Automotive Trucks information on net.

Suppliers of steel, aluminum, iron, copper and other metals should keep a close eye on the market for "anything-goes" vehicles.

The vehicles-which are referred to by automakers as something other than anything-goes vehicles-usually are truck-like in style, providing unusual features ranging from pop-out tents, trail bikes, live bait tanks, fish coolers, dockable motor scooters and shopping trolleys to mobile communications centers and study-desks complete with computers and book shelves. Some, in fact, are designed to serve as a complete office-on-wheels, mobile retreat or motel room.

Because such vehicles are sized and shaped more like trucks than cars, they contain more materials, including steel, aluminum and plastic. Like sport utility vehicles, vans and most pickup trucks, they are designed to handle city and highway driving and to fit into conventional parking spaces.

Materials suppliers should take some of these vehicles seriously because there's already a groundswell of demand in the marketplace, mainly from young people who aren't attracted to conventional auto styles and instead want something special, even if it looks somewhat outlandish. Young people also are fanning the flames under the crossover vehicle market.

Glimpses of the anything-goes era in auto design already can be seen in several production models, including the Pontiac Aztek, which has a removable rear seat and optional custom tent that engages the open lift-gate and tailgate for convenient camping, and the Chevrolet Avalanche, which features a mid-gate, removable rear window and re-configurable interior. Now comes Honda Motor Co., which is going to start building a new sport utility truck later this year in East Liberty, Ohio. Based on its Model X concept vehicle unveiled in 2001, it looks like a boxy cross between an SUV and a minivan. It was designed with college-student drivers in mind; in fact, some Honda executives characterized it as a "dorm on wheels." The rear section of the vehicle, which converts into a pickup bed, can accommodate passengers, scooters, mountain bikes, surfboards, etc. The interior design will even allow a water hose to be used to flush trash out the side and rear doors of the vehicle. When the public got its first look at the v ehicle last year, some people came away from the auto shows with the impression that it was made-to-order for "Animal House" slobs.

# posted by Medical Information : 4:51 AM