Mitsubishi ready to plug-in to light duty trucks
A Mitsubishi pickup truck concept.
Can it keep on trucking to America?
The importance of the light duty truck segment in America simply cannot be underestimated. It accounts for 50+ percent of all vehicle sales, and a significantly higher percentage of Big 3 profits. Unfortunately, most attempts at more fuel efficient pickup trucks and SUVs, such as compact pickups or dual mode hybrids, have failed.
Nevertheless, in 2012 Mitsubishi is ready to give an electric pickup truck a try.
Unfortunately, Mitsubishi’s new electric pickup seems hardly American.
For instance, the new electric pickup will be cheaper than the Mitsubishi i electric car. Considering how fragile the i comes across, Mitsubishi’s new plug-in pickup will have to be very small, very light, and not very powerful. Thus, I’m envisioning more of an electric golf cart-like truck rather than a real world pickup truck.
Still, Mitsubishi is aiming the truck at farmers and contractors, but I’m betting that’s Japanese farmers and contractors.
Nevertheless, if you want to change what America drives, it really starts with pickup trucks. Therefore, it’ll be interesting to see what Mitsubishi has to offer for this segment.
Source: Automotive News
I think they are on to something here. It’s go to to have at least a 40 mile radius and feel at least like 130hp.
Keep the purchase cost down, offer a decent powertrain warranty and take the fear out of replacing or upgrading the battery in the future.
Bring it.
re: small pickups. well..yes.. but that picture that Dach put up is not going to cut it… for most folks who buy pickups.
you are correct, in urban areas.. the trucks often have virginal beds… but I still don’t think your average truck buyer is going to have anything to do with the thing that Dach showed.
and no matter what the urban weenies do…the guys outside the urban areas are not going to touch a “truck” that looks like that – with a 110 ft pole…
here’s the deal – the vast, vast majority of pickup trucks in the US (I believe) exist is the suburbs and rural areas and while you’ll see them in urban areas.. there do not “rule” i the urban areas.
and if you want to sell the folks outside of the urban areas – pickup trucks – my humble view is ..it won’t be what’s in that picture.
I mean..heckfire… of all the players..you would think that Toyota would have the very best chance to help change truck preferences… just look at their FJ Cruiser..(terrible fuel mileage though)…..
but what does Toyota produce in the way of pickups?
answer: very much in the mold of US style pickups… and even though Toyota is perceived to be the King of Hybrids… nary a hybrid pickup.. American style or that abomination shown in the photo…
Larry,
I think Chris Paine should make two more documentaries called:
“Who killed the small pickup truck?”
and
“Revenge of the small pickup truck”
Here’s why….
Americas big cities are filled with urbanites and suburbanites driving super-sized trucks that are much bigger, and have much more horsepower than they need.
I would say in the big city, 75% of truck owners don’t actually need a REAL TRUCK. Small pickups will meet their 99% of their needs.
1. Who killed the small pickup??????
Sustained low gas prices lowered the demand for small pickups. Lower profit margins & no fuel economy standards on trucks eliminated automakers desire to build small pickups. As a result, small pickups simply faded away.
2. How will the small pickup get its revenge?????
The pattern of higher gas prices will continue. In time, demand will return for smaller pickups, just as the demand for 4 cyl engines has increased in the past 2 years.
Americans will wake up and end their love affair with super-sized pickups.
Automakers, and consumers are already migrating from full-size SUV’s to smaller crossover SUV’s. The same will happen in the truck market. Consumers will get tired of paying all that gas money for that 1% of their needs that small pickups won’t be able to meet.
Combine, high gas prices and new fuel economy standards for trucks and you have a formula for a small pickup comeback.
now I remember… the Subaru Brat…..
” The Subaru BRAT (an acronym for Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter) was the coupe utility version of the Subaru Leone from the 1970s. The BRAT was developed directly from the company’s four-wheel drive station wagon model and was first introduced as a 1978 model—following the concept of the Chevrolet El Camino and the Ford Ranchero,”
pickups where I live have beat up beds from firewood and trash cans…carry bulk mulch and bluestone…. then on weekends campers or ATV or dirt bike trailers…
they’d love to have a truck that operates at a hybrid when empty but they want a REAL truck when they got real truck loads to carry
you’d think that pickups would be ideal for hybridization because 90% of the time they are not carrying loads.. but the one in the picture is not going to win over regular truck owners…
Dach.. that’s not a pickup. At best, it’s a FAUX pickup and the only people who will buy them are urban weenies…. who will use them to carry their organic kumquats….
Even Toyota knows better than to produce that kind of pickup for the US Market.
I’m trying to remember what it reminds me of that used to look similar and had two bucket seats in the bed…facing back…I think…