Light Truck and SUV Blogs

I am excited to welcome two industry veterans to the the Light Truck and SUV and RV Trade Digest (another Cygnus Business Media publication) teams.
Bob Carnahan has been named the new publisher of Light Truck and SUV and RV Trade Digest, and Dana Nelsen has been named the new editor of both publications. Bob comes to us with more than 15 years experience in the light truck and SUV industry (eight of those years in the publishing and trade shows). Nelsen has worked within the RV industry for several years and is the former editor of Toy & Hauler Business magazine. Together, they bring a huge amount of experience to both publications.
Starting with the January/February issue of Light Truck and SUV, I will hand over editorial responsibility to Dana as he gets up to speed on the industry. During the transition, I will work closely with both Bob and Dana to ensure a smooth transition.
What changes can you expect as a result of this transition? Well, nothing drastic. Light Truck and SUV’s editorial offering is based on feedback from you, the readers. And you can expect the new team members to continue to provide the quality editorial you have come to expect.
Thanks for reading.
Joe Escobar

One of the dangerous things about being the Editor in Chief of Light Truck and SUV is that I am exposed to a lot of aftermarket products.

I must confess my family is a truck and SUV family. We have a Ford Ranger, a Ford F-150, a Ford Explorer and as of last week, a new (to us) GMC Yukon Denali.

Living in Wisconsin, I want to protect the Denali’s interior from the salty slush associated with driving in the Midwest in the winter time. Lund’s Nifty Catch-All floor mats seemed to be the perfect solution (I had seen them at SEMA). They are custom-fit to form to the vehicle with a large lip to contain water, snow and maybe the occasional cup of coffee.

So, I started my research on the World Wide Web (Al Gore’s invention, you know). Lund has a good website. Within a minute or two, I found out that the company does manufacture Nifty Catch-All mats for my model year Denali. Its website also has a tool to locate the nearest dealer, so I punched in my zip code and low and behold, up came a list of nearby authorized dealers.

Since retail prices aren’t listed on Lund’s site, I decided to call one of the nearby Lund dealers to get some more information. When the gentleman answered, I said, “I would like to order some Lund Nifty Catch-All floor mats for my GMC Denali.” I then gave him information on my Denali and asked, ”How much would the mats for my vehicle retail for?”

His first response was, “We carry several different floor mats. They fit most trucks and SUV’s. I would suggest coming into the store to look at them and see if they will work for you. They average about $8.00 a piece.”

“No,” I said. “I don’t want generic mats. I am looking for Lund Nifty Catch-All floor mats. The Lund site lists you as an authorized dealer. Can you order some for me?”

“Oh,” he said. “I do have a Lund catalog. Let me go grab it and see what you need.”

To make a long story short, he wasn’t able to help me out. He couldn’t figure out what part number I needed. His final words of advice were, ”Maybe you should come into the store and look through the Lund catalog yourself.”

Oh, and the price? He didn’t have that either. He said he would have to call Michigan to find out (once I knew which mats I needed for my Denali, of course).

I understand it is difficult to keep up with all the parts available for all the vehicles on the road. But even I told this dealer exactly what product I needed for my Denali, I was somewhat surprised that he was not able to help me out.

The gentleman who “helped” me was friendly enough. But if I was anyone else, and I wasn’t determined to order those particular mats, I might have settled for some generic mats. And that would have meant less profit for his company and for Lund.

Instead, I guess I’ll head over to his shop and browse through the Lund catalog to let him know which mats he needs to order for me.

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar

The New York Times reported today that a federal appeals court in San Francisco rejected the Bush administration’s year-old fuel economy standards for light trucks and SUV’s.

The Times says the court rejected the standards because they were not tough enough because regulators had failed to thoroughly assess the economic impact of tailpipe emissions that contribute to climate change.

The three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals in San francisco voided the new regulations for 2008-2011 model year vehicles and told the Transportation Department to produce new rules taking into account the value of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

It seems the courts are now looking at climate change and how current and future regulations contribute to it. As Patrick A. Parenteau, an environmental law professor at Vermont Law School told the Times, “Climate change has ushered in a whole new era of judicial review.”

Should regulators (and the courts) leave light trucks and SUVs alone? If the government were to demand ridiculously high MPG standards on trucks and SUV’s, wouldn’t we lose the utility that drives consumers to purchase them in the first place?

When it comes to mileage standards for light trucks and SUV’s, should it be government regulated or driven by consumer demand?

What are your thoughts?

Another SEMA show has come and gone. My body has recuperated (both mentally and physically) from not only the four days of SEMA, but from finishing the customization of Project Tundra in the week before the show (can you say, “crunch time?”) and ferrying the truck from Wisconsin to Vegas and back. 

SEMA was a huge success for the Light Truck and SUV team. I came away with some great editorial ideas and a lot of new product information. The debut appearance of Project Tundra created quite the buzz in the truck and SUV hall. Dean Loucks, the artist who created the custom paint job for us, says on his website, “Can you handle the attention?” Well Dean, we were quite pleased with the attention your paint job created. It was likely responsible for quite a few neck sprains and dead digital camera batteries at the show.

We would like to thank everyone who participated in our SEMA Squares contest at the show. The winners of the contest were:

• Flat-panel Plasma HDTV — John Sayler, Phaster Motorsports, Henderson, NV
• TruXedo Tonneau Cover — Stephen Buntich, Caruthers Auto Supply, La Canada, CA
• Freedom Grill — Dan Major, Tube Service Co., Phoenix, AZ
• TruckBedz truck bed mattress — Rena Garcia, Rena’s Signs, Brentwood, CA

It doesn’t seem like a whole year has passed since last year’s SEMA show. Last year was my first SEMA, and I made a few rookie mistakes. My first mistake was scheduling appointments 30 minutes apart during the show. My second mistake was wearing dress shoes at the show (even though they were well broken in). Another mistake was not getting enough rest at night (an easy mistake to make in Vegas).

Well, I did learn from my mistakes. I scheduled my meetings in one-hour intervals this year. This gave me plenty of time to make it from one meeting to the next without having to sprint from one meeting to the next. I wore my black Nike sports shoes instead of dress shoes (and my feet thanked me for it). As far as adequate rest goes, I only spent one late night (ahem, early morning) out on the town. It was Halloween night, and I couldn’t pass up spending Halloween on the strip with Dean and Mark from The Art of Design and a couple of coworkers.

Be sure to read each issue of Light Truck and SUV magazine as we bring you product news from the show and highlight our Project Tundra customization.

As far as highlights from Halloween night, all I have to say is, “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.”

Thanks for reading!

Joe Escobar

Where has the time gone? It seems like just a few months ago that I was at my first SEMA, walking around with numb, blistered feet. For a first timer, it can be an overwhelming experience. Heck, it can be overwhelming for a veteran as well. I came back from my first SEMA with a lot of news and product information and a digital camera loaded with pics of products and some awesome project vehicles.

Here are a few tips I learned from my first SEMA show:

• Wear comfortable shoes.
• It is impossible to walk the whole show floor — have a game plan and stick to it.
• Get plenty of rest.
• In the absence rest, at least make sure you have comfortable shoes.
• Drink plenty of fluids (and no, adult beverages do not count).
• Did I mention to wear comfortable shoes? 

So, with less than two weeks left to go until this year’s SEMA show, we are very busy here at the magazine. In addition to the usual activity centered around planning for SEMA, we have additional projects to keep us busy, namely completing our vehicle customization – Project Tundra. We picked up the truck from The Art of Design this morning, and it is in Chicago at FlexFuel U.S. for an E-85 conversion. From there, it goes to Maxxsonics for completion of the sound system. We get it back to the office on Thursday for completion of the installs. It’s crunch time.

If you are going to be at SEMA, be sure to stop by our booth (31921) and see the completed project. You can also read more about Project Tundra in upcoming issues of Light Truck and SUV and on www.LightTruckAndSUV.com.

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar

Project Tundra is coming along nicely. With just under a month to go before the SEMA show, everything seems to be falling into place.

I delivered the truck two weeks ago to Elkhart, Indiana-based The Art Of Design (TAOD). Dean Loucks is the owner of the company (or artist in residence as he likes to say). He has designed the paint scheme for Project Tundra that is based on multi-layered paint applications and true flame techniques. The truck will sport a custom-designed paint job using Akzo Nobel paints. Of course, the Light Truck and SUV logo will be incorporated and prominently displayed on the truck.

You can see some of TAOD’s work at www.taod.org

I pick up the truck from TAOD later this week to continue the installs for the truck. If you will be at SEMA later this month, be sure to stop by booth 31921 to see the finished vehicle!

Thanks for reading,

Joe Escobar

Forrest Gump liked to use the phrase, “Stupid is as stupid does.” Well, a news item I just read fits that statement to a tee.

Trucks and SUV owners often have shops install alarm systems in order to protect their investment. And for a good reason — it appears some dregs of society enjoy taking joy rides in stolen trucks and SUVs.

Newsnet5.com reported yesterday that a truck was stolen from Sheffield Lake, Ohio (in the Cleveland area) the other day. The truck was later recovered in Westlake, about 14 miles from Sheffield Lake, where an SUV had been reported stolen.

Seems the truck thief wanted to upgrade to an SUV and swapped vehicles.

The SUV was later found in Sheffield Lake – right back where the first truck was stolen.

Oddly enough, the thief put gas in the stolen SUV before abandoning it. What the heck was he thinking? If the SUV was low on gas, why steal it in the first place? If it was running out of gas, why not just abandon it and trade up once again?

It gets even better. You see, police knew that the thief had put gas in the SUV because he left a receipt from the gas station in the vehicle. The police went to the store and reviewed security tapes. There, in plain view, was the thief waiting to pay for the gas he put in the stolen SUV.

Stupid is as stupid does.

You can read the news story and see a picture of the idiot here.

Thanks for reading.

Joe Escobar

If you keep up with current events, you are aware of the sub-prime mortgage problems affecting the U.S. You see, a few years ago, lending institutions were luring potential homeowners (with lower than average credit) special “sub-prime” mortgages. These would allow people with lower credit scores to get into a house. The benefit? The ability to get a mortgage. Lower payments during the first few years. The drawback? Everything else. High interest. Higher payments once the introductory period ends.

Now, many of those sub-prime mortgages are maturing and transitioning over to higher payments. As a result, economists are expecting a record-number of foreclosures in the upcoming years. Already, 2007 has seen a skyrocketing number of foreclosures.

So, you may be thinking, “Joe, what the hell does this have to do with my truck and SUV accessory business? I don’t sell houses.”

Well, I’m glad you asked.

This sub-prime crisis has started an avalanche. Markets (even international ones) have declined. Credit companies are tightening their belts on who can now get a loan. People with less-than-perfect credit are now having a harder time getting approved for loans.

This definitely affects aftermarket accessory businesses. You see, August new vehicle sales figures have just been released (and the market overall has seen a decline). Just about every report you read mentions two factors affecting declining sales. Number one, a lot of people have less disposable income because of increased mortgage payments. Second, because of the tightening of the credit belt, less people are being approved for new car loans.

Less loans being approved means less new vehicle sales.

Less new vehicle sales — less new vehicles to accessorize.

And that affects the sales in truck and SUV accessory shops.

What do you think? How do you think this will affect your business?

Joe Escobar

A friend of mind who passed away recently used to tell people, “You don’t know what you don’t know.” I have found that to be very true in the last nine months as we have attempted to launch a Light Truck and SUV project vehicle.

The road began in November of last year after the SEMA show. I asked my publisher, “Why can’t we coordinate a project vehicle?” He couldn’t give me a reason, so I got the ball rolling. I didn’t know what a long process it would be.

Within a couple of weeks, word had leaked out about the proposed vehicle. Aftermarket manufacturers already wanted to be involved with the build. The list of products was growing, and we didn’t even have a vehicle yet — we were still trying to figure out how we could acquire one. I didn’t know how quickly it would snowball and almost obtain a life of its own.

I happened to be talking to a PR professional about one of her customer’s products. I mentioned how I needed to acquire a vehicle soon so that we could start our project. She told me she might be able to talk one of the aftermarket manufacturers she works with into donating a vehicle to us. Thanks to her, we got an offer for a donated Ford F-150. But there was a small problem — the truck had been used by a sales guy and was three years old with almost 200,000 miles on it. That wouldn’t work for a show-quality project vehicle. I didn’t know I should have been more specific on what we were looking for in a vehicle.

So we re-grouped and tried to figure out another path. Low and behold, I received SEMA’s newsletter announcing that Ford was accepting applications for 2007 project vehicles. I thought, “This is just what we have been waiting for.” I put together a proposal and sent it to Ford. That was in January. The second week in May, we received our answer. It basically said our proposal didn’t fit into Ford’s marketing plan, and there were others that were “more closely aligned with this year’s program objectives.” After talking to several of our advertisers, I came to the realization that I didn’t know Ford is one of the tougher OEMs to work with when it comes to project vehicle donations.

Thanks to a tip from one of our advertisers, we ended up contacting Toyota about acquiring a Toyota Tundra for our project. I didn’t know about Toyota’s prototype vehicle program. Had I known this nine months ago, and how relatively painless the application process would be, I would have submitted our proposal to Toyota to begin with.

Well, we got an e-mail yesterday from Toyota. We have been approved for a 2007 Toyota Double Cab 4×4. We should be taking posession of it in a few weeks. Now the race to SEMA starts.

 Light Truck and SUV’s Project Tundra is now rolling. We have a lot to coordinate between now and SEMA. We won’t have the truck completely customized for the show (it will be a two-year project). But we should have the paint job and a few other projects completed by SEMA.

This whole process has been a learning experience for us. I didn’t know what we were getting into when I came up with this idea nine months ago. Now that it is underway, I am excited to begin installations and writing about them in the magazine and here on the website.

Based on what I have experienced so far, I would have to say that patience and persistence are two good traits to have when working on a project like this. What words of wisdom would you give to someone thinking about launching their first project vehicle?

Thanks for reading!

Joe Escobar

Well, the June new vehicle sales statistics are out, and it doesn’t look good for Detroit’s big three. All three manufacturers reported a decline in June sales compared to a year ago.

GM had its worst month in nine years as its sales of automobiles and light trucks fell almost 25 percent. Its market share dropped to 21.7 percent (its lowest since August 1998 according to Autodata).

Sales at Ford fell 8.2 percent to 245,939.

DaimlerChrysler’s sales declined 1.8 percent to 202,966.

While the big three reported losses, it was exactly the opposite for Japanese auto manufacturers. All three Japanese manufacturers reported increases in sales.

Several things appear to have helped this recent surge in Japanese new vehicle sales. The yen is weak (it costs less US dollars to buy a vehicle that was manufactured in Japan). Gas prices are high (consumers are looking more into more fuel efficient vehicles – and Japanese manufacturers have more vehicles in this category).

What was most alarming for Detroit was light truck and SUV sales. GM reported a drop in truck and SUV sales of 22.9 percent (a drop of 23.5 percent for Silverado sales). Ford F-series sales remained flat. By contrast, Toyota reported that it more than doubled sales of the full-size Tundra pickup.

It appears that incentives will increase this summer as auto manufacturers fiercely compete for truck and SUV sales. Although increasing incentives to help boost sales would mean less profit margin for the automakers, it could mean more new vehicles (that can be accessorized) being sold.

And wouldn’t we all like to see that happen?

Thanks for reading!

Joe Escobar