Americans love trucks, study finds
Friday, September 24, 1999
Americans have parked their cars in favor of driving trucks. If current trends continue, all Americans would drive a truck by the year 2025. |
Americans are falling out of love with their cars and falling into love with their trucks, according to a study released Tuesday by the Polk Company.
If current trends continue, more than two in three vehicles sold by 2010 would be trucks and by 2025 all Americans would sit behind the wheel of a truck.
Several companies now primarily sell trucks. DaimlerChrysler, for example, sold two trucks for each car last year, while more than half of the vehicles sold by Ford and General Motors in 1998 were light trucks.
America's robust economy over the past few years has contributed to the feeling among middle Americans that they can afford a vehicle with higher operating costs, said Ken Cherven, an automotive industry analyst at Polk. Lifestyle choices also affect a change.
"The growth of edge cities and remote suburbs put the modern family in more rugged terrain for housing and hobbies. Let's face it, even today's city and suburban roads are a challenge for small vehicles," he said.
Sport utility vehicles, like the Truck of the Year-winning Mercedes-Benz ML320, have eclipsed the station wagon as the family car of choice. |
Not surprisingly, baby boomers are the trendsetters for the popularity of trucks, especially the sport utility vehicles that have eclipsed the station wagon as the family car of choice. According to the Polk Company, baby boomers bought 59.8 percent of the trucks sold last year.
Analysts at the company believe that sales of sport utility vehicles will remain strong throughout the year 2000, with a projected sales increase of nearly four percent. Vehicle redesigns and the introduction of new models will keep sales strong in 2001.
"With the cross-functionality of the newest model introductions and the current strength of the economy, the continued growth of the SUV market is inevitable," said Chevren.
He notes, however, that in single-vehicle households the car remains the mode of transportation of choice. "The average family is likely to choose a car if they can only own one vehicle," he said. "However, there are increased preferences for trucks when adding another vehicle."
Some environmental groups take issue with sport utility vehicles for their inefficient engines and their contribution to problems such as global warming and air pollution.
"Driving a sport utility vehicle when you could be driving a more fuel-efficient car is nothing short of a crime against humanity," the Sport Utility Vehicle Anti-Fan Club writes on its web site.
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ENN NEWS
