Truck manufacturers blindsided by rabid interest in crew cabs

GM is a shining example— last fall they estimated that 40 percent of their midsized pickup sales would be crew cabs, but now they're pushing over 50 percent and are ready to increase production volume for a third time. Crew cabs present an opportunity to package trucks as alternatives to cars, SUVs and even minivans, and can further be bundled with expensive luxury options with a high profit margin. Ford claims half of its F-150 sales have been some kind of extended cab variation, up about 20 percent from the previous generation. The comfort aspect is now perhaps as important to pickup buyers as payload capacity or tow rating, a trend which may or may not be spurred on by Ford's "Rednecks Have Families Too" ad campaign.