Simplistic I know, but North American (read: domestic) car manufacturers have gotten so far away from their roots that old Henry Ford must be rolling over in his grave.QUOTE]
I think Ford is trying to get back to their roots. Or sticking to the only truck that has pulled the company for so long. /QUOTE]
I think that pickup trucks are the quintessential "American" vehicle.
If you look at the history of automobiles, you can trace how it evolved from a "rich man's toy" to everyday transportation for "everyman", transforming virtually all aspects of North American (indeed, the world's) lifestyle in the process.
If the "CAR" is descended from the "CARriage" that came before, then the pick-up truck is the derivative of the pioneer's buckboard, that conveyance that served so well in so many ways in those days, and in its modern form still manages to multitask in so many different forms.
American manufacturers can't lose track of this heritage. Japanese manufacturers "copy" the American truck even as American manufacturers copied the "world car" concepts as presented by the competition.
As long as the domestic manufacturers can lead in this segment (trucks), then I believe that they have a chance to overcome the setbacks that they are presently encountering.
If American buyers start to go over wholesale to import trucks, well then . . .
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