I like the concept of a ute. I can honestly think of about maybe three times a year where I would honestly need a traditional pick-up truck for anything. Most of the time what I need is open and extra space, and even then, 90% of what I would haul could competently be carried by a G-body El Camino with coil overs in the back. So, as you can imagine, it’s at best irritating when I see manufacturers like Holden and Ford Australia selling utes that I would hock a kidney on the black market for, but just because the Aussie automotive business is drying up like kangaroo roadkill doesn’t mean that the ute is finished. Brazil is another ute market, but it’s a touch different, as their utes are small and nimble vehicles that more resemble 1980’s mini trucks than anything else. Volkswagen and Chevrolet are players in South America, and now Ram is stepping into the fold with the Ram 750.
Yes, it’s a rebadged Fiat Strada (cue the pitchforks, torches and Marchionne effigies) but take a close look at it before you jump to your conclusion. For starters, it’s a front wheel drive compact truck powered by the 1.6L four cylinder last seen in the Dodge Neon. It’s got enough of a look to work with, the bed is useable, and the interior is no-BS but not stripped. You get a manual transmission, the five-speed from the Neon, a cargo capacity of up to 1,500 lbs, and a price that tops out in the low $20,000 range (when translated, which doesn’t count for taxes and import duties). Decent fuel mileage, manual transmission, a useable bed and an interior that isn’t a penalty box…why aren’t these more popular?
Oh, yeah…because everybody and their mother thinks they need a Super Duty to go shopping.
Agreed ! Aint it amazing . Here we are the single most ‘ Truck ‘ oriented automotive consumers on planet earth . Yet each and every manufacture of trucks has a phalanx of trucks a lot of us would buy in a country second .. and yet can’t because they’re all convinced those models wouldn’t sell here in the US … the ‘ Truckiest ‘ market on Earth
Living proof that when it comes to the automotive manufactures .. Common Sense is not only no longer common anymore … but by all observations has been banned completely 😉
No. We as a nation have lost all of our common sense. There is absolutely no need for everyone to have an F150, or 1500 Quad Cab to get groceries. The manufacturers add all the bells and whistles to them, and the buying public eats them up like Easter Hams. We cannot control ourselves, and overbuy for our needs. If we as a public were smarter, we’d make sure these vehicles would thrive in our market, but in a nation where bigger must mean better, we’ve forgot what true practicality and utility truly are. (Says the owner of a 4-door Canyon with a cap so that it looks like a little suburban; who hauls camping gear twice a year and really does not need a truck)
Mini-trucks used to sell pretty well in the US, until they started charging full size prices for them.
What gets sold in the North American market has more to do with what’s good for the sellers (Ford, GM, Mopar, etc) than what’s good for the consumer or what the consumer wants. If they limit your choices, and people still “buck up” and buy said model even when it’s not exactly what they want, it enables the mfgr’s to sell a gajillion of that model, meaning the cost of R&D, tooling up, etc is amortized over a vastly larger number of units, which is good for THEIR bottom line.
Ford has an all new design (a year or two ago now) RANGER available in most foreign markets (ie: Non North American), it’s gotten very good reviews in Australia & elsewhere, but we will never see it in N.A., because it would undercut sales of the F150.
That’s just one example…….but far from an isolated case of this going on…..
^^^^ what this guy said. Has nothing to do with not selling it. It has everything to do with stealing sales from higher margin 1500 series.
Very true, and very sad. I drove the last-gen global Ranger, very competent truck that would do well over here. But again, we want the aluminum F-150…at least that’s what I keep hearing.
Errrr … Y’all are missing the key ingredient in all this . That being the dreaded .. self serving and ill conceived ‘ Chicken Tax ‘.. which in fact has done more to keep small and mid size P/U’s off our shores [ including those built overseas by the domestics ] .. than all the demand issues , profit margins , pirating of full size sales etc combined
‘ Chicken Tax’ A very appropriately named tax in light of its purpose and intent .
I love it. There is deffinately a market here atleast amongst us Soldiers who have driven these types of trucks overseas. All this one needs is a Rampage badge and a diesel option and I’m sold.
No kidding. Other than a piece-of-shit Great Wall Toyota rip-off I drove in Mosul, I loved the small trucks: Chevy LUV, Mitsu P200, and the multi-generational Nissans everywhere. Then again, I’d also like the Holden-based Chevy Caprice I raced around Kuwait in ’04…
At least Mahindra tried to break into the US market with an actual mini truck with a diesel. If they had been successful it would given the large manufactures a reason to bring some smaller overseas stuff home. I can’t afford any new stuff but I’d love to see something like the ranger, troller, amarak, hilux, heck even the gaz here in the states. I can afford to buy used but not if I have to import it.
Yuck! I love the old utes, Elcaminos, Rancheros, Rampages, etc. But with this ugly thing, you’d use up all the cargo space on brown paper bags. One to put over your head so no one see’s you in it, one to put over your wifes head so no one sees her in it, and a load of spares just in case your bag blows off.
I’m not sure how many else i may speak for… but Mctaggarts Love for odd ass Mopar cars is well…..not my cup of tea…..
and let me clarify that statement, by saying like old Mopar iron. late 60’s EARLY 70’s muscle.
It’s not mine either, yet I still married him! Seriously…you should see his ebay/craigslist browsing history….
It takes a special kind. At-least he hasn’t been bit by the AMC bug yet. I remember when I pulled in with the Matador and my wife was like “What the FU^& is that!?” She doesn’t even usually cuss. She’s a teacher for goodness sake. In my defense I did sell my Roadmaster estate to buy it so I feel I did her a solid.
Contrary to popular opinions around here, I pretty much like all cars. Even tried to buy a nice early 2dr Hornet when I was in Arizona. That being said, no way in hell would I own a Matador. Looks like a ’74 Cuda that was squished only halfway, then painted the worst colors the 1970s had to offer.
The manufacturers are afraid that they would sell a million of them and their big truck sales would suffer. Remember when they made real, honest, simple, cheap pick ups? They couldn’t keep them on the lot. But the small trucks got big and fat and expensive. Bring back the mini truck.