AMERICANS IN LOVE WITH VENERABLE TRUCKS; PICKUPS SETTING PACE.Byline: John Hughes
Associated Press (AP) Cooperative news agency, the oldest and largest in the U.S. and long the largest in the world. Pickup trucks are changing - they're getting bigger, faster and more luxurious - but Americans' devotion to the four-wheelers is becoming an auto industry constant. While sport-utility vehicle sport-u·til·i·ty vehicle n. Abbr. SUV A four-wheel-drive vehicle with a roomy body, designed for off-road travel. sales have surged and car sales have fallen, pickup sales have remained a steady 2.7 million or more for four straight years. About one of every five new vehicles sold is a pickup. The Ford F-Series The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company sold for over 5 decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150. It has been the best-selling vehicle in the United States for 23 years and the best-selling truck for 30 years truck in 1997 was the best-selling vehicle in America for the 16th straight year. F-Series sales nearly doubled those of the top-selling car, the Camry, and top-selling sport-utility vehicle, the Explorer. The second-best seller was a pickup, too - the Chevrolet C/K The C/K is the name for Chevrolet's full-size pickup truck line from 1960 until 1998 and GMC's full-size pickup truck line from 1960-1988. The first Chevrolet pickup truck appeared in 1924, though in-house designs did not appear until 1930. . ``The pickup truck has been a constant,'' said Michael Marsden, arts and sciences dean at Northern Michigan University This article or section needs sources or references that appear in reliable, third-party publications. Alone, primary sources and sources affiliated with the subject of this article are not sufficient for an accurate encyclopedia article. . ``It's the blue jeans blue jeans also blue·jeans pl.n. Clothes, especially pants, made of blue denim. blue jeans npl → tejanos mpl; vaqueros mpl of automotive culture.'' Only pickup use and styles have changed. With roomier cabs, they are as likely to be hauling children as bales of hay. They also can come with less-than-rustic features such as remote keyless entry keyless entry: see lock and key. , CD players and leather seats. Buyers can find even more to like about pickups this year and next year as Chevrolet rolls out the first redesign of its full-size pickups in a decade and Toyota releases an all-new T150. Still, some auto buffs have a hard time getting excited about the four-wheelers. ``What is the most American vehicle? I'm almost embarrassed that it's a pickup truck,'' said Jim Hall Jim Hall is the name of:
But automakers are trying to make sure pickups get proper respect. Ford has held a series of celebrations to mark the 50th anniversary of the venerable F-Series, including one with a mock 50-foot birthday cake last fall at the Texas State Fair. Among the devotees at the Texas event was Donna Giebler, a rancher from Gatesville near Waco, who has an F-Series named LeRoy. ``In Texas when you have a truck you like, you name it,'' she said. Giebler, 59, said she likes the vehicles for their high ride and ability to haul stuff. ``I feel safer in a pickup than I do in a car,'' she said. Reginald Pope, 34, has an F-Series, too. But the computer consultant lives in Ypsilanti, Mich., far removed from cattle country, and rarely leaves city or suburban roads. He said he and his wife were lured to the truck last year after driving sports cars for years. ``When we drove that thing it was just like driving a car,'' Pope said. ``I just think it's a very classy truck.'' Paul Morel morel Any of various species of edible mushrooms in the genera Morchella and Verpa. Morels have a convoluted or pitted head, or cap, vary in shape, and occur in diverse habitats. The edible M. , Ford's truck brand manager, said the F-Series is most popular with rural males, but has drawn support from every niche. ``People are coming from everywhere,'' he said. It wasn't supposed to be this way. Ford launched the F-Series with farmers and laborers in mind. But the pickup since the 1960s has caught on with campers, hunters and families. ``The pickup truck in a lot of cases has replaced the second car,'' said James K. Wagner, a Ford truck historian. Hall said the popularity lies deep within the American psyche. ``It's almost a social thing,'' he said. ``Everyone grabbed a broomstick and pretended to be a cowboy, whether it was in Southhampton or in Harlem.'' Marsden, who has studied automotive culture, said the pickup also represents Americans' long love affair with the land. ``It's a beautiful merger of the country and the city,'' Marsden said. ``We don't flee from the city, we make the city meet us on our terms. ``What other vehicle would Clint Eastwood have driven in the `Bridges of Madison County Madison County is the name of twenty counties in the United States, named after President James Madison:
POPULAR PICKUPS Four of the top 10 selling vehicles in the United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. last year were pickups: the F-Series, C/K, Ram and Ranger. Vehicle Sales 1. Ford F-series 746,111 2. Chevrolet CK 534,344 3. Toyota Camry 397,156 4. Honda Accord 384,609 5. Ford Explorer 383,852 6. Ford Taurus 357,162 7. Dodge Ram 350,257 8. Honda Civic 315,546 9. Chevrolet Cavalier 302,161 10. Ford Ranger 298,796 Source: Automaker sales reports CAPTION(S): 2 Photos, Box PHOTO (1) After years of driving sports cars, Reginald Pope, 34, of Ypsilanti, Mich., and his wife purchased a 1997 Ford F-150 pickup truck. Associated Press (2) Ford F-150 BOX: POPULAR PICKUPS (see text) |
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