Reality check: Trucks win in Cash for Clunkers game

http://money.cnn.com/2009/08/07/autos/cash_for_clunkers_sales/index.htm?cnn=yes

NEW YORK (CNNMoney.com) -- Despite the government's top-ten Cash for Clunkers sales list all but excluding SUVs and trucks, two full size trucks were actually among the top-ten buys and a small crossover SUV, not a compact car, was the most popular overall.

An independent analysis by Edmunds.com using traditional sales measurements, tallying sales by make and model, disputed the government's results which showed small cars as the top choice for shoppers looking for Clunker deals.

For example, the Ford Escape crossover SUV, instead of being the seventh-most popular vehicle under the program, as the government ranked it, was actually the best seller, according to Edmunds.com.

The government uses a more arcane measurement method that subdivides models according to engine and transmission types, counting them as separate models.


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How in the world could two full sized pickup trucks make it into the top ten? That's ridiculous.

If they do construction, landscaping, work on farms, etc. So they are probably trading in their old, less efficient trucks for newer ones.

...and many folks buy 'em who don't need 'em. A relatively more fuel-efficient truck could still be a win, depending on what it's replacing.

If they had set this up to get 15 mpg units off the road with 25 mpg units, I would believe this wasn't just another corporate scam!!