AC

In the world of $2-a-gallon gas, pickups ruled. But even as automakers now tout their new fuel-efficient cars more than trucks, the rugged vehicles are clawing their way back. Just how far will be on display today at the State Fair of Texas in Dallas, a big annual event for truck makers in the USA's biggest state truck market. This year, pickup makers plan a series of announcements that underscore how interest in tough cargo-haulers is recovering. Sales of all pickups increased 8.5% in the first eight months of the year compared with the same period a year ago, Autodata reports. Sales are being helped by slightly lower gas prices and a slightly improving economy for commercial buyers, although sales still are being held down by the downturn in housing. Contractors and builders are traditionally a critical market for pickups. "Image" buyers, the ones who bought the fanciest, most option-loaded pickups a decade ago to cruise drive-ins — and rarely hauled anything heftier than a...