Gas is expensive and the economy isn't the greatest, although I wonder sometimes how quickly the economy would improve if the media would stop talking about how horrible things are. The economy will rebound in spite of news reports, but now that we're accustomed to paying more for gasoline I doubt there'll be much motivation to bring fuel prices down. Will people who don't truly need a truck still own a truck? Maybe not, but some of those buyers might be coaxed into a ute, like the upcoming 2010 Pontiac Sport Truck. We lost the Chevy El Camino and Ford Ranchero a long time ago, but the ute has been going strong in Australia since the 1950's. Sure, we have the Chevy Avalanche and similar vehicles, but utes are geared more to people who want something car-like, but need the option of hauling occasional cargo. Include me in the group of drivers that thinks there's a place in our market for a traditional ute or two -- as long as the price tags aren't too high and the fuel economy isn't too low.

_{Holden HG Photo © Holden}