The compact pickup truck segment of the auto market has been in a weird place lately. It wasn’t so long ago that it seemed like every manufacturer was fighting over who had the most youthful, appealing, “cool” small pickup. Since the early 2000’s though, competition in the segment has dropped and stumbled, leaving only two real competitors for the small truck king; the very dated Ford Ranger, and the current sales king, the Toyota Tacoma.
Rumors have been swirling about the Ranger’s demise for years now, and perhaps Toyota smells blood. The Japanese brand is said to be considering a small pickup truck for its floundering Scion brand.
By Nick Chambers •
January 10, 2009
In a wide-ranging statement on its future, Toyota has announced that it will bring a plug-in extended range Prius to market by the end of this year, will introduce as many as ten completely new hybrids by the early 2010s, and will bring a fully electric car to market in 2012.
Irv Miller, Toyota’s Vice President of Environmental and Public Affairs, had this to say about the announcement:
“Last summer’s four-dollar-a-gallon gasoline was no anomaly. It was a brief glimpse of our future. We must address the inevitability of peak oil by developing vehicles powered by alternatives to liquid-oil fuel, as well as new concepts, like the iQ, that are lighter in weight and smaller in size. This kind of vehicle, electrified or not, is where our industry must focus its creativity.”
By Nick Chambers •
November 10, 2008
Much of the attention surrounding the upcoming 2008 LA Auto Show (Nov. 21-30) has been directed at cars like the 2010 Ford Mustang and the 2009 Nissan 370Z. Yet, while glitzy, fast, and heart-poundingly desirable, these types of cars already seem like relics of a different era — a weird and surreal window on the past. To celebrate them feels mostly cheap and material, and does a disservice to the reality of our current world.
Given announcements last Friday that the American auto industry is on the brink of extinction, it seems to me that the more important cars at the show are the ones that, if they’re smart, the American auto industry will quickly turn to as the future of transportation. In honor of these sentiments, it’s only fitting for Gas 2.0 to do a preview of the cars and technologies you care about, and leave the relics to the pros.
I’ll be covering the LA Auto Show during press days on November 19-20, so stay tuned to Gas 2.0 for live coverage. Until then, check out the small taste of what’s to come below.
By Nick Chambers •
October 14, 2008
