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"Texas is truck country, and Ford is the truck manufacturer of choice," insists Darryl Hazel, Ford Div. president, speaking at Grande Ford Truck Sales in San Antonio, as the company launched another in its fleet of commercial trucks, the 2006 Ford LCF. Grande Ford is the company's number-one seller of commercial trucks in the U.S. In the commercial truck category in Class 1-7, Ford has more than 40% of the market, which is greater than that of any other vehicle manufacturer--twice as much as its nearest competitor, according to Joe Castelli, director, Ford Commercial Truck Sales & Marketing. There are 19 manufacturers who have offerings in the Class 1-7 trucks. Ford's lineup of commercial trucks includes the F-250 and F-350 pickups: the F-250 to F-750 chassis cabs; the E-Series variants; and the LCF tilt cab. "You earn your spurs in trucks." Hazel continued, adding, "We intend to stay dominant in the truck business." All of the truck business: personal as well as commercial. Last year, the company sold a record 939,511 F-Series trucks; according to Hazel, for calendar year '05 the goal is to sell in excess of 900,000 units. "If we achieve it," he says, "we will be the only automaker in modern history to sell 900,000 of anything in two consecutive years."
Part of the initiative to maintain position in the world of commercial trucks is the LCF tilt cab, which is Ford's foray into this vehicle architecture. The LCF is a global endeavor, in that the cab, according to Ford's Frank Davis, vehicle program director for Trucks and Commercial Vehicles, was engineered by Mazda, the TorqShift five-speed automatic transmission is from Ford, there is an International Power Stroke 4.5-liter six-cylinder V6 diesel under the hood, and the vehicle is manufactured at the Blue Diamond plant in Escobedo, Mexico (with Blue Diamond being a joint venture between Ford and International Truck and Engine Corp.). The frame for the LCF is based on the Ford Super Duty chassis, and is claimed to be the strongest in its class. The vehicle can be upfitted into various types of vehicles, including dump, stake, and tow truck configurations.

THREE INNOVATIVE PICKUP TRUCKS THAT MAKE A STRIKing statement are the Chevrolet SSR, the Lincoln Mark LT and the Nissan Titan Crew Cab. These workhorses are among the elite of pickups, two of them with price tags to match.

The most practical and least expensive of the trio is the four-door, six-seater Titan Crew Cab. The 5.6-liter, 300-horsepower V-8 engine tows 9,400 pounds and is coupled with a standard five-speed automatic transmission with tow/haul modes. Bed length is 5 feet, 7 inches; ground clearance is 11.5 inches; and payload capacity is 1,850 pounds. Four-wheel drive versions have a "shift on the fly" transfer case. Choose a front bench or captain's chairs that allow the passenger seat to fold down as a work space. The center console can house file folders; the lighted tailgate has a power point for use as a workstation. Storage units are overhead, inside the doors and in the rear outside panels. Base price: $25,100.

Lincoln's four-door Mark LT is basically a Ford F-150 SuperCab in fancy finery, with a 5-foot, 5-inch-long bed. The exterior has chrome accents everywhere, including the bed rails, capped by an illuminated 8-inch Lincoln star on the grille. The 5.4-liter, 300-horsepower Triton V-8 engine can tow 8,900 pounds and has a payload capacity of 1,620 pounds. The "shift on the fly" feature is also Ford's, as are the 2WD and 4WD systems. It'll be on sale in the spring for less than $50,000 as a 2006 model.

Chevrolet's SSR is the oddest-looking midsize pickup on the road. Its retractable hardtop turns the vehicle into a convertible when the work is done. It has a Vortec 5.3-liter, 300-horsepower V-8 engine and four-speed automatic transmission, and tows 2,500 pounds. The SSR is built on the chassis of Chevrolet's Trailblazer SUV, seats two, and has a cargo volume of 23.7 cubic feet and a bed cover. Four-wheel disc brakes are specifically designed for trailering and cargo-carrying capabilities. Price: $41,620.

Looking at last year's sales numbers, you might assume that cars have fallen out of favor with American consumers.

For the first time in U.S. auto sales history, shoppers took home more light trucks-pickups, sports utility vehicles (SUVs), vans, minivans and crossover utility vehicles (CUVs)-than they did sport coupes, station wagons and sedans.

According to final tallies by Automotive News, a Detroit-based industry trade journal, the nation's auto dealers sold 8.5 million light trucks, beating out car sales by more than 200,000 units. Put another way, trucks accounted for 50.6 percent of all new vehicles sold in the United States in 2002.

But all is not lost for car lovers. The evidence from the current run of auto shows in the United States and Canada is that cars are poised to make a comeback-or to at least make a fight of it in a North American market gone four-wheel-drive.

Even economy cars are ready to make a run. Witness the introduction of models such as the 2004 Chevrolet Aveo and Mitsubishi's Lancer Ralliart at the Chicago Auto Show, now in progress.

Inspired by the sales success of the smallest car sold in this country, the Mini Cooper, auto companies have reexamined the notion that small cars can't be sold profitably in a market still awash in cheap gasoline. So, the car makers plan to bring out more little rides with an edge.

But truck-driven companies, such as General Motors Corp., are covering their bets in this endeavor. To reduce financial risks, largely through cutting production costs, GM is teaming up with South Korean automaker Daewoo to bring forth the Aveo. It is going to be a sport-nosed little car, available as a five-door hatchback or four-door sedan. GM says the Aveo will compete directly against the Hyundai Accent and Kia Rio, which means its sticker prices should range from $9,500 to $12,000.

In addition to a small dose of snazzy styling, the Aveo promises to offer something approaching decent small-car muscle-105 horsepower derived from a 1.6-liter, 16-valve, inline four-cylinder engine. Fuel economy is expected to come in at about 38 miles per gallon. Chevrolet executives believe they can sell 70,000 Aveo hatchbacks and sedans annually. With the way things are going in the Middle East--and the threat to oil supplies sending gas prices sharply higher--they might be right.