The double-cab pick-up market is heading for a shake-up as new Chinese entrants seek to capitalise on tougher emission standards with electrified versions.
The UK market for pick-up trucks has been surprisingly resilient this year, with sales up 10% in the first six months to 20,902 despite an overall slump in light commercial vehicle sales.
Demand was led by the Ford Ranger, which was the UK’s third best-selling LCV overall, according to figures from automotive lobby group the SMMT. The Toyota Hilux was the next best-selling pick-up in seventh place overall.
Some of that increase was driven by buyers wanting to jump ahead of changes in company car tax rules from April that recategorised double-cab pick-ups as private cars to better reflect their role as an SUV substitute for some buyers.
That change would increase company car tax by as much as three times, and the 13% sales drop in May suggested the change had seriously dented the market. By June, however, demand was almost back on course, with sales only down 0.8% according to the SMMT.
Outwardly, then, the market looks normal, with Ford, Toyota and, further back, Volkswagen and Isuzu picking up customers of the now discontinued Mitsubishi L200 and Nissan Navara.
But the ZEV mandate for LCVs, which stipulates that 16% of sales this year and 24% in 2026 should be electric, is forcing a rethink of drivetrains and allowing the Chinese, with superior electric knowhow, a sniff of a market that has for years has been owned by Ford and the Japanese.
Sales of electric or plug-in hybrid pick-ups have been slow across Europe, with just 478 registered in the first four months according to figures from market research firm JATO. Of those sales, however, 61% were Chinese.
In the UK the only contender so far is the electric Maxus e-Terron from MG-owner SAIC. The twin-motor pick-up costs from £53,000 excluding vat and has a claimed 250-mile range from its 102kWh battery.
As with most Chinese electric entrants, the e-Terron is well equipped and includes the ability to power electric tools on site. But crucially it lacks the all-important one-tonne payload required for businesses to be able to reclaim the VAT after purchase.
Others are coming. Great Wall Motor (GWM) has hinted that it is preparing its Cannon pick-up for a UK launch. The initial offering would be a budget diesel model, but the company showed off the Cannon Alpha plug-in hybrid earlier this year.
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