Leer and Yakima have equipped and uniquely outfitted this truck to appeal to key truck-buying demographic groups who are authentic outdoor enthusiasts and environmentally involved. The Yakima All Sport package features an array of specialized options that target America’s 168 million outdoor sports enthusiasts, a group that spends billions a year on outdoor equipment. The special edition 100XQ Series Leer cap enhances the versatility of the truck, turning the bed into a treasure chest, a lock box, and a shelter from rain and snow that can be used for work or play every day of the year. It will appeal to people who enjoy biking, hiking, camping, canoeing, skiing, snowboarding, kayaking, and similar sports, and who own or are considering the purchase of a pickup truck.

LEER and their project vehicle partners’ creative outfitting will help convince potential truck owners that this truck is not just a truck.

The truck shows low-impact human interaction with nature, using clear and natural power, along with the benefit of less gas consumption and the key feature of availability of electric power upon arrival.

Thanks, Leer, for giving Trucking Times & Sport Utility News the first exclusive look at this ground-breaking project truck and for the opportunity to feature it on our cover.

Promotion Plan

The project vehicle will be featured in many consumer magazines including 4 Wheel and Off Road, Sport Truck, Truck Trend, Truckin’, Street Trucks, Off Road Adventures, Mini Truckin’, Cabela’s, Top Notch Truck, Restyling SUV & Pick Ups, and Sport Truck & Accessory News.

Press releases will be sent to over 100 magazines, and the truck will be used in Leer marketing materials and national ad campaigns. It will be shown at a full slate of dealer events and auto shows, including the Los Angeles Auto Show. Leer dealers typically display at all of the regional truck and outdoor shows. Leer will schedule the truck to be at as many of these shows as possible throughout North America.

Equipment

The LEER/Yakima "Drive Clean, Tread Lightly" Chevy Silverado Extended Cab Hybrid truck performance project vehicle is not your ordinary "show vehicle." The Parallel Hybrid truck system combines the power of a V8 engine with a compact electric motor to deliver fuel efficiency and up to 14,000 watts of continuous electric power. In short, fuel is shut off any time the truck is coasting or braking. The truck concentrates on options targeted at what truck owners do with their trucks — load ‘em up and go! The project equipment includes:

> Audiovox auto remote alarm lock and start system, AM/FM/CD and stereo DVD players, GPS Navigational unit with maps, rear-view mirror, built-in LCD external camera, multiple flat-screen video displays, wireless headphones.

> AMP hidden retractable steps

> Bushwacker fender flares

> Car Auto Depot Audio design and installation

> Coleman interior camp cabinet or pantry space designed to hang pots, carry utensils, hold paper towels, and store food, electric powered ice chest/CD player, electric heater inside the bed of the truck, — around the truck — electric stove, electric grill, camp lights, solar-powered shower converted to heat water with electricity, electric air pump — features that utilize the 42-volt battery pack and the two power outlets in the pickup bed.

> Dagger kayak

> David Levy Company, Inc. Ashtron power supply

> DuPont custom paint

> Extreme tinted windows

> Gibson Performance Exhaust Dual Sport exhaust system, muffler

> Go Rhino Hitch step.

> Good Year tires

> Hypertech Power Programmer III computer chip

> Joyride wakeboards, snowboards, and bindings

> Katzkin custom leather seating

> Leer Yakima All Sport cap

> Panther Custom Wheels 370 Chrome
Wheels — 35-Inch

> Precision Design E-Z Billet Grille

> Scooter Pros Go bikes

> Skyjacker suspension lift kit and shocks

> Street Scene sport mirrors

> Superior Dash graphite dash kit

> TM Machine Products Engine Ware

> Tru Flow air intake system and filters

> Westin bull bar

> Wise Industries BedRug

> XTC front and rear light bars and fog lights

> Yakima rack system

GM Plans A Measured Approach To The Market

GM will build 2,500 gasoline-electric hybrid versions of the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups. The trucks will only be available to consumers in Florida, California, Nevada, Alaska, Oregon, and Washington, says John Schwegman, Silverado’s marketing manager.

GM wants to launch the hybrid truck nationally in 2006, he says. But those plans are not firm. "The market will determine the demand for hybrid trucks," Schwegman says.

The bulk of GM’s hybrids — 1,875 units — will be Silverados; the rest are Sierras. GM has not priced 2005 models yet, but Schwegman says the hybrid pickups will cost $1,500 more than a gasoline-powered model. The GM trucks are so-called "soft hybrids." An electric motor provides a boost on acceleration. The vehicle has a stop-start system that turns off the gasoline engine at traffic lights. It also has a built-in generator that can power construction equipment.

GM executives have described fuel cells as the ultimate green powertrain. But fuel cells may never prove practical for the mass market. They are costly, and they present daunting technical challenges, so GM has adopted conservative sales strategies, even though the market for hybrids appears poised for a takeoff and fuel prices remain high.

J.D. Power and Associates predicts U.S. sales of hybrid vehicles could reach 350,000 units annually by 2008.