 4.3 percent from the same month a year ago. The performance translated into an annual seasonally adjusted selling rate of 15.24 million cars and trucks, making last month the worst January in a decade.

Nearly every major automaker posted declines. Sales were down 12.1 percent at Chrysler, 7.3 percent at Nissan, 3.9 percent at Ford and 2.3 percent at both Toyota and Honda.

The mountain of twisted metal and debris scattered along the Trans-Canada Highway in the Alberta Rockies looked like the scene of a plane crash to crews who worked Thursday to carefully pry apart wreckage from a spectacular chain-reaction collision involving five semi-trailer trucks.

Three people in one vehicle died and five others received non-life threatening injuries when five, fully loaded transport trucks collided around 9 p.m. Wednesday along a narrow, dark stretch of single-lane highway about two kilometres west of Lake Louise in Banff National Park.

“One like this, it’s a little bit like a plane crash because those trucks just came apart,” said Douglas Kerr, area highways manager for Parks Canada on Thursday.

“I’ve seen many accidents involving transport trucks but to have five of them at the same time in the same location is quite unusual,” he said.

The curving stretch of highway that winds through some of the most spectacular mountain scenery in the Rockies was strewn with a chaotic jumble of debris from the crash — the impact so great that material being hauled by the trucks was flung about 350 metres, he said.

RCMP are still investigating what may have caused the collision in an area that is used as a main route for transport trucks.

Investigators know that all the vehicles slammed into one another within the space of a few minutes.

“It appears the first west-bound semi lost control and jackknifed across the road which caused a collision with an east-bound semi,” said Constable Brad Malacko.

“From there a second west-bound semi collided with the two first involved in the impact, then a second east-bound semi collided with that,” he said.

The driver of a fifth semi managed to avoid hitting the tangled pile of transport trucks but struck some debris and hit the ditch, Constable Malacko said.

The road conditions at the time weren’t particularly icy and the area had not had snow in the 24 hours before the collision, he said.

Police are investigating whether excessive speed or mechanical issues may be factors. Constable Malacko said it’s not believed the driver of the first semi fell asleep or slammed on the brakes to avoid wildlife on the road.

“He was probably going a bit too fast for the road conditions,” he said.

No names have been released and RCMP are refusing to say which provinces the trucks may have been from.

The highway was closed after the collision and remained closed Thursday while crews worked to clear the debris.

One trucker was airlifted to hospital in Calgary, suffering from broken bones, another was taken to hospital in Banff and was then released, while three others were treated on the scene for scrapes and bruises, Constable Malacko said.

“Basically we’re in the mountains and we have winter driving conditions. People need to drive for winter driving conditions,” Constable Malacko said.

The operators of at least two front-end loaders brought in to help clear away the debris had to carefully avoid toppling into steep ditches on either side of the highway filled with nearly two metres of snow, said Mr. Kerr.

“It’s a fairly confined area so there’s only so much equipment that you can operate at a scene like this,” he said, adding he hasn’t seen the crash site, but workers provided him with detailed descriptions.

The loaders slowly jockeyed back and forth across the narrow highway, scooping up bucket-loads of cultured stone which was flung out of one of the trucks and onto the road.

“A lot of it is unsafe, so you just can’t go in there and start working. You’ve got to understand what may still fall down,” said Mr. Kerr.

“It’s a lot of steel … so you’ve got to be very careful when you send people in there that they don’t get in there trying to deal with it,” he said.

Four large wrecking trucks and several tractor-trailer units hauling flat-bed trailers were brought in from as far away as Golden, B.C,. and Calgary to pry apart the cabs of the badly damaged semis and haul the debris away.

Tractor trailers like the ones involved in Wednesday’s collision can weigh as much as 63,000 kilograms and be almost 17 metres long, Kerr said.

Road conditions at the time of the collision were in fair to good winter driving condition and the road, which had compacted snow, had been recently sanded, Mr. Kerr said.

There’s a high proportion of commercial transport trucks that use that stretch of highway and Kerr estimated 8,000 vehicles per day use it.

The posted speed limit in the area is 90 kilometres per hour.

Emergency crews, including RCMP, volunteer fire departments and ambulance crews from Lake Louise and nearby Field, B.C., had to work in inky blackness Wednesday to find the bodies of the three people who were killed, and to extract the injured from the wreckage.

It shouldn’t have happened- another answer to a question nobody asked, but it happened. The El Camino is looking to make a U.S. comeback tour. The new El Camino is expected to be badged as a Pontiac, and sold in the U.S. as a derivative of the Austrailian “ute” platform. Shades of the “GTO” methinks.

Called the “G8 ST,” the new vehicle will be made available with GM’s corporate 6.0 liter V8, and nothing else. Details on further options, colors and accessories have not been revealed yet, but expect the Elky, err, G8 to cost around 30 large. Yep, 30 grand for a pickup truck, uh, car with no ground clearance, a gas-hog V8, two seats, and ho-hum styling. One has to be a little leery of the announcement, as (formerly) DCX’s Magnum was cut after just a few short years, and the revived Subaru BRAT (Baja) was a dismal failure. Oh well, best of luck to ‘em- mebbe they can throw in a few George Thorogood CDs to complete the package. In the mean time, I’ll break out my best wife beater and a tall boy to celebrate.

In the teens and 1920s, the Locomobile 48 was a mighty road giant, a car of top quality, built to last. There were lesser models of the Locomobile as well, offered during the mid-’20s when Billy Durant and Durant Motors had control of the company. But the 48 and nearly as big 90 were the stars of the Locomobile galaxy.

The 48 was so good, in fact, that the corporate heads decided to continue it, virtually unchanged, from the teens right up to the last of the 1929 Locomobiles.

When I was a kid in Oakland, Calif., I was really quite interested in old cars, and carefully read the Tribune auto classified ads — even at age 10 — looking for an occasional old car offered for sale. One day I saw a Locomobile in the classifieds. The odd name intrigued me: Was it half-locomotive and half-car?

It was the first time I’d heard of one, and I asked Mom if she would drive me over to see it. She didn’t, but she did allow me to go to see a yellow and black ‘37 Cord Coupe (a rare body type — only two coupes were built). I went there, sat on the curb near the two-of-a-kind Cord and drew a picture of it (which I colored in with crayon after I got back home).

As for Locomobiles, no others popped up in the classifieds, and I never knew what that mysterious marquee looked like until a few years later when I began collecting old-car advertisements.

Until you saw this picture and story, had YOU heard of a Locomobile? Old cars can be very interesting!

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