Even with the use of Internet advertising, mobile marketing,
and targeted regional promotion at our disposal, word of mouth marketing still
reigns supreme on the list of automotive purchasing factors. When the message
is coming directly from your family it is even more effective, given that it
often isn't so much a suggestion as a directive.
My own father's automotive criteria are very demanding. He is a well informed car buff himself, but even more importantly, he has been commuting more than 80 miles per day for about 35 years. As such, his taste and preference in cars can change more frequently than Paris Hilton's underwear. He once owned a black BMW for less than half an hour after the salesman tried to deliver it with swirls in the clear coat. Simply put, he is a tough sell.
Over the years he has sampled just about everything Europe has to offer. It's almost as if that new car smell is manufactured to trigger some satisfaction receptor in the brain during the first month or two of ownership. After six months or so when the smell has finally waned, all bets are off. That's about when he starts looking again.
Many of the top brands have been cast away as junk or rubbish even with only the slightest of faults, mechanical or otherwise. So when my father announced that he was ordering a Chevrolet Silverado pick-up to help "tide him over" during a house restoration, I didn't think it would be around long enough for me to notice the color.
This truck was purchased in 2001 and continues to grace my parent's driveway. It has been his daily driver since day one and remains so an astounding four years later, with well over 200,000 miles on the odometer. Needless to say, this duration of ownership equates to an automotive coup in our family with all the makings of an outright Detroit dynasty. Not only was this not a lemon as anticipated, but finished in sport red metallic, has proven to be the sweetest of cherries.
I have always thought that this must be some sort of manufacturing fluke or anomaly. Considering that he changes the oil religiously with Mobil 1 every 3,000 miles and 98% of his driving is on the highway, maybe the vehicle has led a pampered life. Come to think of it, though, this truck has made countless trips with overflowing payloads to the dump, towed boats back and forth from New England to Florida, and even done a short stint as a plow. All without so much as a garage to call home.
Sure, he has had to replace brakes and tires and do the occasional transmission service. But the fact that this truck has been more dependable than any of the 40 or so vehicles my parents have owned without even the faintest squeak or rattle is a true testament to Chevrolet's prowess in building these things.
It pains me to close such a promising story on a negative note, but I can't overlook the fact that a simple check on Quicken accounting shows that my father has spent no less than $30,000 dollars (not that much less than the original price of the truck itself) over the four year-life of this truck on, you guessed it, fuel. And it is also worthy to note that only the last couple of months have we had the ridiculously inflated prices of $3 per gallon. The majority of this time, gas prices were under $1.50 (if you can believe it).
When I heard Bob Lutz' recent comments about all the actual progress GM is making in terms of improved fuel efficiency technologies like Displacement on Demand, diesel technologies (and its adoption in passenger cars), and hydrogen fuel cells (the holy grail of fuel systems), I was actually encouraged. Unfortunately, he couldn’t resist adding that he anticipates seeing the price of fuel going back below $2 a gallon, as if to say that should fuel prices lower substantially it would be fine for GM to go along selling inefficient and oversized vehicles.
Changing this mindset is like trying to steer a fully laden oil tanker with a paddle.
Increased fuel efficiencies will be a boon for those who need or simply want (at all costs) to drive a pickup or SUV. Detroit, however, will be remiss to think that this is a temporary change brought on merely by gas prices. Fuel efficiency is simply the "vehicle" for moving public sentiment away from oversized SUVs. Just like other times in the fickle automotive life cycle, bigger isn’t always better. Excess is out.
I'm sure that the next generation of trucks and SUVs will be even better than the current one, especially with GM cutting fewer corners with interior materials. But I wouldn't bet the farm on it, as there is more going on here than you might think. Just like the instant replay in the NFL, there needs to be "overwhelming evidence" for the automotive public that it is once again cool to waste resources during your commute. Given past social trends you don't have to worry -- the "King of the Road" will be back. But it is a long way out, likely with fuel technologies we are only beginning to adopt.
Sadly, the days for my father's beloved Silverado are numbered. After three and a half decades, my parents finally bought a new home within Driver/3 Wood/Wedge range of their practice. And while fuel efficiency may now be even less of a concern than before, this new set-up will almost certainly warrant a change. Automotive purchasing decisions are based on an extremely complex formula of utility versus emotion. Just when the auto manufacturers thought they had it figured out and, BAM…your target customer is diving a Prius.
As a side note, I have to agree with many other automotive journalists out there that find the most recent Toyota hybrid campaign to be blatantly misleading and borderline inappropriate. The new ads with their utopian promise are a slap in the face not only to Detroit but also to automotive consumers as it plays on their naivety. It reminds me of that scene in Bull Durham where that DH gloats over a homer after Crash Davis informed him of the up-coming fast ball. Pathetic.
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