GM, Ford Ditching Some SUVs, Vans
Both General Motors and Ford will prune some light trucks from their lineups as consumer tastes seem to be shifting to car-based utility vehicles. Automotive News reports that GM is canceling production of the TrailBlazer and GMC Envoy sometime before the end of the decade, while Ford will drop the Monterey minivan from its lineup as soon as this summer. The GM twin SUVs were originally scheduled for a restyling in 2009, but the vehicles are being dropped so that GM can focus attention on new crossover vehicles like the GMC Acadia, Saturn Outlook, and Buick Enclave. The Monterey, meanwhile, will be followed into obsolescence by the Ford Freestar minivan at an unspecified date. Ford is planning to build a new family utility vehicle based on its Fairlane concept from the 2005 Detroit auto show. The News reports that Lincoln will get a version of this vehicle as well.