At the recent New York International Auto Show

there was one consistent theme: fuel economy. Whether it was Hyundai, Honda, VW or GM, every automaker seemed to claim fuel-economy superiority in some category: city car, sport sedan or sports car. But the absence of one vehicle class from those discussions got us wondering: What about compact trucks?

Around the world, automakers are selling high-mileage smaller trucks. Ford's most fuel-efficient new truck is not the F-150, but the Global Ranger, which has two diesel motor options (both are said to get better than 30 mpg highway). Yet it was nowhere to be seen at the New York show, or anywhere else in the country: Ford will sell the Global Ranger in 180 markets, but not here.

Ford isn't alone in its hesitation to sell a fuel-sipping smaller pickup in the U.S. GM's Colorado/Canyon is old; its five-cylinder engine is both gutless and thirsty. GM showed a rebooted 2012 Colorado at the Bangkok International Auto Show this past spring—a very sleek-looking truck that gets a 2.8-liter diesel predicted to yield better than 30 mpg highway. But GM remains mum on whether it will sell the new Colorado in the U.S.

Japan's offerings in the U.S. market aren't much more inspiring. Toyota's Tacoma, the leader at 40 percent of the compact truck segment, hasn't changed since 2005. Its 2.7-liter four-cylinder delivers 180 lb-ft of torque, which is significantly better than the current Ford's 2.2-liter four (154 lb-ft). But the best fuel economy that engine delivers (21 city/25 highway, with rear drive) isn't eye-popping. Worse, Tacomas with the 4.0-liter V6 only manage 17/21. And like the Tacoma, Nissan's Frontier compact truck is overdue for an overhaul—it hasn't significantly changed since 1997.

Automakers have seemingly let the American compact truck segment stagnate. But these days, with an ever-increasing emphasis on fuel economy, why not offer Americans the modern diesel-powered compact pickups that are being sold in other parts of the world?

The answer isn't terribly clear, but in Ford's case it may come down to money. If the new Ford Ranger came stateside, it might siphon from sales of the F-150, a very profitable vehicle for Ford. "The new Ranger is a lot bigger than the one they sell now," says IHS Automotive analyst Aaron Bragman. "It's nearly as big as an F-150 and it would cannibalize F-150 sales. And don't forget that F-150 with [turbocharged, variable-timing] EcoBoost is getting much better mileage, so dealers would rather put customers in a full size with base trim than have two trucks that compete against each other."

Another reason small trucks are stuck in neutral is that there are more choices available to people who need a lighter cargo-hauling vehicle. For instance, a Ford spokesperson says, the portion of young male buyers who used to purchase small pickups for play has withered, and those buyers who purchase for recreation can choose from a considerably richer field of crossovers instead. On the commercial side, buyers who don't need a full-size truck are turning to small vans rather than small pickups to get around the poor mileage of the latter. It's one reason why Dodge has said it will re-badge a small Fiat van for the U.S. in 2012. It's easier and cheaper to re-badge an existing product than to, say, add a double cab to a truck like the Ranger that doesn't have one now.

That greater set of options is also why the existing small trucks in the U.S. aren't getting better. Take the Tacoma and the Frontier—without a large demand for something better than the existing trucks, it's not worth the investment for Toyota and Nissan to make engine upgrades or other improvements.

Still, all is not lost for small-truck lovers. Toyota has said it will have a hybrid in every segment of the U.S. marketplace by 2020. And because the Tacoma sells particularly well in urban settings, a plug-in hybrid might make sense.

And there could be more—and better—competition coming a lot faster. Volkswagen is already selling the Mexican-made Amarok in the rest of the world. If Volkswagen comes into the U.S. with that truck and GM updates the Colorado (particularly the engine), you have to wonder if Ford would soldier on with the ancient Ranger, and whether Dodge, an also-ran in this segment, wouldn't have to finally update their ancient, slightly larger Dakota.

Industry executives don't see the compact-truck segment as particularly strong these days, so they're not willing to invest the money to update they're products. But as truck lovers, we can't help but think that's a shortsighted view.







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