General Motors, Ford, Chrysler will be joining Toyota in implementing a common standard for rating the towing capacities of their light-duty pickups. That uniform standard will allow shoppers to more accurately compare vehicles' towing capabilities and reduce some confusion caused by truck makers with differing standards. Bear in mind, though, that for heavy-duty pickups, automakers will still rate their vehicles with their own standards.
Spokesmen for Ford Motor Co. and Chrysler Group acknowledged last week that starting with 2015 model year full size light duty pickup truks they will be joining Toyota in using a towing standard originally adopted by the industry in 2009. GM said that it would join the other companies in using the new standard. Some of the delay was because companies were concerned that the new standards would mean rated towing capacities reduced by several hundred pounds. The new voluntary standards were originally going to be implemented for the 2013 model year but Ford decided to not go with the lower ratings until it introduced the all-new 2015 F-150. After Ford delayed using the standard, GM and Chrysler did likewise.
Toyota so far has been the only company to implement the standard, known as SAE J2807, lowering the ratings on its Tundra pickup by 400 lbs for the 2011 model year. Nissan has said that it adopts the new standard as its trucks are redesigned. The next Titan is due in 2015.
A Ford spokesman told Automotive News that the all new aluminum 2015 F-150 will get a new towing rating.
"As a founding member of the SAE trailer towing committee, we will meet SAE trailer towing standards," he said.
Tom Wilkinson, a GM spokesman, said that "when the other two major manufacturers move, we will move at that time. We already validate the trucks to [the J2807 standard]. It's just a matter of adjusting the numbers," Wilkinson said.
A spokesman for Ram also indicated that towing capabilities for its 2015-model pickups will comply with the new standard.
Toyota welcomed its competitors in joining them in using the new standard in a statement:
"This will be most beneficial for customers, as previous methodologies created by individual manufacturers made it difficult for customers to compare tow ratings on an apples-to-apples basis," the statement said. "Toyota was always a firm believer in an industrywide standard, as evidenced by our adopting SAE J2807 back in 2011 and being the only manufacturer to adopt it until now."
from The Truth About Cars http://ift.tt/Jh8LjA
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