The sales of pickup trucks seemingly rise and fall in unison with gas prices. For instance, Ford's newly-redesigned F-150 is selling well enough right now that the Blue Oval has added an extra shift of production at its assembly plant in Kansas City, MO along with approval for scheduled overtime. An extra shift is also being planned for the Dearborn assembly plant. These are the types of "problems" that automakers don't mind dealing with after a successful new product launch.
This sales increase begs an obvious question: just how short is the memory of the average American? The answer is debatable – how much of the uptick is due to lower gas prices and how much is attributable to the truck's redesign? What's more, sales are still down considerably from their peak in 2004, so the pickup market may just be right-sizing itself in the wake of a down housing market, high priced gasoline and the ongoing credit crunch. We'll see for sure in the coming months, but a familiar nameplate is back on top of the sales heap for November at least. Check out our list of the Top Ten Best-Selling Vehicles for November 2008.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
This sales increase begs an obvious question: just how short is the memory of the average American? The answer is debatable – how much of the uptick is due to lower gas prices and how much is attributable to the truck's redesign? What's more, sales are still down considerably from their peak in 2004, so the pickup market may just be right-sizing itself in the wake of a down housing market, high priced gasoline and the ongoing credit crunch. We'll see for sure in the coming months, but a familiar nameplate is back on top of the sales heap for November at least. Check out our list of the Top Ten Best-Selling Vehicles for November 2008.
[Source: Automotive News - sub. req'd]
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