At LotPro.com we see where Ford Motor Company will be celebrating this year’s SEMA show, scheduled to run from November 3rd until November 6th in Viva Las Vegas, Nevada, by introducing the first rear-wheel-drive application of the 3.5-liter twin-turbo EcoBoost V-6.

Delivering an estimated 400 horsepower and 400 lb.-ft. of torque, the company’s latest application of its EcoBoost technology sets out to disprove the long-held belief that “There’s no replacement for displacement.”

“EcoBoost technology shows that there is a viable replacement for displacement,” said Dan Kapp, director of Ford Powertrain Research and Advanced Engineering, who will be part of a SEMA “Driving Green” technology briefing panel discussion during the show. “As consumers’ demand for fuel efficiency continues to grow, and our commitment to delivering best-in-class fuel economy remains steadfast, it’s important to show that performance does not need to suffer as a result.”

“Hot rod builds provide blank canvases for SEMA member companies and SEMA is uniquely positioned to demonstrate that horsepower and green power can coexist without sacrificing performance or the cool factor,” said John Waraniak, SEMA vice president of Vehicle Technology. “This ‘34 EcoBoost hot rod is a fantastic example of modern green technology being applied in a manner that any performance enthusiast would love.”

Australian Ford Falcon

The next application

Sometime next year, the first production rear-wheel-drive application of EcoBoost technology will appear on a more mundane but hardly less important platform, the Ford F-150. Further down the timeline, the next application of rear-wheel-drive EcoBoost technology will be in the guise of a 2.0-liter I-4, which will be offered in the company’s Australian-market Falcon sedan sometime in 2011.

’34 Ford

Built in collaboration with Detroit Street Rods, the rear-wheel-drive configuration that will displayed at SEMA includes the aforementioned 3.5-liter V-6 coupled with a Tremec five-speed manual tranny. The stock Honeywell turbochargers were repackaged to fit in the engine bay of the all-steel replica body, while the entire system dyno tested by Ford Powertrain. In addition to the production engine, the fuel pump, ECM, fuel pump module and processor as well as drive-by-wire throttle were all production units.

The body is from Steve’s Auto Restoration and both the body and fenders are from brand-new tooling that was designed, stamped and manufactured by Experi-metal in Sterling Heights, Michigan. The all-steel replica also features full fenders, running boards, electronic power windows, air conditioning and custom bumpers.

Yes it’s a popularity contest

It’s getting on towards the end of another year, which means that those of us here at LotPro.com can report with a relative degree of accuracy those models with the largest number of searches for the year. We also know that wading through 50 different models might seem like a large pain. But look at it this way, with fifty different vehicles to pick from, there’s a good chance that at least one of them might also be on your “best” list, too.

So here, in alphabetical order, are the top 50 searches. Want to know the top 2? See if you can guess (they’re listed at the end of the article).

Chevrolet Aveo

Chevrolet

Aveo
Impala
Silverado 1500
Tahoe

Chevrolet division had 4 models in our top 50 list this year. The Aveo, from the General’s Daewoo partnership, is one of the highest-mileage vehicles in the U.S. The Impala also offers a lot of bank for the buck in addition to great fuel economy, while the Silverado and the Tahoe both made late recoveries from mid-year sales slides.

Chrysler 300

Chrysler

300-series

The lone Chrysler entry was the 300-series – one of the few domestic full-size vehicles with a sense of style.

Dodge Challenger

Dodge

Avenger
Challenger
Charger
Ram 1500
Ram 2500

Dodge hits the list with the Avenger, the new Challenger, the Charger and both the half ton and three quarter ton Ram.

Ford F-150

Ford

Escape
Explorer
F-150
F-250 Super Duty
Focus
Mustang
Ranger

Ford brand has seven vehicles on the list with both the Escape and Explorer SUV’s, the Focus and Mustang passenger vehicles as well as three trucks – the Ranger, the F-150 and the F-250 Super Duty.

Honda Fit

Honda

Accord Coupe
Accord Sedan
Civic Coupe
Civic Hybrid
Civic Sedan
CR-V
Fit
Odyssey
Pilot

Honda ties for first place in the nameplate segment with nine entries including the Accord (2 versions), Civic (3 versions), the Fit, the CR-V, the Odyssey and the Pilot.

Hyundai Elantra

Hyundai

Accent
Elantra

Hyundai places with both the Accent and the Elantra sedans. While neither vehicle breaks any new ground, both represent Hyundai’s mantra of affordable transportation with excellent fuel economy.

Jeep Wrangler

Jeep

Wrangler

Jeep hits the list with the Wrangler, the Dorian Gray of sport utility vehicles.

Kia Rio

Kia

Rio

Kia’s most affordable sedan, the Rio, is also its best-selling vehicle – a big reason why it’s on the list.

Mazda Mazda3

Mazda

Mazda3
Mazda6

Both of Mazda’s “zoom-zoom” sedans made the list for 2008.

Nissan Altima

Nissan

Altima
Maxima
Murano
Rogue
Versa

Nissan placed three sedans – the Altima, Maxima and Versa – in the top 50 as well as SUV’s the Rogue and its big brother the Murano.

Scion tC

Scion

tC

By any other name a Toyota, the tC was also one of our top 50 searches.

Toyota Corolla

Toyota

Camry
Camry Hybrid
Corolla
FJ Cruiser
Prius
RAV4
Sienna
Tacoma
Yaris

Toyota ties for first in the nameplate division with 9 entries and wins the manufacturer’s category (10 including Scion) with 5 passenger cars, 2 SUV’s, 1 truck and 1 van.

And the winners are

Congratulations to the Ford F-150 which placed first overall and the Nissan Altima, which took second place.

NACOTY and NATOTY awards

Patterned after the European “Car of the Year” award, the North American awards were first given in 1994. The jury is composed of no more than 50 journalists from the United States and Canada. In order to be eligible for consideration, a vehicle must be “substantially changed” from the previous model and be on sale shortly after the announcement of the award in early January. In addition:

•    Cars must have reasonably foreseeable annual sales in North America of 5,000 vehicles.

•    Trucks must have reasonably foreseeable annual sales in North America of 2,000 vehicles.

The three finalists are announced in December and the winners are unveiled at a press conference at the beginning of the North American International Auto Show in Detroit (although the show does not sponsor the awards in any way).

Award trivia: During its sixteen years, hybrids have been honored 4 times. Domestic automakers have garnered eight awards, Japanese automakers have won the award three times and European automakers have received the award four times (for Car of the Year). In the Truck of the Year competition, domestic automakers have taken the award home 9 times, Japanese automakers have won 4 times, while European automakers have won twice.

This year’s finalists are:

Car of the Year

 Ford Flex

Hyundai Genesis

Volkswagen Jetta TDI

Truck of the Year

Dodge Ram

Ford F-150

Mercedes-Benz ML320 BlueTEC

Not bad for a truck

Here at LotPro.com, it has to be said that most of us are not big fans of the pickup truck. Perhaps it’s because, for at least the past ten years, most buyers never really purchased them for their intended use. Commuting to work and schlepping the kids to school does not require a pickup truck. It was almost as if the proliferation of extended-cab, leather-lined luxo-trucks was suburbia’s answer to the equally obnoxious chrome-clad DUB-wheeled urban SUV.

Thankfully, last summer’s spike in gasoline prices may finally return the pickup truck to its rightful place – the proper mode of conveyance for cowboys and construction workers as well as an automotive denizen of rental fleets for those of us who need one for the occasional weekend hauling requirements.

The New F-150

Ford, it seems, could not have picked a worse time to introduce its new full-size pickup truck. Due to the aforementioned state of gasoline prices this past summer, the guys in Dearborn were forced to push back the launch of their new truck by two months to clear the glut of current models sitting on dealer lots.

But that was then and this is now. With a drop in gas prices, there has been a mild resurgence in truck sales. After losing its crown earlier this year, the F-series is once again America’s top-selling vehicle, albeit with sales numbers far below its 2004 pinnacle of 939,463 copies.

Motor Trend TOTY

Today, however, was a day to put all that aside at least long enough for the designers, engineers and marketing people at Ford to enjoy their moment in the sun. The new F-150 was one of four trucks that were eligible for the award this year, the others being the Dodge Ram 1500, Suzuki Equator and the Hummer H3T and it won the honor in the closest vote in the history of Truck of the Year™.

The award also marks the third consecutive time that an all-new F-150 has garnered the prize, having received it twice in the past for the 2004 and 1997 iterations.

“The new F-150 is a thorough, thoughtful upgrade of a highly successful formula,” said Angus MacKenzie, editor-in-chief, Motor Trend. “The 2009 model improves on the core attributes that have made the F-150 a best seller for decades, ensuring it will remain a strong player in the segment despite the challenging economic environment.”

New Features

There are two items, in particular, on the F-150’s equipment list that should expand its appeal to a broader segment of buyers. Inside, the Microsoft-developed SYNC technology will allow it to appeal to younger, more tech-savvy buyers, while, in back, the Box Side Step and Tailgate Step should help with the, ahem, more “mature” customer (a census aggregation that includes yours, truly).

The Bottom Line

Despite the fact that Ford’s newest hauler is not on our short list of vehicles we’d like to own before we pass on, it’s certainly the well-deserved leader in its segment and carries on Ford’s fine tradition of building class-leading pickups.

One for the money

On Wednesday of this week, Kelley Blue Book announced that the 2009 Ford F-150 pickup truck was named by the company as the Best Redesigned Vehicle for 2009. Five years ago, the F-150 won the first award given out by Kelley and this year marks the first time, ever, for a repeat winner.

In taking the award, the F-150 beat out 9 other re-designs: the Acura TL and TSX, Audi A4, Dodge Ram, Honda Fit, Mazda6, Nissan Maxima and Murano as well as the Subaru Forester.

According to Jack Nerad, executive editorial director for Kelley, “”We were so impressed with the 2009 Ford F-150, we’d go so far as to say it isn’t just a great truck, it’s a step forward for what a vehicle can be. Imagine a truck that can help you keep track of your tools and keep you aware of where your employees are, and you can see that the new F-150 brings with it world-class innovation.”

Two for the show

While Kelley was bestowing its honors in the U.S., two other events across the pond bestowed honors on the Transit Connect, a vehicle Ford unveiled at this year’s Chicago Auto Show and one we’ll see here in the middle of 2009.

On December 8th, the U.K.’s Association of Car Fleet Operators gave their top commercial vehicle award to the Transit Connect van. This marks the sixth consecutive year it has won this award.

Two days later, Britain’s leading van magazine, What Van? honored the Transit Connect with its security award for a light van, the seventh time the Ford van has received the award.

The Bottom Line

Here at LotPro.com, we know that trucks aren’t sexy. But there are two things that need to be remembered about these vehicles: historically, the F-150 has contributed greatly to Ford’s bottom line. Even in a depressed economy, sales of the new model look to keep the company afloat even as Nissan stops building trucks and Toyota struggles to break into the market.

Secondly, the Transit Connect represents Ford’s next great step: bringing the goodness of driving dynamics and space efficiency over from Europe and introducing both to the U.S. market.

“Nelly” Flex

Rapper Nelly got to see his customized 2009 Ford Flex for the first time on Tuesday when it was unveiled as part of Ford’s press conference. Working with Ford Designer Melvin Betancourt, they created, according to Betancourt, “a custom-color blue car with a white roof, a great sound system, 22-inch wheels, an exhaust system with a little bit of a rumble on it, and a personalized interior.”

Inside, the Flex features black Tuscany leather with Katzkin® seats and blue stitching that picks up the unique blue exterior color. In addition, Nelly’s Flex features the industry-exclusive Ford SYNC™ technology and a CIM LIIV™ wireless Internet entertainment system, which enables passengers to enjoy web surfing, online games, e-mail, downloaded movies, music and live television.

Ford F-150 SVT Raptor R

Based on Ford’s F-150 SVT Raptor, the modified “R” version was developed by Ford Racing specifically to race in the Tecate SCORE Baja 1000. Using stock components of the F-150 SVT Raptor including the transmission, brakes and frame, the race version has more suspension travel, better approach and departure angles as well as racing specification seats, safety cage and harnesses.

2009 Troy Lee Mazda6

Featuring a custom paint job by Troy Lee Designs and body modifications by Funktion USA, this new Mazda6 features 18” Momo Strike wheels, Hoosier tires and deep-tinted windows. Performance mods include Eibach springs, cross-drilled 6-piston brakes by Wilwood Engineering and custom brake fabrication by JD Performance.

Dodge Challenger Blacktop

To a basic 2009 Dodge Challenger R/T, the “Mopar Underground” added custom spoilers and a black-on-black racing stripe paint scheme. Modifications include a Mopar coil-over suspension and strut tower brace. The Blacktop rolls on 22” Dodge Viper wheels from Factory Reproductions with 265/35 R22 front and 305/30 R22 rear Dunlop tires.

Performance enhancements include a cat back dual-exhaust and cold air intake while inside, the Challenger features bright red Katzkin leather seats and a Mopar Kicker audio system.

And Last but not Least…

Dodge Challenger SRT 10 Concept

Realizing that the 425 Horsepower might not be quite enough for some enthusiasts, Chrysler’s in-house performance organization, Street and Racing Technology, put together what has to be the ultimate Challenger.

Power for the SRT 10 comes from the Dodge Viper 8.4 liter V-10 engine with 600 horsepower and 560 lb. ft. of torque. The engine is mated to a Tremec TR-6060 6-speed manual transmission with Dodge Viper gear ratios. A single-piece 4” steel drive shaft connects the transmission to an aluminum differential with torque-sensing limited-slip.

Bringing all this power to a halt are silver-painted Brembo fixed calipers that feature six pistons in front and four pistons in back that clamp down on 2-piece 390mm vented rotors in front and 355mm vented rotors in the rear. Wheels are fully-forged Alcoa aluminum (20×9 front, 20×10 rear) with Pirelli P-Zero 275/35R20 tires in front and 275/40R20’s in back.

In a nod to the 1970 HEMI Cuda, the “10” also features a shaker hood – only this time, it’s constructed of carbon fiber, as is the deck lid and various aerodynamic bits fitted to the body.