[eb110americana]

I think we're going to have to see the death of the cheap V8 truck over the next decade. Why would GM want to winnow away its hard-earned, precious CAFE credits on the cheap? It's going to be hard enough meeting standards as it is.

If you want a cheap truck, I think a smaller V6 is going to have to do--many of the hardest working, real work trucks are already ordered that way. V8s are currently resorting to cylinder deactivation and more just to survive, but despite that, look at what the market for them is doing anyway. If you really need more power, a diesel should do all the duties a truck exists to perform. With 2 V8 diesels, I think a lot of people may choose to go that rout (providing the ridiculous price of diesel doesn't keep its disproportionately increasing ratio with gasoline). Even a V6 diesel would be a natural direction and as trucks get smaller, a 4 cylinder should function with turbocharging.

I really don't know where the 2-mode hybrid stands, but I have to think that at least for now, it will remain a boutique model. The dual powertrains and complex electrical system plus batteries leave a lot of new, relatively untested technology to wear out in the long, hard life of a work truck. Comparatively, the diesel option would be more robust than even its gasoline counterpart due to the more sturdy block.

Then again, the X-factor in this whole thing is really ethanol. If we can start producing it efficiently for say $3/gal (probably more like $4+, but by then gas will probably be $6/gal) and do so sustainably, I can see people opting back into V8s or at least a range of very turbo'ed up mills taking advantage of the high octane numbers. Some of ethanol's greatest proponents and suppliers are located in the very same places that feature the highest density of pickups. This could get interesting...