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Archives for March 2011

Trends Indicate Compact Pickups Will Die

March 16, 2011 by Jason Lancaster Leave a Comment

Toyota Tacoma TRD
The Tacoma is the segment leader, but will
the compact truck market survive?

Small trucks have never really found lasting success in the American market. It certainly hasn’t been from lack of trying – major automakers as diverse as Volkswagen, Toyota and even domestic players like Ford and Chevrolet have all tried their hand at selling U.S. drivers on the idea of a true compact pickup, no bigger than the average sedan but offering a modicum of cargo hauling and towing ability. Almost without exception, each of these efforts has failed.

Certainly, small to mid-size trucks have their champions, but looking at their sales numbers as a piece of the overall pickup truck market paints a dismal picture. According to Edmunds, between 2000 and 2009 sales of the seven leading trucks in this segment fell from 763,553 to 265,513 – an almost 66 percent drop. In fact, only one small truck managed to post six-digit sales figures in 2009 (the Toyota Tacoma). The previously mighty Ford Ranger, the only “true” compact pickup still on the market and an aging design due to be retired at the end of the current model year, has seen its own sales numbers plummet from an impressive 272,460 in 2001 down to a paltry 55,600 in 2009.

Consumer Disinterest

Why this sudden lack of interest on the part of the truck-buying public when it comes to compact pickups? In some ways, the industry has been a victim of its own success. With the exception of the Ranger, small trucks have grown in size over the past ten years, and full-size fuel efficiency has increased to the point where the mileage differential between most mid-size pickups and full-size models is negligible. Add this to similarly thin differences in pricing and the higher towing and hauling capacities of their larger cousins, and small trucks are frequently passed over by utility-minded buyers.

This brings us to the question of what the future holds for small trucks in the United States. At first glance, things might seem fairly dark. Plunging sales have caused companies like Ford, which essentially owns the full-size market, to pull the plug on the entire Ranger concept and not bother replacing the vehicle in America when it bows out for the final time at the end of this year. On the other hand, Toyota has explored a potential return to its mini-truck roots, teasing buyers with vehicles like the A-BAT concept in 2008 and then hinting in broad strokes that the compact unibody truck could find its way to the market as either a Scion model or even under the Prius brand within the next few years.

Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that American truck buyers would be interested in a small, unibody pickup truck. The reasons are several. “Tundra Headquarters” took a detailed look at why people buy pickups in the first place and found that in the overwhelming number of cases, towing and the need for rugged utility were the primary criteria for making a truck purchase. A compact pickup without a full frame would most likely see its towing capacity fall into the 1,500 lb range, a segment already occupied by crossover vehicles that offer more day-to-day practicality for the average driver. Similarly, such a small truck would also offer an equally diminutive cargo area and low hauling capacity, further knocking it down the list when pickup buyers start taking a hard look at vehicle specs.

Fuel Efficiency

The one area where a compact unibody pickup truck might offer an edge versus a more traditional truck is in the area of fuel mileage – in particular, if Toyota is able to shoehorn its Prius hybrid drivetrain into a platform that doesn’t sacrifice utility as a result. That being said, fuel prices have rarely caused buyers to move away from large trucks and start purchasing smaller ones – as evidenced by the gradual shrinking of the compact and mid-size pickup market over the course of the past ten years despite gasoline costs rising at a steady rate.

Ultimately, the deck appears to be stacked against unibody compact trucks making a comeback in the United States. Although Toyota may be able to create a niche for a Prius-flavored pickup, the general disinterest in the market shown by its major players, combined with the lack of true utility offered by smaller platforms and the ten-year death spiral of small truck sales would seem to indicate that like the full-size van craze of the 70s, the compact pickup ship has sailed.


See Also — Where Was My Car Manufactured?

Photo: Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Filed Under: Commentary Tagged With: Chevrolet, compact trucks, FORD RANGER, Gmc, NISSAN FRONTIER, PICKUP TRUCKS, Toyota Tacoma

Book Review — The Art of the Formula 1 Race Car

March 11, 2011 by Harrison Card Leave a Comment

Often described as the pinnacle of motorsport, the Formula 1 world championship provides an extraordinary level of technology.  The races used to be very exciting as well, but modern aerodynamics and technical circuits have made passing a thing of the past.  Still, on occasion, and usually at an old European track, the races show some of their old brilliance.

F1 History

In The Art of the Formula One Race Car, a history of the sport is portrayed through stunning photographs of several famous or significant Grand Prix cars from every era of racing.

The book features everything from the pioneering and dominating Alfa Romeos to the recent McLaren ride of 2008 World Champion Lewis Hamilton. Written by Formula 1 journalist Stuart Codling, this book provides an interesting history of each car and the races in which it participated.

Commentary on the cars is provided by the great designer Gordan Murray, whose Championship winning McLaren MP4/4 is detailed in the book.  Murray also provides some very interesting insight about the competition.  Former Speed channel pit reporter Peter Windsor gives the forward, which would be a lot better had he not tried to form US F1, the ill-conceived Charlotte-based Formula 1 team that never ran a race.

The cars featured are not necessarily the greatest cars of all time.  Instead, the book presents cars with engineering significance or fascinating histories. That’s not to say that these cars didn’t win a lot of races, as the McLaren MP4/4 won 15 of 16 races in 1988.  The Leyton House car never won a single race, but is significant for its near upset of the Ferrari powerhouse in the nineties.

Motorsport Stars

Interestingly, the cars of the early Grand Prixs were not built for show or beauty, but represent some of the best looking machines ever built. The book shows the progression of Formula 1’s power balance.  In the early days, several Italian makes dominated, including Alfa Romeo, Lancia and Maserati.  The British themselves became successful later on with Lotus, Williams and McLaren.  Ferrari found success in several eras, including the hugely successful run with Michael Schumacher.

Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of the book is the progression it shows. The Alfa Romeo 157, built before World War II, looks absolutely nothing like the 2008 McLaren, and not much like a ’72 Lotus either. The photography is wonderful, with the each car shot against a black background with perfectly even lighting.  The plain background intensifies the color and curvature of the cars, making for a spectacular image. The cars are detailed from several angles and a few have bodywork removed in key areas to show engines and other parts.  The carbureted V-12 engine of a Ferrari 513 exemplifies the beauty of the cars and its components.

The photography highlights several of the odd cars of Formula 1.  The legendary Tyrell P34’s six wheels show an era when mechanical, not aerodynamic innovation won races.  Unfortunately, the P34 didn’t win very many races, but that’s not the point of the book.  As the title suggests, the visuals are the focus anyway.

6-Wheeled Wonder

The six wheels of the P34 give the striking image of eccentric and creative engineering. Gordon Murray’s commentary explains the changes that occurred in Formula 1 that now discourages innovation in engineering.  This resulted in Murray leaving Formula 1 to work on a road car; none other than the legendary McLaren F1.  While Adrian Newey’s aerodynamic genius dominates the current generation, the FIA’s restrictions limit the designs of current cars.

The Mercedes W196 looks more like a sports car for Le Mans than a Formula 1 car, but this helps illustrate the aerodynamic transitions.  The Lancia D50 includes odd looking side pods to enhance aerodynamics.  The first cars with actual wings, including the Lotus 49B, had the tendency for the wings to break off and hurt people.  The evolution of wings and ground effects makes for the most interesting and obvious changes in the sport and cars.  While the first wings were simply fins sprouting from the front and rear of a car, they evolved into the wedge shaped, thick wings of the 1970s.

Though thoroughly modern at the time, the cars of the 1980s and 1990s seem simple compared to the 2008 McLaren.  While the late 20th century cars provided wings and many aerodynamic developments, the complex curves and angles of Hamilton’s ride show a mind boggling amount of science.

F1 Progression

The Art of the Formula 1 Race Car provides a dazzling look at the progression of Formula 1 throughout the years.  As a picture book, the book provides a beautiful look at the cars.  The author also provides a fascinating history of each machine and the races that it participated in.  Gordon Murray’s insight and analysis of each car provides the color commentary that makes this book special.

While it doesn’t provide a comprehensive history of every part of the sport, particularly the politics and tantrums, the book looks at the most interesting cars and places them in context.  It’s more than a coffee table book as the words are as interesting as the pictures which are breathtaking.


Book Highlights

  • Author Stuart Codling
  • Photographer James Mann
  • Forward Peter Windsor
  • Commentary Gordon Murray
  • 208 Pages
  • Motorbooks | 2010 | $45.00
  • Coffee Table Keepsake
  • Motorbooks | 2010 | $45.00

See Also — Book Review — McQueen’s Machines

Filed Under: Book Reviews Tagged With: F1, FORMULA 1, GORDAN MURRAY, MOTORSPORTS, PETER WINDSOR, STUART CODLING, THE ART OF THE FORMULA 1 RACE CAR

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