[Music] Off-road trucks it's no surprise you're Seeing more of them these days so why is That it's a matter of supply and demand As the US auto market continues to shift Away from passenger cars and towards SUVs and trucks car makers are looking For ways to diversify their lineups and Distinguish themselves from competitors They are also willing to take some risks Part of this story goes back to 2008 When gas prices were at an all-time high And the economy and the dumps back then A group of engineers at Ford had about The worst idea possible build a Full-size off-roading truck but what They made the Ford f-150 Raptor ended up Outselling their most optimistic Expectations the Raptor is just one of Many trucks and SUVs aimed towards Buyers looking to get more out of their Vehicles than a higher ride height and An extra row of seats consumers can also Choose from several high performance On-road SUVs some with engines pulled Right out of muscle cars Chevrolet has a Few offroad trucks such as the Colorado Zr2 Ram makes the 1500 rebel and the 2500 taro wagon and Toyota has long sold The TRD trim for some of its trucks the Jeep Wrangler for example is seeing Record sales even though many of the Wranglers now sold may seldom if ever Actually drive off-road to make their
Products more appealing to buyers Automakers are focusing on livability Historically off-road vehicles have had Stiff suspensions and Spartan interiors But lately car makers have worked on Developing suspension systems that can Be driven as well on the highway as on The trail and they are loading up cabins With infotainment systems and perks Found in more mainstream vehicles Livability is also key to the popularity Of high performance on-road vehicles Many sports car purists would bulk but Some drivers are finding they like the Quick acceleration and And ride of a sports car combined with The practical benefits of driving an SUV These are not high-volume vehicles they Tend to appeal to a small sliver of Buyers but in some cases sales have Exceeded expectations sales of all Pickups and SUVs have gone from being Less than half of all auto sales in the U.s. in 2008 to more than 65 percent in 2017 they are expected to continue to Rise there are however some drawbacks to Consider these vehicles do tend to cost More than basic models and many of them Are not exactly fuel-efficient but if Gas prices stay low and consumers Continue to be willing to shell out for Them they might be around for a while Hey there thanks for checking out CNBC On YouTube be sure to subscribe to stay
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