Consumers are getting rid of trucks because they were too big and they weren't comfortable in them after all. Consultant Mateyka thinks the SUV saturation point hasn't been reached. The behemoths are no longer rising as a percentage of total market share, but new products in the pipeline will bring another market surge, he says. And we've seen that buyer stay with his engine of choice, which is a very large engine, because he's using it to pull a boat or trailer. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, Bob Schultz, general manager, Tower Ford, Coos Bay, Oreg., sees many customers downsizing from SUVS and trucks.
Unemployment is still low, and net household worth is still at an all-time high.
The media has hyped the recession issue, but so far, the public isn't buying it. Mary Anne Shreve is a senior editor of AutoExec . All Rights Reserved.