I don't think pickups fail to exhibit typical pricing behavior. The big difference here is scale. Pickups have traditionally healthy profit margins, and as such

I don't think pickups fail to exhibit typical pricing behavior. The big difference here is scale. Pickups have traditionally healthy profit margins, and as such, the dealerships (and manufacturers) have the most flexibility in deviating from the MSRP to move product. My guess is that manufacturers enjoy and encourage this margin and the apparent rapid inflation of pickup truck pricing. In other words, if MSRP keeps going crazy, even though savvy shoppers can purchase a truck for way less than MSRP, the general consensus is that they are more expensive than before, and you'll have to spend more than you did last year and the year before. People throw around "spending $50k on a truck" all the time, and while it's true that you can probably get a brand new crew cab with decent trim for $35k (and feel like you got a super good deal), the perception of truck prices has been inflated over time. But back to the original raise/lower prices, we still see the same thing with trucks as with other classes of car. The price is increased each model year. The trim levels are tweaked. Options are bundled. Rarely does a manufacturer announce a big drop in pricing, or a spur of the moment increase.