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Detroit Three's lucrative pickup war intensifies as Ram makes big gains

DETROIT — The battle for profits from sales of large pickup trucks is intensifying among the Detroit Three automakers as sales of small cars in the United States shrivel. For decades Ford has had the single best-selling truck brand in its F-Series trucks. General Motors' Chevrolet brand was a solid No. 2, and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles' Ram was a distant third. Now, that hierarchy may be in flux. Sales figures for December and the fourth quarter released on Thursday show Ram tied with GM's Chevy for the No. 2 spot, as sales of the redesigned Ram pickup surged, fueled in part by demand for an optional 12-inch (30.48 cm) dashboard screen. Chevy not long ago held second place to Ford by a wide margin. GM executives said on Thursday they are bullish on their new GMC and Chevy trucks for 2019.Related: How the Detroit Three's pickups compare on paper 2019 Ram 1500 Laramie review 2019 Chevy Silverado 2.7L four-cylinder review 2019 Ford F-150 2.7L EcoBoost review "There's no doubt this segment (pickup trucks) is one of the epicenters of the auto wars," said Sandor Piszar, director of marketing for Chevrolet at GM. "It's been that way forever, and we wouldn't have it any other way." On Wall Street, investors give electric car leader Tesla a higher valuation than any of the Detroit automakers. But in the nation's heartland, big pickups remain far more popular and profitable than any electric car — and most other consumer vehicles of any kind. Large pickups generate at least $17,000 a vehicle in pretax profit for GM, the company has indicated in disclosures to investors. By contrast, many Detroit Three sedans are so unprofitable, their manufacturers have decided not to build them anymore. 'Hotly contested' Sustaining sales and pricing in the large-pickup segment will be critical in a year when most forecasters expect overall U.S. car and light truck sales to fall. Ford's U.S. sales chief, Mark LaNeve, on Thursday called the F Series "the backbone of our franchise" during a conference call, and added the "segment will continue to be strong, but hotly contested" in 2019. Automakers are banking on pickup truck sales to stay strong even if U.S. interest rates continue to rise. Rising interest rates translate into higher monthly car payments and are expected to deter some buyers in 2019. GM has said 27 percent of Chevrolet and GMC trucks — which can haul trailers by day and substitute for a luxury sedan by night — sell for more than $55,000.

Road tripping in a Ford Fusion Energi PHEV

Following my earlier Chevy Cruze Diesel trip and recent press-launch drives of Volvo XC90 and Hyundai Sonata plug-in hybrids, an opportunity arose for another road trip. I wanted to do it in a plug-in hybrid, primarily to learn whether its higher price vs. gas-powered and conventional hybrid versions of the same vehicle – is justified by its capability to operate as an EV, burning no fuel at all with its engine off, at least for short distances. I've been skeptical of plug-in parallel hybrids. As I've written before, I've been skeptical of plug-in parallel hybrids because they are generally good for very limited electric miles (typically 10-15, depending on driving style, terrain, and temperature) at fairly leisurely speeds before their engines kick in. But I've recently spent time in two new examples – the 2016 Volvo XC90 T8 and the 2016 Hyundai Sonata PHEV – that offer more EV range, mostly because they tote bigger (thus more expensive) batteries. Both promise 24-25 miles of battery-only range, and the latter can recharge on the fly. Unfortunately, neither was yet available for my July road trip, nor was a Honda or Toyota plug-in, but Ford anted up a Fusion Energi borrowed from its Marketing department. "The state-of-the-art lithium-ion battery and electric motor combined with the gasoline engine offers maximum efficiency," says Ford about it. "This strategy offers the best of both worlds, providing the 2016 Ford Fusion Energi the capability to be driven as an electric vehicle for short trips and as a hybrid for longer trips." I've been a fan of Ford's Fusion since the first-generation debuted a decade back, and the handsome Gen II version launched for 2013 has been Detroit's best answer to the Honda Accord/Toyota Camry/Nissan Altima Japanese juggernaut in the popular US mid-size sedan segment. Beyond its leading-man looks, it offers an array of highly-functional features (some exclusive), a choice of three gas engines (a base 2.5-liter four and 1.6-liter and 2.0-liter direct-injected, turbocharged EcoBoost fours) and both parallel and plug-in parallel hybrid versions. The regular hybrid originally boasted 47 mpg before Ford adjusted it to be more realistic. The gas engines drive through a 6-speed automatic transmission (a 6-speed manual is standard with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost), the hybrids through an electric continuously variable transaxle (eCVT), and all-wheel drive is available with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four.

2017 Ford F-150 Raptor desert testing heats up

In case there was any doubt, Ford is taking the development of the second-generation SVT Raptor very, very seriously. The Blue Oval recently completed over 1,000 miles of testing in the boiling heat of the American southwest. Apparently, that mileage was accrued over a 66-mile route designed to mimic the torturous terrain encountered by racers in the Baja 1,000 off-road race. The prototypes, which were built from a mix of existing and next-gen Raptor components, were tested with "fast sandy washes, deep-rutted silt beds, steep climbs in deep sand, and slow meticulous crawls through tight trenches." Ford claims the new truck managed to run the circuit 25-percent faster than the current F-150 SVT Raptor, averaging 50 miles per hour while going as fast as 100 mph in stretches. That said, Dearborn didn't release any dedicated times, so it's unclear just how quickly the 66-mile stage was completed. We do know that durability was a big part of the testing. Ford claims each lap was completed by what sounds like a pretty significant jump, with the trucks ascending a steep ramp onto a two-foot plateau and then completing a step-down to level ground. We have to take Ford at its word here, though. "Steep" can mean any number of things, and we've no idea just how fast the trucks were hitting the ramp or how much air they got. Hopefully, the jumps were aggressive enough to prevent future frame issues. Still, Ford boasting about how rough the Raptor's testing is can be taken as a positive sign for fans of the next-generation of SVT's rugged pickup. NEW F-150 RAPTOR WRAPS UP INITIAL DESERT DURABILITY TESTING DEARBORN, Mich., July 7, 2015 – The 2017 F-150 Raptor – Ford's toughest, smartest, most capable off-road truck ever – recently completed more than 1,000 miles of testing in the southwestern United States. Over 1,028 miles of desert trail designed to parallel the Baja race course in Mexico, the 66-mile route featured a wide range of surfaces including fast sandy washes, deep-rutted silt beds, steep climbs in deep sand, and slow meticulous crawls through tight trenches. The truck topped speeds of 100 mph in places, slowing to 10 mph in others, for an average speed of approximately 50 mph. The 2017 Raptor is 25 percent faster than the current truck based on lap times. At the end of each lap, the new Raptor completed a tabletop jump consisting of a steep ramp up to a two-foot plateau, then a step-off back to level ground.