Anyone that regularly follows this blog will know that in this neck of the woods the pickup is very popular. It suits an outdoor lifestyle, with enough space to maneuver and park them as well. The size of the vehicles is large but not by North American standards.
Until now. There is a market opening up for the larger pickup that is common on Stateside driveways. The problem is in the US they drive on the wrong side of the road. To get around that, there is an industry that has recently sprung up in Australia where large pickups are being converted to right hand drive.
The Chevrolet Silverado and Ram 1500 are already sold in NZ. The Ford F-150 and Toyota Tundra are also coming down under, as manufacturers cash in on the small but increasing desire for such large pickups to compliment the 'smaller' ones that already sell well here.
All sorted then. Well, not quite. Ford NZ is still yet to confirm the F-150 and it seems Toyota NZ may have ruled out the Tundra. In the case of the latter, the company has committed to reducing carbon emissions across its fleet of new vehicles. The Tundra would negatively impact that.
It surprised me that the interest in this sort of super sized transport even has potential here. Its days are numbered anyway unless it eventually moves to electric propulsion, something diehard pickup owners are not too keen on. The car industry is having to change as many governments put incentives in place to encourage the take up of low or no emission vehicles. Perhaps it's a case of getting them (fossil fuel trucks) while you can.
I never quite understood the popularity of this category. These are huge, impractical cars, with a trunk that is useless at everyday usage. You cant leave your daily shopping or even equipment in the open trunk, as they can not be locked. The big petrol engine consumes like crazy, and the interior is spartan.
ReplyDeleteCompared to an SUV it only has disadvantages.
I understood, in the US, this was about a protectionist measures giving a financial edge, and having that the market opted for it to ensure that local brands survive, as its not worth for import brands to develop such cars that can not be sold anywhere else.
Smaller versions are bought in Europe for constructions, but even tax benefits could not convince buyers to opt for pickups for private use.
They don't do anything for me but they are now extremely popular here in NZ.
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