Pickup Makers Are Betting $45 Billion on Your Infidelity

The folks who drive pickup trucks are an ardent, consistent lot. They stick to the brand they like more than those who own SUVs, minivans or any other type of vehicle. They are, however, human, and the heart wants the half-ton that it wants, as the saying goes.

This week at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, each of Detroit’s Big Three—Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, Ford Motor Co. and General Motors Co.—is showing off a pickup in the hopes of tempting customers wedded to a rival, or at the very least keeping its own drivers from straying. Pickups are immensely profitable, with each sold carrying about $10,000 in profit. With that kind of black ink at stake, auto executives have been questioning just how loyal the typical pickup owner truly is.