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2019 Ram 1500 Big Horn.FCA US LLC/Handout

The $100,000 pickup is coming soon to a dealership near you. In fact, it may already be there.

If you so desire, you can spend Mercedes S-Class money on a half-tonne truck with 22-inch chrome wheels and earth-shaking stereo. No longer just a humble workhorse, pickups are fast becoming luxury commodities.

The price of a Ford Raptor, a strong and sporty F-150 for would-be Baja 1000 racers, can climb north of $90,000 if you tick all the options. A loaded GMC Sierra 1500 can reach $86,000 and the all-new model coming in 2019 will likely raise that figure.

The sky seems to be the limit when it comes to prices of luxury pickups. They’re not exactly a new phenomenon, but the trend has recently found new momentum pushing prices to new heights.

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2019 GMC Sierra Denali MultiPro tailgate.Handout

“In the last two years, we’ve actually seen an acceleration in that trend. All the growth in the [Canadian] truck market in the last 24 months has been at price points above $55,000,” said Mark Alger, national marketing manager for GMC trucks.

Roughly 20 per cent of the truck market is in that premium bracket now. “If you go back 10 years ago, it might have been 11 or 12 per cent,” Alger said.

Pickup trucks have long been a rugged alternative to minivans or SUVs, but now customers are considering them alongside cars from Cadillac, Lexus or Mercedes.

“If you look at the data, some of these trucks are cross-shopped with high-end luxury vehicles; it’s unbelievable,” said Mike Szymkiewicz, senior manager of product and volume planning for FCA Canada. “How high can you push that? I don’t know, but we haven’t gotten there yet.”

“I buy a lot of trucks each year,” said Martin Barkey, chief executive of MBRP, an aftermarket manufacturer of performance exhausts based in Huntsville, Ont. “It wasn’t that long ago a well-equipped dually [two wheels on each side of the rear axle] diesel was in the high-$50,000 range; it seemed to jump into the $80,000 range pretty quickly.”

The average transaction price for a full-size truck in Canada is around $38,000. The transaction price for GMC’s luxurious Denali pickups are close to double that and account for one-fifth of sales volume, Alger said. GMC recently added a new top trim, the Denali Ultimate.

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The cost of a GMC Denali is roughly double the average transaction price for a full-size truck in Canada.Handout

“We’re seeing growth there at the high-end of the high-end,” he added.

We’re seeing a similar trend in the luxury SUV space where Bentley, Lamborghini and Rolls-Royce are jumping into the market while the likes of Range Rover, BMW, Mercedes and Audi are rolling out higher-priced models to compete.

Auto makers are further refining their trucks to compete in the luxury segment.

Family-friendly features such as prodigious interior storage, spacious crew cabs, motorized step-up running boards, multiple USB plugs and rear-seat entertainment systems are all readily available.

Ride-quality – typically hard and harsh on pickup trucks – is getting better although they’re still not as plush as a good crossover SUV. Optional independent air-suspension on the Ram 1500, for example, helps. It allows drivers to lower the truck to make it easier for kids to climb in and out.

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Optional independent air-suspension in the Ram 1500 helps boost ride quality.FCA US LLC/Handout

Ram claims the all-new 2019 model will be the quietest ever. A cylindrical device called an “active tuned mass module” is meant to cancel out vibration caused by fuel-saving automatic engine stop/start system.

Nissan’s Titan has quilted two-tone leather in Platinum Reserve trim, which the company describes as an “executive suite,” as well it should be with a starting price of nearly $70,000.

Trucks lag when it comes to technology and advanced safety features, but they’re fast catching up. The Toyota Tundra and Ford F-150 already have lane-keeping assist and automatic emergency braking. All-new 2019 models from Ram, Chevrolet and GMC will soon add similar features, while huge touch-screen infotainment systems, 360-degree cameras and head-up displays are coming soon, too.

Truck fuel economy, although still not as good as cars, is improving. Lightweight materials are playing an important role.

The next-generation Sierra and Silverado will have an optional CarbonPro pickup box made of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic. The 2019 Ram will have a 48-volt mild-hybrid system. Meanwhile, Ford is introducing a turbo-diesel V-6 on the F-150 it estimates will return around 7.8 litres per 100 kilometres during highway driving.

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The 2019 Ram 1500 Uconnect 4C.FCA US LLC/Handout

“The [fuel-economy] gap has shrunk so I don’t think that’s a key rejection reason any more,” Szymkiewicz of FCA said. “Fuel economy has gone down the list. It’s not a reason not to buy any more and … it’s going to get better.”

Alger said the importance of comfort and style is increasing, where trucks were once only about power and utility.

“You’re buying an $80,000 truck to stand out a little bit,” he said. “There’s a certain amount of bling and status that those vehicles have and we’re happy to help [customers] with their needs.”

It’s little wonder; in this rarefied price bracket, luxury trucks generate hefty profits for dealers and auto makers.

What’s driving this trend and pushing prices up? If you ask the product planners, they’ll say it’s these new high-tech, family-friendly trucks that are more comfortable and luxurious than ever.

Surely, there are other forces at work here, too, though. Readily available credit makes leasing and financing luxury vehicles easier than ever. The ubiquity of big, luxurious SUVs means jumping into a pickup truck is no longer such an alien experience for many drivers.

To most bystanders, even an $80,000 truck has a whiff of working-class style, which is very much on-trend just as beards, plaid shirts and Levi jeans are. Bay Street cowboys, rejoice!

With its two truck lines – Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra – Chevrolet is going after two distinct groups of buyers. “Chevy goes a little bit more for that western vibe and GMC is a little premium, a little more downtown,” said Donnelly Baxter, marketing segment manager for Chevrolet trucks.

Currently, if you want to spend $100,000 before tax on a half-tonne truck, it means going to aftermarket suppliers such as MBRP or getting dealer-installed extras.

“In our showrooms you’ll be able to go to the GM dealer and take that $85,000 truck and put $15,000 of wheels, exhaust, audio enhancements and get your $100,000 ticket, and some guys will do that, absolutely,” GMC’s Alger said.

It seems inevitable that half-tonne trucks will soon carry MSRPs above the $100,000 mark.

“If you tick the box for everything, you can probably get over $90,000 in a Ram Laramie Limited or Longhorn with the diesel,” FCA’s Szymkiewicz said. “I don’t think you’d crack six figures, but that’s an opportunity.”

Barkey of MBRP regularly sees customers who spend $140,000 on customized pickup trucks. He thinks it’s only a matter of time before we see trucks with sticker prices north of $100,000.

“You’re seeing a category of buyer who just wants that latest and greatest,” he said.

It’s a race to the top, except nobody knows how high the ceiling could be.

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