“(T)he truck market was going to break out of its previous boundaries and begin a historic climb in which it would eventually surpass automobiles in total sales. In time trucks would become the biggest and most profitable segment of the auto market and sadly, as it went through this major evolution, International would begin to lose ground. . . .
In 1960, it had been the third largest light truck producer, but Dodge passed it in 1964, then GMC in 1968. This year (1969), GM outsold it 101,189 units to 63,480.
What happened? During the decade, the light truck market more than doubled, rising from 667,642 units in 1960 to 1,601,653 in 1969. Chevy and Ford were each now selling more than half a million light trucks. Dodge, once a bit player in the truck field, was now selling more than 125,000 light trucks per year. International hadn’t responded well enough to the market changes and was being left behind.”
— Patrick Foster, International Harvester: The Complete History (2015)
RE:SOURCES
- Foster, Patrick; 2015. International Harvester: The Complete History. Quarto Publishing Group, Minneapolis, MN: pp. 106, 132.
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