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Do you know exactly what the trend will be in the auto industry four or five years from now? That query is floating in the mind of Detroit’s executives everyday. Detroit’s Big 3 admits they have holes in their lineups but the executives are still absorbed in predicting the upcoming trends.

Quite obviously, American auto shoppers are fickle. As such, it becomes difficult for automakers to predict their tastes, whims, and demands when it comes to auto purchase. Detroit’s Big 3 said that they find it hard to anticipate what shoppers want especially when they become fragmented and choosey.

Chrysler LLC admitted that the company is faced with a hole in their product lineup. The Auburn Hills automaker, to note, does not offer a crossover which is a popular segment these days.

“Chrysler, facing the worst product shortfall of Detroit's Big Three, is working to shorten the time it takes to get a vehicle from the design room to the showroom,” said Frank Klegon, the executive vice president for product development. “You see a strong demand for a product in the market and then you work very diligently to deliver."

Ford Motor Co. is entertaining a name game by reviving some iconic labels. An example of which is the revival of the Taurus name in a different model.

The manufacturer of Ford Rangers will soon be offering innovative features such as the Work Solutions. The feature helps businesses manage their fleets and can take an inventory of all the tools in a truck, are a direct result of listening to and watching customers, said Mark Fields, Ford's president of the Americas.

"Sometimes customers will be vocal about what they want," Fields noted. "But sometimes something looks awkward and we say, 'How can we make it easier for them?' "

General Motors Corp., meanwhile, wishes to have launched a crossover model in its Chevy brand. Same with Chrysler, Chevy has no crossover offering.

"Our industry must be close enough to our customers that we can anticipate their wants and needs before they may recognize them," said GM's North America President Troy Clarke at the Chicago Auto Show. "This is important given the long lead times of our industry. We need to sense what people will want four or five years from now."

“GM also is trying to do more to tap its vast dealer network, the automaker's marketing Chief Mark LaNeve said at the show’s media preview. “You've got to have talented people, the right kind of people. You've got to spend time with consumers."

Tracking consumer tastes, from holding focus groups to perusing Internet chat rooms, have long been a part of the auto industry, but the efforts these days appear to be more genuine, said Jack Nerad, executive market analyst for Kelley Blue Book. "It's not just to validate their product plans anymore," Nerad said in an interview with the Detroit News. "They are trying to gain real feedback."