Americans Don't Love Trucks Anymore

[khefer]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

Why are people surprised?

who said they were surprised? it's just called news, not surprise of the day.

[silvergoat2k6]

If we all drove what we "need" we'd be in tiny slow unsafe crackerboxes. A vehicle is in and of itself a luxury. Some prefer different things. Those who by them just to be seen in them shouldn't. But those of us (like me) who buy them for what they are and wouldn't be happy with anything else will continue to buy them.

Hey, you don't have to lecture me...I own a '06 GTO...but it's not my everyday/daily driver car. I average around 16 mpg in it. My little Mazda commute car (paid for, btw) gets twice that and my motorcycle (also paid for) gets three times that.

I love my GTO, but if I could only own one car/truck/4-wheeled-vehicle I wouldn't have it. The cost of ownership is low for me because I only drive it 4K miles/year...if I were driving it 25K/year it would be a different story.

[Highlander]

Originally Posted by Dgrocho

Americans never did love trucks in the past, but Americans have always loved rear wheel drive. Some people have skirted the issue, but why were trucks less popular in the past? Surely in the 50's and 60's, people were doing just as much building and farming and other work requiring a truck. Families were bigger on average, and had just as much junk to carry as we do today (think how many things technology has made better and smaller for us), though today the people are a bit wider. Now, we're just conditioned to like trucks because the only RWD cars available are too small for the family, that'll change though.

Trucks and SUV's sprung to popularity as a good RWD car became harder and harder to find. As somebody has said, the driving dynamics of RWD just make for a more fun/interesting drive...FWD simply feels boring to drive.

Notice how GM especially has started planning to produce and bring RWD car platforms here? Good planning I say. Why else even consider moving the bread and butter FWD Impala to RWD, or for that matter, introduce a RWD under the same brand in the same segment?

Thank you! I've been thinking/wondering about that same thing, so it's nice to have a bit of confirmation from someone else. I just hope GM realizes this and doesn't start to kill the return of RWD cars just when we're starting to finally see the results!

[atomicshark]

I think that there will now be a resurgence of small pick-ups. For those who would like the utility but really don't need an F-150 sized vehicle.

Too bad Ford and GM stopped developing small trucks years ago.

[steinravnik]

Originally Posted by mgescuro

Why are people surprised? We knew this was going to happen 2-3 years ago!!!
At least GM launched their new trucks a few years ago, so they can now concentrate on new CARS.

I don't believe trucks will go away. But trucks as we know it -- large, hulking behemoths will probably go away from normal use and be reserved for more commercials uses. If you want a truck these days, it's most likely going to be a compact to mid-size one. Unfortunately, GM and Ford gave up that market to the imports YEARS ago.

This shouldn't be a surprise to anyone.

The market for trucks is just normalizing. Back in the 80's and 70's, pickups were bought for mostly work duty, big Suburbans were bought by families that needed to tow, and mid-sized SUVs were bought be mostly off-roaders. It wasn't until the 90's and the popularity of the Explorer/Expedition that SUVs became a mainstream soccer-mom mobile, and the Navigator/Escalade popularized the "luxury SUV".

[atomicshark]

Originally Posted by steinravnik

The market for trucks is just normalizing. Back in the 80's and 70's, pickups were bought for mostly work duty, big Suburbans were bought by families that needed to tow, and mid-sized SUVs were bought be mostly off-roaders. It wasn't until the 90's and the popularity of the Explorer/Expedition that SUVs became a mainstream soccer-mom mobile, and the Navigator/Escalade popularized the "luxury SUV".

Exactly, and with the recession taking hold I think we will see more people clamoring for efficient wagons and car based minivans/crossovers.

[gardnet1]

I don't buy it. Truck sales are down because home construction and construction in general are down. You don't buy new trucks when don't have a steady stream of contracts and at least a moderate workload.

This doesn't affect nissen and toyotanic as much cuz they are primarily flower pot haulers for the martha stewart groupies. There is no use for a truck with a faulty tailgate and a bed that won't stop shaking at a construction site. I saw a turdra this weekend with about 10 sheets of sheetrock and it looked so lopsided that the tires rubbed when they went over bumps. The front end was about 5 inches higer than normal. What a joke.

Once construction picks up and with the new F150 & Ram (more Silverado incentives?), sales will pick up real fast starting around August.

[EldoFan]

Originally Posted by TruckMan

One important thing that most people don't think about (especially people on this site - VCDJ) is that full-size trucks and SUVs are not designed to get great, or even good gas mileage. They're designed to carry loads and tow. Anybody that complains about a truck's mileage shouldn't be buying one - period. If you need one for work, and you're still complaining, then you don't appreciate or understand your truck's usefulness. Try transporting the same size payload in a Prius and see what mileage you get, or how much gas you burn over the several trips you have to take. Trucks/SUVs are extremely efficient while carrying/towing - not everyday driving. But that is what they are designed for. I'm sure GM could make a 35 mpg full-size truck with the same specs, but it would cost $20k more than now. I wouldn't buy one - it's not worth it.

In my stock 1996 XCab 4x4 I get 15mpg combined, 18/19 on the highway. Carrying a full load (1200 lbs), I probably get 13 combined, 16/17 on the highway. Throw 1200 lbs in the back of a Prius with a couple of passengers and see what happens. I bet you'd be lucky to get 10 mpg, if you didn't break something.

Great points

[gardnet1]

Originally Posted by atomicshark

I think that there will now be a resurgence of small pick-ups. For those who would like the utility but really don't need an F-150 sized vehicle.

Too bad Ford and GM stopped developing small trucks years ago.

This is a huge competitive gap for Ford & GM. I think they could bring over a small truck from Thailand or SA and then they could make the Ranger/Colorado/Canyon more midsized. I don't need a full size livin in the city with gridlock and all. But I sure could use the equivalent of a Colorado with updated technology and for the love of Pete an interior that isn't so hideous.

Also, why can't Ford have a Sport Trac and a Ranger 4-door?

[Robert Ryan]

There's no such thing as full-size cars either - unless you're ultra rich and can afford something like a BMW or Audi.

Well we have "full size" cars in Australia we are exporting them to you. There are plenty of Audi/BMW sized cars in Europe, not exactly that rare.
The Cab Chassis Van shown is not a "Lorry" as the British would sayi.e. Heavy Truck or Tractor Truck. The Latter are everywhere in Europe and you get some highways with virtually Truck and Bus only traffic.

[corvettekidc6]

At the rate that Silverados and Sierras are flying onto the road here, its hard to believe that americans dont love trucks anymore

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by mbukukanyau

Jeeeeez...Then why is Ford F150 still the best selling vehicle ever? Closely followed by the Silvarado? Am I missing something? Why are these trucks still outselling the Aveo and Yaris?

However the volume of the big rigs is falling like a ton of bricks. In the asset-heavy auto industry volume is everything. While it's true that the two big trucks are individually the best sellers when adding all the full-sized trucks together and comparing them to the total number of basic 4c econoboxes then the latter group is the volume winner in the hearts and wallets of the NA buying public.

Take a look at the total sales of the top 20 models or so and you'll see that the NA public is primarily a 4c-buying group. This segment is growing while the big vehicle segment is shrinking back to a 'normal' size. The sales volume of the big rigs was blown way out of proportion by a lot of image buyers in the 90's when BOF SUVs/Trucks were the best vehicles on the road content-wise and fuel was of no consideration at all. Now it is.

However the bad part is that GM / F /C can't convert their product lines quick enough to capture all the defectors from the BOF segment. The Lambdas, the Edge, the Malibu, the Focus, the Fusion are all good and will keep buyers 'at home' but there have to be more options and more depth. Chrysler is nearly helpless. Trying to paddle the SUV/Truck canoe across the next 10 yrs will be practically impossible. The body has had too many rocks thrown through it and it's leaking like a sieve. But all three need it to stay afloat for a while longer.

[MaxLegroom]

Originally Posted by silvergoat2k6

Hey, you don't have to lecture me...I own a '06 GTO...but it's not my everyday/daily driver car. I average around 16 mpg in it. My little Mazda commute car (paid for, btw) gets twice that and my motorcycle (also paid for) gets three times that.

I love my GTO, but if I could only own one car/truck/4-wheeled-vehicle I wouldn't have it. The cost of ownership is low for me because I only drive it 4K miles/year...if I were driving it 25K/year it would be a different story.

I looked at a modded GTO before I bought my Prius, but when that dealership exerted too much pressure, and I wanted to know what specifically had been done, I vanished from the showroom. Nine months into Prius ownership, I still want a GTO. It drove exactly like I thought it would, 16 mpg isn't too much for that kind of performance, either. That was what I got on the test drive.

Originally Posted by CaptainDan

There are some people who really, and truly NEED a large truck. There are some people who really, and truly can't afford to waste the money on the fuel for anything more than an Aveo.

The rest of the car/truck market (vast majority) have as "one" of their main concerns, IMAGE. (I know, there are other concerns too, but stay with me here) Do you really think that somebody spending an extra 10-20 grand for that monster-sized truck will trade down to save one or two thousand dollars in gas money?

In the 70s, the "manly" cars started disappearing, (due to CAFE, safety rules, emissions rules, etc) to be replaced with a new crop of particularly "girly" cars. That huge middle market said, "Ewwww!" and fled to trucks, which were still considered manly. And with the coming "refinements" to THEM, they became less crude (but still manly).

We are now in the midst of the return of the "manly" car! (You can figure out which ones they are on your own) That huge middle market can now safely return to car buying without risking their manliness membership card.



Oh hush up! You're just jealous that you didn't think of it first!

I've never gotten the manly thing about trucks, really. My mom bought her first one when I was nine, to haul hay for the horses and to tow a horse trailer. Since every dealer she went to insisted on a large bonus for a truck with power steering, she did very nicely without, thank you (my eyes were for the '71 Catalina 2 door next to the truck she bought). She tends to wear the tool belt in the family, as it would be almost alien to find my dad hammering on something. One of my childhood sweethearts, last time I saw her, drove a basic, workmanlike 4X4 Silverado. She was breeding horses in the western part of the state. So I almost feel fresh and feminine behind the wheel of a truck.

I might also add that it will be hard for Chevrolet dealers to take advantage of a renewed interest in cars when many of the Chevrolet dealers I see have such large inventories of trucks. As an example, while in Pensacola, I looked at a local dealer's lot. There was a Impala, three Cobalts, three Malibus, a quartet of HHRs, and the rest was Silverados, Tahoes, Suburbans, and Avalanches, except, now that I think of it, for a handful of Colorados, of an inventory of at least 100 vehicles. With this combination how are they supposed to deal with this alleged new reality where Americans don't love trucks anymore? A similar combination (actually a bit heavier on the cars, this time) awaited me at a dealership in Hampton when I tried out a V6 Malibu recently.

[PhishPhood]

Originally Posted by gardnet1

I don't buy it. Truck sales are down because home construction and construction in general are down. You don't buy new trucks when don't have a steady stream of contracts and at least a moderate workload.

This doesn't affect nissen and toyotanic as much cuz they are primarily flower pot haulers for the martha stewart groupies. There is no use for a truck with a faulty tailgate and a bed that won't stop shaking at a construction site. I saw a turdra this weekend with about 10 sheets of sheetrock and it looked so lopsided that the tires rubbed when they went over bumps. The front end was about 5 inches higer than normal. What a joke.

Once construction picks up and with the new F150 & Ram (more Silverado incentives?), sales will pick up real fast starting around August.

All you have to do is look at the sales stats posted here and on theautochannel.com. Truck/SUV sales have been falling since the end of 2003 before there was any recession. Gas was creeping up then but when Katrina hit and gas hit $3 /gal it woke up a lot of people. Today is now the third time gas has been over $3 on average and over $4 in the largest vehicle market in NA. 'Largest vehicle market in NA'...that's where the largest segment of your buyers are located so that's why the vehicle makers react.

The issue for the 6 BOF builders is that the recession, or downturn, has turned up the rate of defections. 1 million buyers were lost from 2003 to 2007; i.e. pre-recession. Another 160,000 buyers were lost just last quarter. Some of these are waiting to see if things turn around, if the situation doesn't improve don't then they're gone too.

[Ming]

Originally Posted by PhishPhood

There is no question that they will suvive it's just that they won't be as widespread as in the 90s. When I grew up in the 50's and 60s there were few if any around. Most were used on farms and by workers in the building trades. We are probably going back to this balance.

Instead of 2.5 million full sized trucks1.2 to 1.5 million sounds about right to me. $55000 crewcabs with movie theaters inside as a daily driver?

I'm surprised that the small truck segment is doing so poorly. I'd think that people getting out of big trucks would move to smaller ones. But it appears that the buyers are just skipping over this segment entirely and going directly to cars.

Yep. I know a guy who lives in the city, has a 4 mile commute, and parks a full size Nissan truck outside of his apartment - an apartment that is probably only marginally longer than his truck. He admits he bought into it because "everyone at work had one".

As for small trucks, maybe when they are offered for prices that are not just a hair below a full sizer they'll be competitive. And they need better fuel economy.

In a nutshell, they need a small truck like the old S-10 with the 2.2L engine that was cheap to buy and got 28MPG on the highway.

As long as $28,000 Chevy Colorados with 19MPG are on the lots, expect them to forever play second fiddle to base trim full sizers.