Texas has a thriving automotive industry – mainly producing trucks and heavy-duty big rigs. The Texan automotive manufacturing industry has surged by 29 percent since 2001, according to a recent state-authored report. Here is a rundown of four of the most successful vehicles to be manufactured in the great state of Texas.
Chevrolet Suburban
The Chevrolet Suburban has been assembled in Arlington, Texas, for over 20 years. One of the few cars to – rather inexplicably – have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame, the suburban has long been popular in the Lone Star State. A 1986 front-page article in Texas Monthly described the suburban vehicle as ‘the most Texan vehicle there is’. There is some credence to this claim. The suburban is a light truck. It is equally suited to the rancher or as a family runaround. It has very few airs and is somewhat relaxed in its masculinity. It may have been overshadowed in recent years by oversized and overpowered American trucks in some rural areas, but for many, the suburban is the Texan pickup. If you are looking for cheap car insurance in El Paso TX or any other area of the Lone Star State, you’ll find that a Suburban is much cheaper to cover than the monster truck-sized Dodges popular today.
GMC Yukon
The GMC Yukon certainly fits into the ‘oversized truck’ category. This beast of a machine is a great performer – so long as you do not mind shelling out a great deal of money for petrol. Texas is, after all, a state that loves oil. The once-popular Cadillac used to be the number one car in Texas. Above all, the Cadillac was the oilman’s car. It was big, brash, expensive, and powerful. It was not sophisticated. The GMC Yukon brings a similar energy to the table, albeit upgraded to meet the truck-centric tastes of modern Texans.
Toyota Tundra
Another large truck produced in Texas, the Toyota Tundra, is assembled in San Antonio. The Tundra is the Japanese company’s flagship American truck and is incredibly popular in the Lone Star State. It is not manufactured outside of the United States and is intended for the domestic market. Slightly cheaper and more reliable than similar-sized trucks from the General Motors Company, the Tundra is well-loved by people that need a rugged full-sized pickup.
Peterbilt 359
The most iconic big rig truck of all time is manufactured in Denton, Texas, by the Peterbilt company. The Peterbilt 359 was an absolute monster and one of the most popular long hood commercial trucks of its day. Able to be fitted with a huge range of engines to order, the truck was often ordered with the smooth changing Spicer 604 transmission. Although somewhat crude by the standards of today, the 359 was immensely popular with truckers due to its refusal to corrode, gnarly looks, and roomy bunk cabin. Although the 359 is no longer produced, its direct descendants are still assembled by Peterbilt in Denton.
