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Auto Q & A: Trucks and Animals
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Posted by editor Mon Jan 22, 2007 11:16:05 PST
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0 responses 0 comments Dear Q & A: I’ve got two questions about pickup trucks. I keep hearing Ford is the biggest selling full sized pickup of all. I’ve got a GMC Sierra and it seems I see more of them and Chevy Silverados around than Fords. Of course that may be just locally. Is Ford the biggest seller, and by how much? Also, which brand has the best brand loyalty, of people who buy new trucks? I heard that’s also Ford. - Cal

Dear Cal: If you split Chevrolet and GMC pickups into two distinct brands– not very realistic when you understand that they’re clones in most respects--Ford’s 2005 sales of 901,460 take the prize. But combining Chevy’s 705,980 with GMC’s 229,480 gives General Motors the edge at 935,460. Brand loyalty among Ford owners betters its competitors, but barely. Toyota, a relative newcomer to the American pickup truck market, is making inroads there as in passenger car sales. Over 28 percent of Tundra buyers opt for another new one, while 48.2 percent of Ford F-series owners, 45.5 percent of Chevy Silverado owners, and 42 percent of Dodge Ram owners stay with their marque at trade-in time.

Brand loyalty can have other roots than appreciation of quality, as you might guess, however. It’s said that in certain areas in the rural South, if you drive a pickup that’s not a Ford, you’re considered, well, different, not meant as a compliment.

Dear Q & A: Were there any 1945 models of American cars? World War Two, which stopped civilian auto production with the 1942 models, ended in mid-1945, didn’t it, so they had plenty of time to put out 1945 models.    - Mit

Dear Mit: No automaker wants to tag its products with a year category that’ll become obsolete in a matter of weeks. It’s long been the practice to begin pushing the next year’s models by August, or September at the latest, and WWII didn’t end until September 2, 1945. Hardly enough time to start making “1945s,” even if they’d wanted to.

Dear Q & A: I’m not sure this is the right place to bring up something like this, but your column is probably read by truck owners, so here goes. The other day in the parking lot at the supermarket, I parked next to a black pickup truck. There was a large short-haired black dog in the open back, whining and shaking from the cold. It was windy and 18 degrees out, according to the thermometer in my car. When I came out again after 20 minutes, the truck and the dog were still there. I’ll never forget the sad look in that shivering dog’s eyes. What kind of a thoughtless jerk leaves a naked dog in a steel truck bed open to the weather, when there’s plenty of room inside the cab? Isn’t there a state law prohibiting animal abuse of this kind?        - Mrs. R.

Dear Mrs.: Maybe calling him a jerk gives an unfair benefit of the doubt. The word sadist comes to mind. When that truck leaves the store and drives 65 mph on our rural roads at 18 degrees, the wind chill temp becomes minus 6 F. That’s cruelty for sure. Animal cruelty has been a felony in California since 1988. Next time, take down the license number and tell the cops. Cruelty often extends to human family members as well. The relevant law here is Penal Code Part 1, Title 14, par. 597a, “protection from weather,” and permits arrest of the driver and seizure of the vehicle involved.

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