There are plenty of things swirling around that could cause some serious changes in direction for the auto industry, not the least of which are geopolitics, new governmental fuel-economy requirements, and plain old shifting tastes. But my advice to anyone who'd listen would be to be cautious about what shiny new object you go chasing after. There's no question there will need to be some advances and resource shifting to make our current mpg targets, but we might want to think twice before we start turning over the keys to the regulators or new kids at the design studios who want to shake things up for the sake of shaking things up. Specifically, I'm talking about this mad dash that seems to be evolving between the different manufacturers to see who dumps their pickup and SUV lineup from their product portfolio the fastest.
Jim Press, Chrysler's (relatively) new co-president, has been wondering out loud why their company, which includes Jeep, Dodge, and Chrysler brands, needs so many SUVs. On the face of it, it's not a bad question to ask. Gets the team behind you thinking practically and functionally. Shouldn't be too difficult to knock two or three of those 11 SUVs right off the list. It might be good strategy to withdraw the troops a little and regroup. I say punt the Nitro, Aspen, and Compass, then make the next-gen Commander off the next-gen Durango platform and keep Dodge about pickups, Chrysler about mid-luxury sedans, and Jeeps about fun and four-wheeling adventure in an SUV. At least that would allow them to stay focused on what they do best, instead of trying to fill perceived niches where no one is clamoring for product, all in the name of platform sharing.
Ugh. If I see one more marketing geek push his car company into a segment where it has no history or right being, I'm going to be sick. Clearly Jeep has committed a few sins. Ford seems to be learning from a few harsh lessons. Even a company like Hummer is venturing out of its own comfort zone with the H3T. In this last case, it doesn't take a genius to see it makes sense: pickup guys like to personalize their trucks; Hummer buyers spend more money on accessories than buyers of just about any other brand; Hummer dealerships sell a ton of parts and accessories; so you can bet Hummer dealerships will absolutely love selling a Hummer pickup truck. Just wish they didn't have that pretend-bed (more like an open trunk) thing in the H2 SUT behind them.
Let me just say it: I don't think pretend pickup trucks in the name of platform sharing is a solution to anything. It needs to be the real thing to succeed.
Like many lessons in the auto industry, we seem hellbent on having to repeat this one over and over again. Recently, at the Chicago auto show, GMC came out with a unique-looking GMC Denali XT (in fact, you'll see it on our next cover—May/June 2008, on sale April 1). The platform is from a stretched Australian-built Holden Commodore chassis, soon to be the U.S.'s Pontiac G8 sedan (and next Chevy Camaro), which means a couple things. One, with new powertrain technology and something as light as a car chassis, getting better fuel economy will be fairly easy. The only problem is that this isn't a truck, or really a pickup. It has an advertised payload of 1000 pounds and a towing capacity of 3500. Not stellar numbers by any stretch, even for a compact, light-duty SUV.
What's happening here? Essentially, I blame Honda. Typically on the cutting edge of just about every new technology out there, their engineers (I call them mad scientists) found a way to beef up and modify their highly successful minivan's platform into something (a la Frankenstein) that would support a strong pickup truck body, meaning it would have a bed, a tailgate (in fact, one that swings open in two distinct ways), and even a storage trunk in the bed, large enough to swallow a full-size cooler and motorcycle gear. Turns out, for many people, the Ridgeline is a life-size example of a problem solver. The only problem? Truck guys don't care about it. It doesn't look like a full-size. It doesn't drive like a full-size. It doesn't park next to a full-size like another full-size. And it doesn't carry or haul a load (meaning work) like a full-size. But (and there's always a but), car people (or minivan people for all that) are blown away by the extra function, extra storage, extra flat-out fun they can have with this new type of heavy-duty minivan with a bed.
Literally, what we're witnessing is the birth and growth of the truck-for-the-car-guy in the Honda Ridgeline. And now, with more of my peers questioning the existence of any vehicle that doesn't get stellar fuel-economy numbers, the workhorse SUV and full-size pickup truck are easy targets for those who don't "get it." As a result, they seem to be pushing every designer, public relations person, and corporate figure they can get an audience with to abandon these "grossly irresponsible" vehicles in the name of national security, environmental salvation, or just plain human decency. And these are usually the same guys clamoring for another high-performance version the next big sports car. They ask why can't an American company make a Porsche-beater or offer anything equivalent to a Ferrari? It seems perfectly okay, even natural, to push automakers to make high-dollar, low volume, exclusive, two-seater, low-work-rated sports cars, but strong, heavy, capable trucks need to go to the waste bin. I don't get it.
What I do get is that a lot of auto makers are searching for that next big segment in the truck (pretend truck?) market. Recently, I'm seeing the first return salvos to what Honda has done with the Ridgeline. In their own quiet way, they've sent shockwaves through the industry. Two years ago, Dodge came out with the Rampage (a clear Ridgeline ripoff), but this year we've seen Toyota's response with the futuristic looking, almost Scion-ish, A-BAT (Advanced Breakthrough Aero Truck) at the Detroit auto show, as well as the GMC Denali XT at the Chicago auto show. Likewise, both are looking to push traditional definitions and gauge reaction. There's no question these types of vehicles will resonate with certain buyers (and journalists), namely car people who don't like or wouldn't be caught dead in a pickup truck. This is what happens when you let car guys design and create a truck. (I'd love to see what the truck designers would do to a midsize sedan.)
No doubt Corporate Average Fuel Economy targets are weighing heavy on corporate minds, but I suggest some caution here. Before we start letting the car guys design pickups, let's take a step back and make sure we know who we're making those vehicles for and what those folks like to do on their worksites and on their weekends. Make no mistake, if car guys are building trucks, then car people will be attracted to them. It's no surprise that the Honda Ridgeline is being bought by Honda people who have never owned a pickup. We're guessing the same will happen when the Pontiac G8 ST comes out or any other sport/utility truck or 'ute pickup or crossover bedbox comes out. Haven't we seen all this play out on the SUV side already? Let's be careful here.