Ford, GM and Chrysler cash in on posh pickups
......... Detroit is cashing in -- and not necessarily because of brands like Lincoln and Cadillac. Rather, it's because of high-end pickup truck and SUVs. The "luxe truck" phenomenon, dressed-up ...
Forum Discussion
transamz9 wrote:Bionic Man wrote:transamz9 wrote:Dadoffourgirls wrote:Bionic Man wrote:
Getting away from the wheels discussion, I for one am happy that the manufactures are offering more features on their vehicles. I love the quality of the leather in my LongHorn, as well as the heated and cooled seats, heated steering wheel, etc.
There is a market for luxury vehicles, and trucks are no exception. I wish that Chrysler/Ford/GM would up the optional luxury levels on all vehicles. If I want a luxury compact car, why should I have to go to Mercedes or BMW?
I would contend that GM does have luxury compact cars. Buick and Cadillac are both divisions of GM. Buick has the Verano, Regal, and Encore. Cadillac has the ATS.
I would also contend that you can get many of the same features on a Chevrolet in the LTZ trim.
Have you looked at a Chrysler 200 lately? The dang things will drive themselves. Ford has a few lux compacts also.
It's what people want that drives this. Standard transmissions are an option now, not available on on most now. Heck, you can't even order a Ram truck with hand crank windows anymore.
It's not just autos either. A lot of our heavy equipment has back up camera's , heated seats, auto greasers, GPS and cruise control. We have a motor grader that don't even have a steering wheel. Every operation is on two joysticks.
And before anyone claims I am just bagging on GM, I will say the same thing about the 200. The redesign has helped, but it still isn't on the same playing field. Someone else mentioned the Grand Cherokee, and while that is one of Chrysler's flagship products, the Overland interior doesn't compele with a 4 year old Porsche Cayenne.
Dollar for dollar the GM, Chrysler and Fords are well beyond the OEM's you mentioned IMO. Especially when you factor in reliability and ease of getting them worked on for a decent cost.
Again, I am not comparing dollar for dollar. If you go that route, a base truck with the diesel option is the best value for a tow vehicle, but I don't want to drive one. What I am saying is I feel there is a market for more upscale vehicles in a smaller package. Put a trim similar to (or better than) the High Country, Platinum, Longhorn, in a mid-size sedan or SUV.
Look at how many RDX/Macan/Cayenne,Q5, Q7, CLS, 3series are out there. There is a market, and it has high margins.
