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Even Trucks Hit the Wall in an Erratic 2007

DETROIT — They may be built like a rock, be able to haul boulders and hail from deep in the heart of Texas. But pickup tricks cannot stand up to tough economic times, according to the New York Times.

Final sales tallies announced Thursday showed that 2007 was the year the pickup hit the wall.

That’s bad news for auto companies, which have long relied on pickups as a steady supplier of hefty profits as they responded to consumers’ shifting tastes for other vehicles.

Even when sport utility vehicles lost their allure earlier this decade, pickups hung on, fueled by the need among builders and business owners to replace their workhorses, and by the need of some drivers to own the biggest wheels on the block.

But analysts say that high gasoline prices, the housing slump and the uncertain economy are causing pickup drivers to hold off trekking to the dealer.

Posted by Peter C. T. Elsworth  at 12:41 PM to Sales | Permalink

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