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Ken Block hoons his Ford F-150 RaptorTrax on the slopes

Ken Block drives Fords. Hoons the heck out of 'em, actually. Mostly Fiestas, but also the occasional Focus or Mustang. But earlier this year, the Gymkhana guru revealed his baddest Ford yet: an F-150 SVT Raptor on tracks. And true to form, here he is putting it to the test in the latest video from Monster Energy and Hoonigan Racing.
Filmed at Baldface Lodge in Nelson, BC, the video pairs Block up with snowboarders Zak Hale and Ethan Deiss for some deep-powder action. You'll want to watch the video for yourself, but the bottom line is that the RaptorTrax beats the heck out of waiting on line for the ski lift. It's enough to make us start to look forward to winter... almost.

Ford creates F-150 Sandcat to promote Halo 5: Guardians

Halo 5: Guardians is about to hit Xbox One, and Ford is celebrating with the reveal of this one-off F-150. Built by the Blue Oval specialists at Galpin Auto Sports, the Ford F-150 Halo Sandcat is designed for deployment by the United Nations Space Command. It's based on a 2015 Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCrew 4x4 with the 3.5-liter EcoBoost V6 and FX4 off-road package. It's then upgraded with a Baja XTR package from Addictive Desert Designs, complete with FOX Racing shocks, Deaver leaf springs, a Currie floating rear axle, 17-inch wheels, and upgraded fenders, side steps, and chase rack. It's all capped by a custom Halo-themed body wrap, and fitted with an Xbox One hooked up to displays in the back of the headrests. Fans will be able to check it out at the LA Convention Center during the E3 video game show, and dream of driving it on some far-off planet to combat whatever space monsters the Master Chief has been assigned to eradicate. Jun 12, 2015 | LOS ANGELES Ford F-150 Halo Sandcat Lands at E3 to Promote Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One Ford, Xbox, 343 Industries and Galpin Auto Sports are celebrating the release of Halo 5: Guardians for Xbox One with a special version of the 2015 Ford F-150 that is so awesome, it could have been designed by the Master Chief himself. The Ford F-150 Halo Sandcat is a one-of-a-kind vehicle inspired by Halo's United Nations Space Command vehicle design. It will be on display at E3 2015. Based on the all-new Ford F-150, the toughest, smartest, most capable F-150 ever, F-150 Halo Sandcat is special enough to have been officially designated the M552 codename by the United Nations Space Command – closely matching F-150's official Ford codename, P552. The F-150 Halo Sandcat started as a 2015 Ford F-150 Lariat SuperCrew 4x4 with 3.5-liter EcoBoost® engine and FX4 off-road package. To turn the truck into the Sandcat, Galpin Auto Sports added an arsenal of modifications to give it a United Nations Space Command militaristic style that Halo fans will instantly recognize. The F-150 Halo Sandcat starts with Addictive Desert Designs' Baja XTR off-road conversion kit, which includes custom FOX Racing shocks, Deaver leaf springs, a Currie full floater rear axle, ADD fenders, side steps, a chase rack and 17-inch wheels with off-road tires to go along with a full custom Halo body wrap. Inside, there's an Xbox One custom gaming system with displays mounted in the rear head restraints.

Huge, pricey trucks haul jobs and profits for the Detroit Three

DECATUR, Texas — Mickey McMaster is on his 12th pickup truck. The 61-year old farm equipment dealer in Decatur, Texas, two weeks ago treated himself to a 2019 GMC Denali for around $69,000 — a reward for long hours at work. "For me this is the Cadillac of trucks, it's a real luxury vehicle," McMaster said. "I've worked my way up to afford a truck like this and it shows that I've earned it." McMaster is the kind of customer General Motors Co is banking on as it plans to add 1,000 jobs at a plant in Flint, Michigan that will build a new generation of its largest pickups. Demand from Texas and other heartland states for big pick-ups is providing a lifeline to many workers the No. 1 U.S. automaker is laying off at plants elsewhere. The Detroit Three automakers and thousands of their U.S. workers are counting on customers like McMaster to keep buying bigger and more luxurious pickup trucks even if overall U.S. vehicle demand weakens this year, as most analysts predict. At Flint, GM will build a new generation of its heavy-duty Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierras, including luxury models that are some of the most profitable vehicles on the planet. GM, Ford Motor Co and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV's Ram division own the segment and are each doubling down with new or redesigned models launching this year. Sales of heavy-duty pickups in the United States have grown to more than 600,000 vehicles a year, up more than 20 percent since 2013, according to industry data. Prices for luxury models can easily top $70,000. GM on Tuesday celebrated the launch of a new generation of heavy-duty GMC and Chevrolet pickups at the assembly plant in Flint, Michigan, that is now building all such trucks for the company. At the same time that GM is laying off thousands of U.S. workers and planning to shutter five North American factories, Flint is hiring. The plant runs on three daily shifts, six days a week. As the new model's assembly system ramps up, the plant's capacity will increase by more than 25 percent, plant manager Mike Perez told Reuters. The Flint plant plans to add 1,000 workers, more than half of the 1,500 factory workers who have asked to transfer from plants GM has targeted for shutdown as part of CEO Mary Barra's restructuring plan. "We're bringing in 50 to 100 people every week," said Perez. Workers last week were still finishing the job of retooling the Flint factory to build the new heavy-duty trucks as part of a $1.5 billion investment project.