Quote:
Originally Posted by Lazarus
What do you mean a niche product? Light trucks make up almost 50% of the
market. |
Certianly light trucks haven't been a niche product since the first fleet FE standards were enacted in the 70's.
The automakers were quick to find and exploit the light truck loophole, and light trucks have been a huge part of the market ever since.
But if you look back to the 40's and 50's, what were trucks then?
A niche product, everyone else had cars.
The only people with trucks were farmers and the like. Even in the 60's and 70's construction workers and such used vans instead of trucks.
Government creates incentives (unintended as they may be) to make light trucks.
Automakers market light trucks and create "need"
Voila! Trucks take over the market. Until....