RELAX....they're only making 50 of them a year, more than likely you will never even see one, the sky isn't falling.
There is versions of them already out there by Freightliner that pull huge horse trailers and RV's.
Navistar just made it for marketing purposes, looks like it worked.

Oh and by the way..------------------
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http://www.detnews.com/2004/insiders...b01-286632.htm


Disparaging remarks aside, sport utility sales grow in Europe


By Christine Tierney / The Detroit News



SUVs: Scourge of the continent




PARIS -- On the narrow streets of Paris' old neighborhoods, a mid-size sport utility vehicle like the Lexus RX300 looks massive as it winds its way alongside European compact and subcompact cars.

The sight rankles many people here who have come to view SUVs as a symbol of congestion, pollution and U.S.-style automotive excess.

"You have to wonder why people drive around in SUVs," the deputy mayor of Paris Denis Baupin said recently. "They're dangerous to others and take up too much space."

London Mayor Ken Livingstone has characterized SUV drivers as "complete idiots".

A streak of reverse-snobbery underlies the anti-SUV sentiment. In Stockholm's wealthier suburbs, the vehicles are nick-named "Montessori Jeeps," mocking owners who rarely take the SUVs off-road but use them to ferry their children to and from private schools.

So far, the remarks have not dampened demand. SUVs account for only 5 percent of European vehicle sales, compared with 26 percent of the U.S. market. But SUV sales are growing faster than overall vehicle sales in Europe. This year, SUV sales are up 15 percent, while the overall market has grown only 2 percent.

Now, officials across Europe are weighing a variety of measures, from special taxes to urban bans on vehicles with poor emissions scores, to curb demand for off-road vehicles.

Few would argue against a ban on vehicles in the crowded centers of old towns with narrow roads. Some governments impose higher taxes on autos with big engines.

But some proposals may target SUVs, even though they do not - as a segment - consume more gas or emit more pollutants than some sports cars or upscale sedans.

In Sweden, for instance, the government is weighing a tax on vehicles with high emissions that could add up to $5,000 to the price of a Volvo XC90. But SUV makers want to ensure that other types of vehicles are not exempt so that any measure will be an ecologically-friendly rule and not single out SUVs.

"The issues should be, do you cause congestion, do you have good fuel economy? There are mechanisms to address those," says Ford of Europe sales executive Earl Hesterberg. "Why pick out a certain shape of vehicle?"

It's a big issue for European automakers, which are rushing to fill demand. Volkswagen AG and Porsche AG now sell SUVs. And BMW AG has added the X3, a smaller version of its popular X5. More SUVs are on the way.

Automotive forecaster Global Insight predicts the SUV market in Europe will grow to one million vehicles by 2008, still less than 10 percent of the market.

"When you see these movements - this caricatural no to SUVs - it puts pressure on us to make cars that are more environmentally-friendly than they look and to answer [criticism] with facts," says Carlos Ghosn, CEO of Nissan Motor Co.

Automakers should build more efficient engines to ensure that rising SUV sales do not slow the development of cleaner cars. They should also study crash-compatibility to protect passengers in smaller cars. But European legislators will only be fair if they target emissions and not specific product segments.

You can reach Christine Tierney at (313) 222-1463 or ctierney@detnews.com.