Coming down the runway . . . er, roadway, this fall, you’ll see trucks in traditional attire. Favorite colors of white, black and red with green still on every carmaker’s palette. Tasteful pin stripes are in; splashy graphics are out.
As for accessories, running boards are a must on full-size sport-utility vehicles. Roof racks and pickup bed liners are affordable and sought-after. Sound systems and fancy wheels and tires are separating many buyers from their hard-earned money.
But it’s back to basics in light truck colors and options this fall. And in welcome news to current owners, truck fashions are like the stories from Paris or Milan or New York that women’s hemlines will be all lengths and men’s trousers are acceptable with or without pleats.
Those driving sport-utilities or pickups in conservative hues with tasteful striping are in. Those whose trucks feature iridescent plum panels accented by press-on graphics from the studios of Zorro may find their transportation as dated as Prince Valiant haircuts, ruffled shirts and granny dresses (or are they back again?).
“Beige, black and anthracite–that’s a brown-green color–have been popular with our truck customers,” said Brad Mayo, general sales manager at Toyota of Naperville. “People are buying them as-is from the factory. Graphics are out. They seem to want a clean look.”
Sporty light bars and brush guards are on the endangered options list at this dealership, said Mayo. “I haven’t had a request for a light bar in two years.”
Fender skirts, tires and wheels and luggage/bike racks are finding favor with light-truck buyers. Mayo said 90 percent of the sport-utilities delivered at the suburban Chicago dealership have sunroofs.
In Irvine, Calif., company spokesman Fred Aikins said Mazda has added two features to increase the marketability of compact pickups: more power and a four-door extended cab.
For 1998 Mazda kicked up the horsepower in its 4- and 6-cylinder truck engines to a top of 160 in the 4-liter V-6. The recently released four-door cab–Cab Plus 4, a $595 option–should soon account for one-quarter of Mazda B-Series truck sales, he said.
“More integrated carlike interiors of our pickups create a different atmosphere,” Aikins added. “They look like those of upscale SUVs.”
If a husband and wife are shopping together, a more civilized interior becomes a positive, he said.
Dealership and factory people agreed that the man tends to choose engine sizes and technical features. The woman has the say on exterior and interior colors.
One dealership spokesman even suggested that the growing presence of women has toned down the appearance of trucks.
But Randy Lawson, spokesman at Bleeker Oldsmobile-Buick-GMC in Red Springs, N.C., disputes that. “Women like a more slick look,” he said, adding toned-down trucks are a yuppie thing.
When it comes to knowing what trucks to stock, dealership veteran Richard Fick bases orders on experience and observation.
“I wouldn’t order an Expedition without lighted running boards,” he said. “Same for CD players with changers on Expeditions. But the dual media (CD/tape without changer) radio is fine for Explorers.”
Leather interiors appeal to 60 percent of Fick’s Expedition buyers. About 40 percent of Explorer customers ask for them, he said.
Not everyone can put $30,000 and more into a loaded truck. You don’t have to spend a fortune to make some improvements, Fick said. “Many buyers spend $400 to $500 on options that might include a bed liner for a pickup and a bug deflector.”
Detroit-area auto enthusiast Phil Zoufal took delivery in July of a deep-green 1999 Chevrolet Silverado extended-cab pickup. The service station owner was pleased to get a deal on a truck with extra towing capacity. That and an extended cab were what he was after. Zoufal didn’t seem to care much whether the new truck was green or any other color. He did note, however, that this shade of green–Meadow Green Metallic–was new for ’99. “There is no cap for the back in that color, yet,” he said.
Jess Aguirre said he fell prey to Dodge’s billboard campaign for its new Durango sport-utility. A principal at Tertulia Charter Elementary School in Phoenix, Aguirre said he had been leasing a red Jeep Cherokee. His new green Durango offered an engine with extra horsepower.
“I didn’t want a lot of options,” he said. “We didn’t get the third seat, for example, or a moonroof. We got power windows and locks, deep-tinted windows and a roof rack we use for our skis.”
Of course, not all truck buyers are taking a more conservative road. Steve Garcia, at Mancari’s Chrysler-Plymouth-Jeep-Eagle Inc., in Oak Lawn, said he sells Wranglers with big wheels and much, much more.
“Wranglers attract a different kind of buyer,” said Garcia. “They are toys for the younger crowd–and they are toys for older buyers, too. We sell them with rollbars, lights, wheels and tires.
“I can have aftermarket equipment like running boards, sunroofs and CD players installed in just 72 hours,” he said.
Mitsubishi is banking on truck lovers who do want to customize their SUVs. Last spring the automaker had a concept version of its Montero Sport at the New York International Auto Show. It featured a lowered suspension, 17-inch wheels, performance exhaust and intake, Recaro seats and a 300-watt Infinitysound system.
“There is a trend in the SUV market toward rich deep colors that are found on luxury sedans,” said Janis Little, product planning manager for Mitsubishi Motor Sales of America Inc., Cypress, Calif. “There are also fun colors such as orange, deep purple or iris blue under development.”
Little contends that SUV buyers tend to buy more accessories than the average car owner.
Numbers from the Specialty Equipment Market Association in Diamond Bar, Calif., tend to confirm that. SEMA’s 1997 Market Study reports that in 1996 the light truck accessory market grew to more than $2.9 billion in retail sales. Between 1990 and 1996 light truck accessories sustained a market growth rate of just less than 12 percent annually, SEMA says.
The association notes that many of today’s truck buyers, especially van and SUV buyers, “are accustomed to treating themselves well.” They want the luxury of a car with the image and practicality of a truck.
The report states that the average truck buyer spends $1,500 to $3,500 on aftermarket products to attain the right look.
And that, of course, is what fashion on the runway–and the roadway–is all about.
DECKED OUT
According to a Frost & Sullivan study for the Specialty Equipment Market Association, these were the most popular truck accessories in 1996, the last year for which figures are available: %%
Accessories Sales (In millions at
manufacturers’ price)
Truck caps 1 $318
Toolboxes $279
Trailer hitches $211
Running boards $105
Tonneaus 2 $100
Bedliners $98
Racks $89
Hood shields $75
Bed rails $61
Bed caps 3 $45
Grilles $40
Light covers $36
1 The hard plastic, raised shell that fits over the truck bed.
2 The canvas or rubber covers that sit flush over the truck bed.
3 Fiberglass and color coordinated truck bed covers similar to
tonneaus. %%
