While I like the idea of weight reduction and use of aluminum etc. When it comes to trucks the whole story is pretty facked up in the first place...we make gigantic trucks way larger/heavier/more powerful than they need to be and then make them really expensive by making them lighter and more efficient.
Why not just make them smaller?
You need to spend more time with the mainstream truck buyer for insight on why they buy the pick up they do 
I know it and I personally keep buying big trucks myself. I guess it's one of those consumer behaviour things...whining about the price of products when it's our own behaviour that creates the market opportunity for manufactures...
Nice, a pickup...wish it was bigger!
There you go
Oooh, it's huge...wish the gas mileage was better
There you go
Awesome, a turbo charger, it's sort of efficient...still wish the gas mileage was better
There you go
Perfect, huge, powerful, efficient, and now lighter...wish it was cheaper
Sorry, can't help you
Brilliant points! As for Snowman's suggestion to"spend more time with the mainstream truck buyer for insight on why they buy the pick up they do", you'll get quite a mix of opinions. People tend to justify their actions, and their purchases. Large truck buyers usually make the purchase because there's simply no choice in the market. It's easy to justify "buying by the pound" because the initial value proposition seems good. Now if we had REAL choice, just watch buying patterns change. Look at what's happening with the downsizing of work vans.
I agree reasons very a lot.
working in farm country it's interesting to see what people are doing.
all the kids buy trucks as soon as they can. while some are actual farmers, most are doing it because they've grown up with trucks and that's just what people drive out here. (although many of them are just as much city kids really) Fuel economy doesn't factor (until they can't afford it)
I see a couple people downsizing away from trucks...
it's usually a senior male who finally realizes, why do I really have this truck. Or anyone else (age) who now finds themselves driving a heck of a lot and the light bulb goes off on what they can save driving something smaller.
A co-worker has a RAM. They use it to pull a small pop-up. She says the RAM is more comfortable than her Honda Accord (granted the accord is a 2001).
Then you get the city folks who feel you have to have at least one truck if you have a house.
