European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - November 29, 1985, Darmstadt, Hesse                                New York times w Hon the Domestic  closed he books on the 198 Model Yea recently and tallied their sale1the Lound thai the Best Selling car in the United Stales was a truck Ford s ,en., my -, pickup the second Best seller was also a pickup Chevrolet s a series. Trucks have captured the imagination of the amen can  snid one new car dealer. New models Sleeker styling greater Comfort More options better Tuel efficiency and lower prices than some compact cars have transformed the once useful but Inglar porous vehicle into an attractive option for personal transportation. In addition with More Leisure time and More disposable income. Americans in the 1980s Are showing they want a vehicle that offers not Only Comfort and styling but also versatility. And the new Utility trucks which look Good enough to be driven to the country club and have Power enough with optional four wheel drive to tackle rough country Terri i on a fishing or Hunting trip fit that Bill. While 1985 was not the first time a truck was the Best Selling vehicle truck sales Over All scored a record High this last Model year with american and import dealers delivering a total of 4.6 million units surpassing the 1978 record of 4.2 million. Variety and warlike Comfort Are the  said Louis e . Vice president of sales operations Lor Ford truck sales Are up Lor a variety of reasons but the main one is the new products introduced in the Light truck segment Over the last few  said Michael Luckey. Automotive analyst for Merrill Lynch economics these products have added to the Market not list substituted buyers of cars for  he said among the new product that have proven so popular. Ford s of series the f-150, f-250 and f-350 and Chevy s a series trucks Are considered the workhorses of Light Commerce and agriculture. Base priced at under $9.000 about the same As a mid sized Chevrolet at $8,735 a Large portion of them now Are also bought Lor combined business personal use or Lor personal transportation alone. These and others Oiler such luxuries As Power windows stereo equipment air conditioning and cloth seats As optional features. Other popular new trucks such As the Chevy s-10 Blazer and the Ford Bronco ii the jeep wagoneer and Chrysler s minivans have even become prestige vehicles to some. The Label truck actually includes but covers much More than Standard delivery or work vehicles. Small pickups and Large Utility vehicles such As jeeps big vans and the new minivans Are All considered trucks. In the Case of the minivans which look and drive much More like a car the truck designation was Given to Lake advantage of less stringent emission standards. The lower standards allow for More Power and better Gas mileage. Trucks have traditionally sold Well in certain parts of the country Lor their utilitarian value Kaiung Limo spine us the Rocky mountains in the arming areas of the Southwest and the Plains states. But now they Are popping up in less Likely places. Here we Are in Bloomfield Hills and we sold More trucks than cars last  marvelled William hockey. General manager of Alan Ford Bloomfield Hills is the wealthiest of Detroit s suburbs. Ii seems that no matter what happens to the Economy trucks sell  said Louis Stanford owner of varsity Ford in Ann Arbor Mich. But lately we see Young people buying trucks for their first  there is a perceived image of the vehicle especially by Young people he continued that it elevates them  women meanwhile Are a fairly Large portion of primary Drivers of Light Utility vehicles like the Bronco ii noted Roger c. Olsen. Director of Ford s Trucl sales promotions. They like the reliability and hand1" and perhaps some of them no longer want to be associated America s Best Selling car is a truck pkg up truck inspire a a Ilion and Fervour urn men Lay Thoy no a Felt for a woman her Urban Cowboy Roger Botwell Tho i off hit pickup in Dallas. Page 16 the stars and stripes with the suburban station Wagon  trucks he added have become socially acceptable. Pete Tambeau. A Mechanic who lives in the Small town of Algonac Mich., said he recently bought a Ford pickup As a second family car because he often has things to haul. But that is not the Only reason. I like the Security of Riding in a truck he said. My wife has a Small car a Chrysler Omni but when we took a vacation Down South not Long ago we drove the truck. I have a cab on the Back and my Little boy can play Back there and my i e and i can sit up front and listen to the  Chevrolet and Ford brought out compact pickup trucks which were developed by the japanese about 20 years ago in the Early 1980s shortly after the japanese began exporting their versions to California. Friday november 29, 1985 compact pickups including imports now make up 28 percent of the truck Market. Minivans meanwhile which were Only introduced in 1984, already make up 10 percent of All truck sales and their Market segment is expected to More than double by the  of 1986. Chrysler pioneered the minivan. Which is Small enough to lit into a garage but features much of the cargo and passenger carrying capacity of larger vans. The immediate acceptance and fast sales of the minivan surpassed even Chrysler s expectation and Ford the general motors corp., and the Toyota motor corp. Have All brought out their own minivans. With More than 20 Domestic and import manufacturers competing Lor truck business still Competition has held prices Down