Truck Trend magazine

[Falls]

I like to read this magazine , I have a passion for 4x4's , Utility Vehicles, ect.....

Its funny when I ready this and they show new trucks coming out and that are out ( and some future concept trucks ) but it's all about bigger , better , more powerful . When I read this sometimes I think who is buying these huge gas guzzlers and why they get so much hype from a magazine.

They act like gas is $1.00 per gallon.

Just strikes me funny sometimes.

 

[T?@\7]

Their truck trends are hardly so....

its more like influential shennanigans for the masses who have yet to solidify their identity, financial situation, and/or proper vehicle selection.


Its funny on the road how many people you'll see who are obivously mis-informed. I like being in my truck.

 

[Thai]

Well, unfortunately, a lot of these new trucks/SUVs coming out were designed long before the fuel price hike...so, now, what are you gonna do?? Cancel 5-7 years worth of research, design, manufacturing, etc.?? Or do you go ahead and release it and hope for the best?? I don't know the answer, but i think that more than a few manufacturers are caught in this situation, including Toyota with the Land Cruiser and LX570. Fortunately, so far, the Lexus LX570 is selling well, but this is a niche vehicle...so, we will see how long the LX continues to sell well. The same goes for the Land Cruiser.

With this trend in gas prices, it will definitely spell the end to the Mercedes G-class production in 2010.

So, here is me hoping that the rising gas prices is a big freaking bubble that is about to burst anyday now!

 

[RonMAIDEN]

Plus nobody's pulling the plug on these gas guzzling sports cars that are coming out and it is ironic the big 3 are reaching for the musclecar days of yesteryear but with gas prices it could be bad sales. You got Ford who cant' stop releasing "Limited" models of the Mustang,Dodge's Challenger and the '09 Camaro may see pretty limited sales with only people who can really afford them will buy them.

 

[CJ3Flyr]

Plus nobody's pulling the plug on these gas guzzling sports cars that are coming out and it is ironic the big 3 are reaching for the musclecar days of yesteryear but with gas prices it could be bad sales. You got Ford who cant' stop releasing "Limited" models of the Mustang,Dodge's Challenger and the '09 Camaro may see pretty limited sales with only people who can really afford them will buy them.

I would add that the appeal of these cars is often to people who CAN'T afford the gas, insurance or tickets.

I am on board with Thai, it's a bubble about to burst. My concern is that the bubble contains hot air and BS. When the extreme pressure causes the burst everything will be stinky...
:cheers:

 

[004Gunner]

I have to admit if I could afford the '09 camaro I would be all over it. And by "afford" I mean have it as a toy

 

[CJ3Flyr]

I have to admit if I could afford the '09 camaro I would be all over it. And by "afford" I mean have it as a toy

:iagree: Unfortunately many a babies' Momma will be trying to squeeze a child seat into the back of a gas hoggin', expensive to insure, speeding ticket waiting happen instead of riding in something more appropriate. That's the good and bad that the entry price is so similar to practical cars. IMHO
:cheers:

 

[michael90630]

Recent press releases show that both GM and Ford are shutting down quite a few of their Truck and SUV assembly and/or manufacturing plants in the U.S.

 

[simple]

Are those plants closing a direct consequence of the gas prices? I wonder what will happen when the gas bubble does burst.

 

[michael90630]

Those plant shutdowns are a direct consequence of steep and probably permanent falls of trucks and SUV sales which in turn is directly attributed to the high price of gasoline. Both these companies are signaling from these plant closures that there has been a fundamental and permanent shift of U.S. consumers' appetite for purchasing low-mileage vehicles like trucks and SUV's and they fully realize the paradigm shift - therefore adjusting their production capacity and priorities accordingly.

As far as if the bubble will burst, we should not be very optimistic. The price of $4/gallon, if not higher, is here to stay for the long run. Demand of gasoline in the world market by the Western Developed economies have been replaced by Developing countries like China and India. That's way even though the demand of gasoline has slowed and even reduced in the West, that has not resulted in a reduction of prices because the slack has been more than filled up by China and India. So at the end of the day, supply is not being able to keep up with demand. All the major oil producing countries i.e. OPEC is pretty much producing at max. capacity except for Saudi Arabia. Even if major new oil fields were to be discoverd today, bringing them on-line, getting the refineries on-line and bringing those gasoline to the market usually takes millions and millions of dollars of investment and many years.

 

[Uneek]

Those plant shutdowns are a direct consequence of steep and probably permanent falls of trucks and SUV sales which in turn is directly attributed to the high price of gasoline. Both these companies are signaling from these plant closures that there has been a fundamental and permanent shift of U.S. consumers' appetite for purchasing low-mileage vehicles like trucks and SUV's and they fully realize the paradigm shift - therefore adjusting their production capacity and priorities accordingly.

As far as if the bubble will burst, we should not be very optimistic. The price of $4/gallon, if not higher, is here to stay for the long run. Demand of gasoline in the world market by the Western Developed economies have been replaced by Developing countries like China and India. That's way even though the demand of gasoline has slowed and even reduced in the West, that has not resulted in a reduction of prices because the slack has been more than filled up by China and India. So at the end of the day, supply is not being able to keep up with demand. All the major oil producing countries i.e. OPEC is pretty much producing at max. capacity except for Saudi Arabia. Even if major new oil fields were to be discoverd today, bringing them on-line, getting the refineries on-line and bringing those gasoline to the market usually takes millions and millions of dollars of investment and many years.

:iagree: Couldn't have said it better myself... even if all the first world countries could develop alternative fuels, a lot of our existing infrastructure still runs off of oil. And any drop in consumption is going to be gobbled up by emerging economies. At the same time the emerging nations could also embrace more efficient use of non-renewable resources, but I think the get rich fast mentality and why spend so much capital and investment to be efficient right now, get now worry about it later.

I sure wish it is a bubble like housing and ready to burst. But I won't hold my breath for that one.

 

[magnumfan]

A dissenter in the ranks....me!

Just reading this thread, a question occured to me

Q. Why is it that the big 3 US auto manufacturers are all closing plants, moving jobs and equipment off shore, while at the same time, Subaru, Nissan and Toyota are all building new ones here.

The US big 3 are going broke, cannot seam to put one foot after the other and are loosing enourmous amounts of money

Subaru, Nissan and Toyota seam to be going from strength to strength...

why is that?

Could the cost of the old UAW contracts be the cause?

I am sure unions had their place, but now, from my perspective, I think they are a major cause in pushing jobs out of the US to lower cost markets

a dissenter in the ranks

j