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Automotive Industry

Reconfigurable Trucks: The Next Trend?

Automotive Industries, June, 2001 by Gerry Kobe, Lindsay Brooke

Truckmakers have picked up on a trend that seems to be gaining momentum, and with the introduction of the versatile Chevrolet Avalanche (see story p.32) the idea hits critical mass. Flexibility or reconfigurability in trucks has moved from the realms of aftermarket shops and SEMA shows into the CAD tubes of OEM engineers.

"We looked at how many people with pickup trucks put caps and covers on them," says Tony Posawatz, assistant VLE for GM full-size trucks. "It was astounding. And people did it with their hard-earned dollars. So we got creative, looked at our arsenal of parts and hardware and we knew we could do it better and with greater flexibility than the aftermarket."

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The result is Avalanche, a half-pickup, half-sport-utility hybrid with a unique removable midgate. Ford and Daimler-Chrysler feign disinterest but at the same time watch closely to see who steps up with a checkbook to take the bait.

Gordon Heidacker, senior manager of truck operations at DCX, says he has seen the Avalanche, but hasn't seen any market research that indicates customers want an eight-foot bed with a Quad Cab. He also takes a wait-and-see approach on GM hitting its sales targets.

"The extent to which the truck will catch on is a subject of debate around the industry and company," says Posawatz. "But my perspective is that this is clearly not a niche; this is big. It will disrupt the pickup market"

A senior product planner from Ford commented that flexibility is a good gimmick, but not something to hang a new segment off of. "Consider a feature like our bed extender," they offered. "It was raved about as being so clever when we introduced it, but that only lasts so long. After that, the people that need it buy it and the people who don't forget about it. I think Avalanche has a better chance to sell its unique styling than its flexibility. Very few people need that."

Wesley Brown, consultant for Nextrend, based in Thousand Oaks, Calif., puts yet another spin on flexible trucks.

"Through research, companies are finding out there is incredible interest in flexible vehicles," he offers. "People say they need it to go skiing, boating, biking -- but that's a problem. You need to do some verification on your research because people are insecure. They don't want others to know how boring and pathetic their jives are, so they come up with reasons they need to buy things like this to make their lives sound better. We've done that kind of validation, and without it you can believe a market is greater than it really is."

Posawatz is counting on sales of 100,000 units the first year, and believes the volumes will go up from there. He says he's not worried about taking sales from other GM products because if it's going to happen, its better to do it to yourself than have somebody else come along and do it.

Brown isn't so sure, noting that the margins an Yukon and Tahoe are higher, but he admits that 100,000 units is achievable.

Perhaps the most interesting side note is that Posawatz claims there is extreme interest in the design from Japanese partner Subaru.

Hmmm, does anyone remember the Brat?

Automotive Industry

Reconfigurable Trucks: The Next Trend?

Automotive Industries, June, 2001 by Gerry Kobe, Lindsay Brooke

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