Ford: Trucks Are Evil
Remember how we used to lament how Detroit was too truck and SUV heavy? Ford agrees. They think people buy way too much of the big stuff, and it will come back and haunt us. At least in Canada Ford thinks that way. The Calgary Herald reports that David Mondragon, chief executive of Ford Canada, has said that a combination of high incentives, low oil prices and pent up demand have created a short term boom for truck sales. “That’s a segmentation shift that’s not healthy for the environment, not healthy for the economy and long term, we need to see that shift go back to a more balanced approach,” said Mr Mondragon. That’s right. He said that the boom in trucks cannot last and that Ford must be prepared for the when that happens. Wow. A Detroiter (well, a VERY northern Detroiter) is actually suggesting that they may have to prepare for when the party ends?
It’s easy to see where Mr Mondragon is coming from. According to the article, “last month, light trucks accounted for 55 percent of all vehicles sold in Canada, compared to 45 percent of sales of passenger cars. That’s an exact reversal of the ratio from 2008, when oil prices reached $145 a barrel and fuel-efficient vehicles were sought after.” At the time of this writing, a barrel of oil is trading at $76.45 on the Nymex. Now that may be over half of the $145 per barrel peak, but couple that with the peak oil report published earlier and Mr Mondragon is probably right to say brace yourself. Those electric Focuses better arrive soon. Provided the electricity powering them comes from non-fossil fuel based electric…
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The dirty truth about pickup trucks is that most of them are laughably larger than they need to be, and the owners are as self righteous and pretentious about their "lifestyle" as any environmental freak. Sadly this even applies to many work pickup trucks, which are often lifted and tired in a way that actually makes them hard to load or use.
Buy what you like, no problem. The real problem lies in those not wanting to pay the freight for the choices they make. Everything has a direct economic cost and a indirect societal cost. The second one is often left unpaid. The price of a gallon of gas may cover the cost to the oil company, but what about the military costs of keeping the oil flowing? Or the environmental costs? the health costs? When one says they have the right to use as much fuel as they want, well you do when you pay all the freight...
I've always thought of the tree huggers as self righteous, and OFTEN have no idea what they are talking about when it comes to the automotive world.
What exactly is everyone's definition of a Tree-Hugger? I don't really like full-size pickups, or pickups in general, because a Van is better for 90% of things anyway. BUT YOU MAY BUY THEM IF YOU WISH.