USA TODAY International Edition
SUVs on the comeback trail
Long- dead vehicles return to life at Detroit Auto Show
Automakers are reviving hefty sport- utility vehicles and trucks that hearken to a bygone era when vehicles such as the Jeep Wagoneer and Ford Bronco were synonymous with big engines, living large and when gasoline was no obstacle to affordable driving.
Reviving some famous vehicles known for their fuel thirst might reflect a bid to capitalize on the Donald Trump era, with energy policy expected to bolster oil production and fuel economy regulations possibly loosening.
But the CEOs of Detroit’s Big Three automakers aren’t ready to fully dive back into those good ol’ days, saying they need more policy clarification from the next administration.
That wasn’t stopping them this week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit from announcing plans to bring back truck and SUV models with nameplates that heretofore were out of favor.
Ford CEO Mark Fields revealed plans to resuscitate the Ranger midsize pickup and Bronco SUV for sale beginning in 2019 and 2020, respectively.
And Fiat Chrysler not only confirmed plans to bring back the Jeep Wagoneer, a 4- wheel-drive SUV fondly remembered for hauling soccer teams and scout troops in its heyday, but said it will make a Jeep pickup.
Volkswagen signaled it might revive the old microbus, a throwback to its hippie heyday, only this time make it a long- range electric vehicle.
The wave of new, or old, vehicles — depending on your age and your perspective — might reflect a perception that the Trump administration will curb fuel- economy standards, freeing automakers to sell more high- profit vehicles while undermining the environment by increasing carbon emissions and accelerating climate change.
But CEOs say they can’t bank on loosened policies just yet.
“I need clarity,” Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne told reporters when asked about Trump. “And we are not the only ones that need clarity.”
The need for policy direction extends to decisions about the fu- ture of Mexican manufacturing. Trump repeatedly has chided automakers for green- lighting expansions in Mexico, prompting Ford’s Fields to cancel plans last week for a $ 1.6 billion plant there. Monday, Trump lauded Fiat Chrysler for plans to expand its U. S. plants and hire 2,000 new workers.
General Motors CEO Mary Barra told reporters Monday that the automaker, for the moment, isn’t reversing course and will continue to make vehicles where it sells them.
Policy change or not, automakers certainly aren’t upset about the shift from cars to trucks. Pickups and SUVs are generally more profitable than cars because often they are simpler to make and sell at higher prices. For Ford, reviving Ranger and Bronco names sounds like it was an easy decision.
“The bottom line is we have these two iconic nameplates in two segments that are growing,” Ford’s Fields, describing the decision as “part of our strategy of keeping our core business healthy.”
Analysts think they could be big moneymakers.
“Automakers are looking to cover every bit of ‘ white space’ in the market with vehicles coming back, like Ranger and Bronco,” AutoPacific analyst Dave Sullivan said in an email.