European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - September 06, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Dail Magazine pm by tuesday september 6, 1977 the stars and stripes Page 13 by William k. Stevens new York Tim Estt hey Are All Over the parking lot outside Bob Lamb s garage rough rugged new adventure vehicles of the 1970s, with monster engines bucket seats and Roll bars. Shag carpeted on the inside and jauntily decorated on the outside they come with All the comforts of am and pm sound and they proclaim their individuality with names like Little red and Patty sue painted on their flanks. They Are Light trucks four wheelers or four whee write pickups and Utility vehicles in this Case and they Are the successors to the rubber screeching muscle cars that symbolized Speed Power and machismo in the 1960s. As Lamb says it makes for spectacular drag racing when All four wheels Are  reincarnation of the hot Rod in the form of the pickup is merely one of Many ways in which Light trucks Are extending their latter Day invasion of the traditional passenger car Market. Thousands of americans who were buying cars As recently As two or three years ago Are now buying pickups four wheelers or vans. Consequently while sales of passenger cars Are Strong in the United states truck sales Are posit Stively sizzling. If cur rent forecasts hold up combined sales of cars and trucks will set a record of Between 14.7 million and 15 million units this year. If they do trucks Light trucks in partic ular will be the reason  Are expected this year to buy somewhat fewer new passenger cars than the record 11.4 million they bought in 1973. But truck sales for the year currently forecast at 3.5 million to 3.8 million should easily exceed both the 1973 figure and last year s record of 3.2 million. In the last 18 months says Lamb sales of pickup Sand four wheelers have really gone  two Plymouth sales of four wheelers for Many a Symbol for pleasure have really gone crazy. Dodge the 1917 Dodge 4 pickup truck left contrasts sharply with 1977 w100 Power Wagon Macho. Years ago his garage la enterprises in the Detroit suburb of Madison Heights did not exist. Now the garage a specialist in four wheel drive vehicles has More work than it can handle. What seems most remarkable is that trucks once the straight workaday Dray horses of the automotive world Are becoming its newest expressions of Romance Power adventure and individuality. Certain classes of passenger cars historically embodied All of that. But As Federal ant pollution and fuel Economy standards tight ened autos became at once More utilitarian and sedate. Smaller less powerful engines replaced the Zippy models of yesteryear. But fuel Economy standards will not be applied to most Light trucks until 1979, and emission standards for them Are More lenient than for cars. This Means for example that no catalytic converter is necessary to scrub the exhaust clean of emissions. So leaded gasoline can be used in trucks and their engines can be of higher compres Sion. Some of the hot Rod magazines Are now hailing Light trucks As the super cars of the 1970s." car Craft says they look mean enough to break  that s the Way the muscle cars used to be de scribed. And in a Powch broader Appeal the truck makers Are promoting vans pickups and four wheelers As the new fun vehicles for  the adult toys a Dodge advertisement Calls them. The and is sprinkled with such wording As Macho and Power Wagon and Brig tand bold like the people it la turn on  this Appeal comes on top of and grows out of the obvious popularity that vans and enclosed pickups have been demonstrating since about 1970. Increasingly the have been identified with pleasure such As going Camp ing with the family. Many motorists at the outset Are switching to trucks or vans because of their Utility. They have the space that a Large family needs. They Cost about the same As a full size Sedan and deliver comparable Gas Oline mileage. The truck makers have done their Best to make the products As luxurious As possible. Virtually every known accessory Comfort and option Avail Able on a car can be found on Light trucks and More. Few cars for example have the swivelling Captain s chairs and Lush carpeting that give some vans an extra touch of luxury. They be made them so fancy today Lamb said that you can go to the fanciest hotel or dining room or restaurant and find As Many pickups in the parking lot As you do luxury  finally Light trucks lend them selves to individual expression better than cars. There is More surface to decorate. All of these factors have contributed to what Lee a. La Cocca president of the Ford motor co., Calls the domestication of the Light truck  All four major . Auto manufacturers As Well As several foreign ones Are engaging in that business in a big Way. For one company the financially troubled american motors corp., its jeep four wheelers Are helping bring in much needed  motors leads the Light truck Market. Last year its Market share was 44.6 per cent. Ford s share was31.5 per cent followed by Chrysler with 13.8 per cent International Harvester with 1.2 per cent and foreign automakers with 5.1 per cent. Trucks fall into three Broad categories. Light truck Range up to 14,000 pounds in Gross weight medium heavy trucks City delivery vehicles and the like from 14,000 to26,000 pounds and heavy trucks Over the Road rigs from 26,000 pounds up. As recently As 1960 Light trucks accounted for Only 69 per cent of the total truck Market. By 1970 they were up to 81 per cent and last year they were 91 per cent