The "hold" some automakers seemed to have put on trucks during the past three or four years appears to be over. Yes, we've had several redesigns during that time, but no major movement towards hybrids or "ute-like" styling. That all changes for 2008, with a wide range of new production trucks and concepts showing up at major auto shows.
2008 Chicago Auto Show
© GM
Four new trucks were introduced at the Chicago Auto Show:
GM had three new trucks to show us:
- The Denali XT Hybrid Concept, a sport utility truck that looks real promising for an eventual build.
- The 2009 Sierra hybrid, GMC's version of the new Silverado hybrid truck.
- The HUMMER H3T, an SUT sized somewhere between mid- and full-size.
Suzuki introduced its brand new mid-size truck, the Equator, by showing three different customized versions of it. The truck will be built at the Nissan plant in Tennessee and has its roots in the Nissan Frontier.
2008 North American International Auto Show - Detroit, Michigan
© Dale Wickell
The U.S. auto show year kicks off every January in Detroit. The 2008 theme was definitely green, with all sorts of concept and production hybrid and alternative fuel vehicles on display. Chevy showed us the 2009 Silverado hybrid that was introduced a few months earlier in Los Angeles. Ford and Dodge both rolled out brand new versions of their full-size trucks, and Dodge revealed that its 2010 model year would include a new two-mode hybrid gas-electric Ram. 2008 NAIAS Highlights
