What do Americans want in a truck?

In a recently published article about truck & SUV sales trends for 2008, the numbers seam to be way different than what most think:

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By July of 2008, gas prices had nearly doubled in just six months and were above $4/gal in many places. Then Wall Street and the housing market imploded, straining consumer confidence to the limit and drying up credit. Both events conspired to bring automakers around the world to their knees and the heads of the Detroit Three to the halls of Congress to ask for money. While on Capitol Hill, Wagoner, Nardelli and Mulally got a tounge-lashing for vehicle lineups deemed to be out-of-touch with what Americans supposedly wanted to buy -- namely, green, fuel-efficent cars. Common sense seemed to dictate that consumers would run from trucks and SUVs to cheaper, more fuel-efficient cars and crossovers. But did they?

Pickup Truck Sale Trends Trucks

The numbers would seem to indicate that was not the case. Take, for example, the Top 10 Best Selling Vehicles in 2008 in the U.S. Four of the top ten were trucks and SUVs. The best-selling vehicle in the country was once again the Ford F-Series, followed closely by the Chevrolet Silverado, with both trucks over a half million copies. Three midsize sedans found spots on the list, as did another truck -- the Dodge Ram. Just three models were left to represent the compact vehicle segment: the Toyota Corolla and Honda Civic sedans, and the Honda CR-V compact 'ute. Only four of the top 10 offered hybrid variations, and their sales were only a fraction of the total model sales. What's more, only the sixth-place Honda Civic actually experienced a growth in sales in 2008, even then by only 2.1% over 2007. The first-place Ford F-Series actually saw sales drop 25.4% from 2007, the second-worst on the list next to the second-place Chevrolet Silverado's 25.8% drop.....

So what do the numbers really say? As they always have, they say that the auto market is much harder to predict that some would like to believe. They say that, despite the declarations to the contrary by our representatives in Congress, trucks and SUVs are not "cars nobody wants." They say that in today's auto market, fuel-efficiency and capability reign supreme. According to the numbers, what people want right now are more-efficient vehicles that can still haul a soccer team to the game and the luggage up to the cabin. Will that be what consumers want in 2009?



 

All things being equal, I think people would choose a more fuel-efficient option. But when I say "all things being equal" I mean for around the same price as a less-efficient equivalent, with just as much power and capability. When you add those caveats, it gets a little trickier.

Personally, I think half-ton diesels are a great idea. But the question remains, will consumers be willing to pay $5-6,000 more for them? Never mind the fact they'll offer likely 25-30 percent better fuel economy, and great towing and hauling capacity.

But now that gas is around $1.70 a gallon, as opposed to $4.00+ a few months ago, it seems like fuel economy as a buying consideration has dropped down a few notches. It'll be interesting to see which way fuel prices go in 2009, and how the truck and SUV market reacts accordingly.  

As long as truck's mpg ratings continue to increase, as slowly as they are, there will still be an ample market for trucks. I don't know if people were expecting the truck market to contract in huge amounts, but I'll be surprised if the F-150 isn't the best seller for this year.  

trucks, TRUCKS, TRUCKS EVERYWHERE!!!! I LOVE MY TRUCKS!  BIG TRUCKS FOR EVERY HUMAN BEING, TRUCKS FOR ALL AMERICANS AND UNDERPRIVILEGED SOULS IN THIS WORLD WE ARE MENTORING.  TRUCKS IN EVERYONES REALITY FOR EVERYONES SPACE, TRUCKS FIGHTING WARS AND TRUCKS SERVING HUMANITY, TRUCKS SERVING GRAIN TO AFRICANS AND TRUCKS DISCOVERING UNORDINARY AND UNDISCOVERED HABITATS.  TRUCKS COLONIZE AND CARRY OUT BRAVE FEATS, TRUCKS FOR THE OLYMPICS AND THE STARVED.  TRUCKS WILL MAKE IT TO MARS I'M SURE OF IT.    

For what I use my 1/2 ton crew cab for, I could easily use a smaller truck.  In fact I need a smaller (lighter) truck to pull behind my RV.  I still need a truck, but a small 3 or 4 cyl. diesel or CNG powered would make a lot of sense.  I still don't see why they have to be priced so much more than gas engines.  I guess it must be the quantities of these sold determine the price.  
retired2001
2004 Chevy Silverado Crew Cab Z/71
"Toad" for 2007 Winnebago Adventurer

Gas prices dont really hurt me because I am able to use the company gas because i use my truck for work all the time. So I want more power mpg would be great but as of now I could care less. and with barrel prices still dropping funny how the gas prices have stopped going down and went up 15 cents. at least in southern Cal.  

What do Americans want in a truck. I don't know about the rest of America, but I know what I want. I've been living in Texas for the last 18 years or so. In 1992 I bought my first ever pickup, a Ford Ranger extended cab with an under-powered 3.0 V6 and a 5-speed manual trans. What a great little truck. Sure by today's standards it was a crude vehicle, but it was as reliable as an anvil and had the most comfortable drivers seat of any vehicle I have owned. Even with a V6 it got 20 MPG around town and 25 MPG on the highway.  It even held it's value fairly well. (If I remember correctly, I paid about $12,200 new and got $6000 trade-in 4 years/88,000 miles later.)
So what do I want in a truck.  I want an updated version of that Ranger.  I currently own a 2000 Tundra (bought in 1999) with 206,000 miles.  It has been a great truck and except for a few niggles, very reliable.
In 2007 when gas was $3.00 a gallon I bought a VW Jetta when I calculated that my 110 mile daily round trip for work was costing me $21.  So I don't use the Tundra that much.  Thing is, while I love driving my Jetta (2.5L, 5-sp manual, leather,dual-zone climate control, XM radio, sunroof), the service cost have turned me off on euro-mobiles. ($75 oil changes, $625 estimate to replace a bad xm radio module, another estimate $400 to replace a bad micro switch in the drivers door so the interior lights come on when I open the door, etc.) Bottom line is that I want a new truck.  Problem is, at this point every truck that I am considering would have to be a compromise. I want a truck that has a comfortable interior with a few luxury touches (zone climate control, comfortable seating for four, etc). Every few weeks I pick up about 400 pounds of animal feed and I occasionally tow a trailer with two motorcycles (sometimes several hundred miles)and get 24-25 MPG highway. So far none of the small to mid-size trucks on the market fit my needs.  So it looks like I am going to have to settle for a crossover SUV like a Ford Edge/GMC Arcadia, but then you can't haul trash in the back of one of those.
So here is the perfect truck for me...About the size of an Explorer Sport Trac (but with more rear seat room) with a 3.0 liter turbo-diesel of about 225-250 hp and around 300 Lb/ft of torque, a comfortable interior made of quality materials with good selection of option packages.  Is anyone listening?  

I hear ya about the maintenance costs for European cars! I had a 2000 GTI, and that thing was in the shop just about every other week, and I had to pay out-of-pocket for several repairs that I FINALLY got reimbursed for after VW issued a recall.