My flight back to Los Angeles gave me time to think about and digest some of the major and minor happenings from the show, which turns out was not an easy thing given I had several Toyota and Honda engineers going back with me on the flight, as well as being seated next to Bob Lutz's daughter. My seat partner told some great stories, none of which I can tell here (or anywhere, for that matter).
I want to know how is it that half of all vehicles sold in the U.S. are either pickup trucks, SUVs, and vans, yet the biggest U.S. auto show of the year has only a handful of these new vehicles. Is every vehicle manufacturer so bigoted and prejudiced against practical vehicles that they're perfectly willing to snub these vehicles on the world's biggest stage? Allow me to answer my own questions. NO! However, if there is a disease festering in the auto industry, it is that the wild and crazy auto designers seem to be taking over the asylum from practical and down-to-earth engineers. When did it happen that the only way to get attention at these big shows meant you had to create something so far-fetched and impractical to garner just a glimpse of attention? The auto show system seems to make sense for consumers who need a single place to cross-shop several cars or trucks at the same time, but I'm not sold on the functional necessity of multiple press conferences that highlight vehicles that will never happen.
The little discoveries were very fun to find and observe. The Mopar bedliner and storage system (all usable with one hand from anywhere outside the truck) is clever and needed. Seeing a functioning, retractable soft-top on a Hummer H3 is a nice blend of old with new. And watching Ford's new leader make his debut and try to communicate passion for automobiles was interesting and uncomfortable. At least we know he's not a salesman; or at least, not a very good one.
Was most impressed with the model war between Toyota and the Italians - both displays were directly across from each other. Ferrari and Maserati each had long-legged, dark-haired, gown-wearing models standing next to bright red and yellow vehicles, shooting laser beams from their eyes at every camera pointed their direction. They were there for more than eight hours every day, spoke to no one, and never cracked a smile. By contrast, the earthy (and I'll say very pretty) slacks-and-button-down-shirt wearing Toyota models walked the floor and were ready to talk about the new Tundra that dominated the Toyota booth. If asked a question, they spoke about towing capacity, horsepower, and function. And if you poked your head inside one of the CrewMax interiors, they came up to you and started a conversation. I'll admit it, the first time I blushed. I don't get many pretty women starting a conversation with me about trucks. Maybe that's the future: Toyota vs. Ferrari.
Very odd being at a top-level show and mostly thinking about what new trucks might show up at the Chicago Auto Show or New York Auto Show, or next year's Detroit Show. We know Nissan will be coming to Chicago with something special, and our hope is International might have some news about the MXT. So far the Chevy Silverado and Toyota Tundra are getting the attention, which means the Ford F-150 and Dodge Ram are next. We're hearing the F-150 has been pulled ahead at least six months so we may see something by later this year. No word on the next Ram half-ton at this point. So much for this year, but look out for the heavy duties. We'll have more in our next issues. It's been fun.