- Detroit automakers continue to lean heavily on strong profits from pickup truck sales in North America to offset weaker results in China and other overseas markets, notes The Wall Street Journal.
- There is some concern that the "proliferation" of truck models and rise of average transaction prices to flirt with luxury levels could see prices push up against a ceiling. The Detroit Three (F, GM, FCAU) have been aggressively cutting back on passenger car models to focus on trucks and SUVs, which has been the basis for many of their plant closings and adjustments.
- "The engineering challenge will be how we achieve more upside in the trucks without adding more cost and hitting that price ceiling," observes GM President Mark Reuss.
- Select 2018 U.S. full-size pickup sales: Ford F-Series 909K units, Chevy Silverado 586K, RAM 537K, GMC Sierra 220K, Toyota Tundra 118K, Nissan Titan 50K.
- Now read: Ford: Stock Woes; Dividend Next?
Original article