A round up of brief pickup, SUV and automotive news items of note from the week ending February 13, 2026.
We see a lot of news stories cross our desks in the course of a week. Not all of them are big enough to warrant a full writeup by your tireless Pickup Truck+SUV Talk staff, so we’re bringing you this weekly round up of all the little stories we thought you might want to know about.
Ford CEO Joins McDonald’s
What’s more All-American than a big-ass truck? How about a big-ass burger from McDonald’s? If that’s the case, Ford CEO James D. Farley Jr. is about to become the most American man of all time, as he joins the board of directors for McDonald’s. McDonald’s hope is that Farley will bring “invaluable experience balancing innovation with operational excellence, modernizing customer experience, engaging independent operators, and harnessing technology to improve systems at scale,” according to CEO Chris Kempczinski. We just hope it means he adds a burger holder to the Ford Bronco.
Kei Trucks Coming to Oregon?
If you’re an Oregonian with a powerful yearning to own one of Japan’s famously compact “kei trucks,” you may be in for some good news. While efforts to legalize the vehicles for use in Oregon failed last year, lawmakers are gearing up for another bite at the tiny, but shiny, apple.
A Wild Petition Appears!
Toyota recently announced that the popular Highlander SUV is going all electric, and while fans of EVs, clean air, and the future are all no-doubt stoked to hear it, not everyone shares their joy. At least one dedicated Toyota fan(?) is hellbent on tilting at the fossil fuel windmill and insisting (via a Change.org petition, no less) that Toyota restore his beloved gasoline engine to the line. Time will tell whether this quixotic quest is successful, but the early numbers are not promising: only 13 people have signed as of press time. If you hurry, you could be No. 14!
Wheels Fall Off Mail Trucks
We’ll wrap this week with a humorous one. The controversial (and extremely silly looking) Oshkosh mail carrier van is facing a recall (of 40 units!) because the rear wheels might fall off due to a manufacturing issue. “Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds” as the old saying goes, but missing rear wheels definitely will.
The post PUTT News Extra: Week of February 13 appeared first on Pickup Truck +SUV Talk.
