2008 Motor trend truck of the year: testing and finalists

From the February 2008 issue of motor trend / photography by Brian Vance, Julia LaPalme, Jessica GermillerCrisis? What crisis? Although the price of gas by the $3 a gallon barrier crashed has and nailing hell bent is $4 a gallon is out before 2008; Although the subprime mortgage fiasco has devastated the domestic market and on Wall Street in a tailspin sent Nellies nervous; Although the greenback now value, something like monopoly money, and the price for everything from plasma TVs is tuna sushi up America loves a pickup.

 Although pickup truck sales at close seemed to 12 percent on 2005, 2006 levels run. Even so, meant that some 230,000 Americans is a brand new pickup truck off the dealer lot every month last year went. To it included another way pickup trucks alone for one in every five new vehicles sold in the U.S. This is big business, especially when you consider, the entire pickup market is composed of less than 20 badges, compared with far over 200 cars and SUVs, that the other two thirds.There may less Namensschilder-- and therefore larger volumes per plate on the cost of all form of marketing tools amortisieren-- but the pickup truck game is still a complex business. The ability, mix and match motors, transmission, drive train, suspensions and axes, cab and bed configurations plus interior trim levels, makes for nightmarish manufacturing and distribution discovered reported full size scenarios such as Toyota with his brand new Tundra.Automotive April last year, buyers of Toyota's were new full-size pickup as buyers of versions built Detroit Act news want your truck with specific features and preferably see the exact truck had in mind before you bought it. It was a culture shock for Toyota dealers used to make the implementation of lean inventories and customers happy in pretty independent Camry you sell had in stock.The launch of the new Tundra was a seismic event for the industry; with dimensions and performance that eventually his Detroit rivals combined matched with Toyota's production and marketing muscle, a Japanese truck was a serious rival and F-150, Silverado finally here and saw RAM. Tundra's start was more testing than I expected, but by end of the year was leisure truck market.