Detroit Free Press columnist, Mark Phelan, has put together a list of 7 vehicles that have serious influence on the survival prospects of America’s big three automakers. The vehicles, all scheduled for release over the next 12 months, represent the bulk of sales for their respective manufacturers and are crucial in determining the future of the domestic car industry.

For GM we have the new full-size Silverado pickup, GM’s best selling vehicle, which is facing an uphill battle against rising fuel prices and the movement towards smaller cars and crossovers. It gets worse for GM because it will also need to improve the sales of its Buick Enclave, GMC Acadia and Saturn Outlook trio of SUVS. Ford’s contender is the compact Edge SUV, which is considered by Ford execs to be the company’s most important upcoming vehicle. Chrysler on the other hand is dependent on the success on its new Town & Country and its Dodge cousin, whose sales are losing to Japanese competition in a segment Chrysler invented.

Which are the cars that could topple the dominance of the Big Three? They are Toyota’s Tundra full-size pickup, Honda’s Accord and Nissan’s Altima. Follow the link to read up on why each car is so important.

[Source: Detroit Free Press]