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Old 02-12-2014, 12:34 PM
 
Location: Old Bellevue, WA
18,782 posts, read 17,321,941 times
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Here's an article about the relationship between compact pickups and CAFE.
How The Government Killed Fuel Efficient Cars And Trucks

According to the writers, the regs are rigged to protect the full size trucks, because that's the way the Big 3 want it. And the reason for that is that full size tends to be more profitable for them.
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Old 02-12-2014, 12:43 PM
 
Location: East of Seattle since 1992, 615' Elevation, Zone 8b - originally from SF Bay Area
44,331 posts, read 80,658,912 times
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Interesting article. The export Ranger would be a huge seller here, but the F150 is sacred, they don't want to offer any competition to it, in addition to the CAFE issue.
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Old 02-12-2014, 01:17 PM
 
1,963 posts, read 5,609,002 times
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From a California perspective, small/mid-size trucks are on the wane because individual homeowners who used to buy them a generation ago no longer have a need to haul big bulky items (while tradesman, farmers & business users prefer the larger capacity of full-size pickups).

In my dad's days it was very common for guys to tool around on the weekends, tiling the entry, installing their own toilet, hanging their own doors, doing their own fencing. But with the influx of dirt cheap labor from south of the border there's no incentive for ppl to take on DIY projects any more. I can't remember the last time any of my friends painted their own bedrooms.

In fact one of my colleagues tore up his backyard and made a vegetable garden and had his gardener go pick up the materials & compost for the raised beds in his F150. Then he threw a "garden party" and invited all of us to help him plant his crops for him, while he sat back & mixed up some sangria & cocktails.
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Old 02-12-2014, 03:27 PM
 
Location: SLC, UT
1,571 posts, read 2,810,375 times
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I think SUVs replaced a lot of the small truck ownership. My dad owned a roofing company for many years (he sold it when he retired), and back in the 80's and early 90's, all the supervisors and crew chiefs had trucks that they carried their giant ladders on. Now they all have SUVs. They can carry their ladder, and have enough room in the back of their SUV for anything else they need, with the added bonus of being able to lock their stuff (some of which can be very expensive) inside instead of having it stolen out of the bed.
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Old 02-12-2014, 03:27 PM
 
Location: Cape Cod
24,324 posts, read 17,065,160 times
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I remember the little Isuzu pickup that people loved. Isuzu thought about bringing it back before they pulled out of the US.

I was watching a movie from 1980 the other night and along came a BRAT. Do you remember those? They were pretty neat with those bucket seats in the bed. A little truck like that should be brought back.
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Old 02-17-2014, 08:43 AM
 
Location: Southeast, where else?
3,913 posts, read 5,216,152 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by urbex View Post
Doubt it...GM didn't exactly do all that well with their Hybrid Silverado/Sierra trucks.

That's GM. Now, on to Toyota. It's fair to say that they have all but mastered the Hybrid with their uber successful Synergy Drive. For the life of me, I don't know why GM hasn't bought every top executive over there to renew their lines.

The smaller trucks was the portion I was aiming at. The Tacoma and Frontier could be a hybrid or 3 cylinder diesel (hybrid or otherwise) and if anyone could do it, I would bet Toyota could/would. Quite a few people that drive these things use them basically as cars. Much like their larger brethren in the 1/2 ton size, they simply put a mower in the back on occasion or a few bags of mulch or what have you. Hardly taxing.

Again, as mentioned, for those that truly NEED a big truck, they will still be available. For the other 90%????? Give them a hybrid Tacoma priced in the mid-20's and GM and Ford fold 3 quarters later. Too many tweeners (Between 1/2 ton and compact) buyers would see the ROI and POUNCE. It really is that simple. We love the compacts because they are durable. We just don't like them because of their mpg.

They are within 10-15 percent of what a 1/2 ton uses. For the difference, most will buy the redneck special (the cheap 1/2 ton dodge, 6 cylinder, ever-so-slight step up from the work truck version) with lots and lots and lots of vinyl to include that "practical" front bumper and grill for about $2K more than a Tacoma or Frontier.....you can almost see the depreciation as they leave the lot but, they can haul a load and are fairly rugged.

Nope, hybrids work. Well. Throw in another row of batteries in the Tacoma or Frontier mated with a small gas motor and I think you have a winner. Delivery drivers would love it. Don't know why that model hasn't arrived yet but, when it does, GM, Ford and Dodge are in real trouble.
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Old 02-17-2014, 09:16 AM
 
Location: Pacific NW
9,437 posts, read 7,350,101 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Cape Cod Todd View Post
I remember the little Isuzu pickup that people loved. Isuzu thought about bringing it back before they pulled out of the US.

I was watching a movie from 1980 the other night and along came a BRAT. Do you remember those? They were pretty neat with those bucket seats in the bed. A little truck like that should be brought back.
Subaru still makes the Baja if you want a car with a small bed instead of a trunk. With todays laws I doubt you'll ever see a new factory vehicle with seats in the bed.
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Old 02-17-2014, 12:49 PM
 
Location: Poshawa, Ontario
2,982 posts, read 4,089,035 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Bummer View Post
I believe the simple answer is Compact Trucks do not sell well in the United States . . . probably something do do with price vs space as when they were available there was very little price difference between Compacts and Full Size Trucks.
I think it has already been pointed out that the compact trucks have become redundant in North America.

My first truck as a Mazda B3000 (Ford Ranger with different badging) with a 3.0L V6. I had it three years and traded in for a Ford F150 XLT with a 4.6L V8. The difference in gas mileage was negligible, and the F150 had much more room and power. With the prices dropping like mad on the full-size models, why would anyone want to buy a compact truck when there is no benefit to doing so?
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Old 02-17-2014, 01:42 PM
 
Location: Raleigh
13,661 posts, read 12,341,234 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Haakon View Post
Subaru still makes the Baja if you want a car with a small bed instead of a trunk. With todays laws I doubt you'll ever see a new factory vehicle with seats in the bed.
No, not in several years.

I worked at a Toyota Store and I honestly think that "if you build it, they would come" as far as a diesel Tacoma. At one point, compact trucks were much cheaper and more efficient than fullsize trucks. The gap has been narrowed on both fronts, leading to a much reduced market. If they could make them get 3-5 mpg more and/or cheaper, they would sell more.
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Old 02-17-2014, 01:49 PM
 
Location: On the Chesapeake
45,113 posts, read 60,214,676 times
Reputation: 60714
I haven't looked for awhile, and they did take it off the market, but wasn't the Colorado more expensive than the Silverado?

A hunting buddy and I each bought truck about the same time eleven years ago, he got a Ranger and I got a F150. He paid only a couple thousand less than I did for essentially the same truck, only smaller. And if we went somewhere we took mine because it was more comfortable and held more stuff.
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