Compact Pickup Trucks: S-10/Sonoma/Hombre, Dakota, Ranger, Frontier, Tacoma
By Bob Storck
At one time or the other, just about every mainstream player in the
market offered a small pickup, especially after the gas crises of the
70s. Many Japanese companies coming into the market gained confidence
and dollars by selling their re-badged mini trucks through US companies.
The Japanese light truck sales peaked in the mid-80s and today only
sell about 1/2 of their peak volume. Changes in currency, increases in
government regulations, tariffs, and increased competition have trimmed
the field, especially when balanced by the minimal profits in this
segment. What really hurt was the American public's preference for big
vehicles and big engines.
The domestically produced Ford Ranger, Chevy/GMC S10 and the Dodge
Dakota blunted the impact of the foreign mini-trucks in the 80s. Gone
from the market are small trucks built by VW, Isuzu, Mitsubishi, Subaru
and Mazda.
Ford caused a sales blip when they introduced the Splash styling
exercise, and that inspired Chevy and GMC niche entries with small bed,
sporty trucks, emphasizing styling, handling and performance rather than
hauling. Dodge followed with a Dakota R/T Sport model with a V8. Ford
has dropped their four cylinder Ranger due to weak demand and has a
variety of V6s.
The big story today is lots of extra doors, including true four door
crew cabs for Dodge's Dakota and Nissan's Frontier. The Dodge fits
between compact and full sizes and offers a V8 engine. GM has brought in
their four door small truck from South America for Chevy and GMC.
Compact Pickup Trucks
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