Chinese Brands Shake Up UK Pick-Up Trucks
Chinese brands are eyeing the UK’s pick-up truck scene, ready to stir things up. They’re bringing electric and hybrid trucks to meet strict new emission rules. Pick-up sales in the UK stayed strong this year, climbing 10% to 20,902 in the first half, even though other commercial vehicles tanked. Ford Ranger led the pack, snagging third place among all light commercial vehicles, says the SMMT. The Toyota Hilux trailed behind in seventh.
Tax rule changes in April, which treat double-cab pick-ups like cars instead of work vehicles, pushed some buyers to act fast. Those changes could triple company car taxes, and May sales dropped 13% because of it. By June, though, things bounced back, with sales only dipping 0.8%. On the surface, it’s business as usual, with Ford, Toyota, Volkswagen, and Isuzu grabbing buyers left behind by the discontinued Mitsubishi L200 and Nissan Navara.
But the ZEV mandate, demanding 16% electric sales this year and 24% by 2026, is flipping the script. Chinese brands, with their electric vehicle expertise, see an opening in a market long dominated by Ford and Japanese makers. Electric and hybrid pick-up sales are crawling in Europe—only 478 sold in the first four months, per JATO. Still, 61% of those were Chinese.
Right now, the Maxus e-Terron from SAIC (MG’s owner) is the only electric pick-up in the UK. It’s got two motors, a 102kWh battery, and a 250-mile range, starting at £53,000 before VAT. It’s loaded with features, like powering tools on-site, but it misses the one-tonne payload needed for businesses to reclaim VAT. More are coming, though.
Great Wall Motor is teasing its Cannon pick-up for the UK, starting with a cheap diesel but showing off a plug-in hybrid Cannon Alpha. Foton, a Chinese commercial vehicle pro, sells a mild-hybrid Tunland in Europe.
Bigger markets already feel the Chinese wave. In Australia, BYD’s Shark plug-in hybrid jumped to fifth in June, behind Ranger, Hilux, and Isuzu D-Max but ahead of Mitsubishi Triton.
At the Shanghai motor show, Chery launched its Himla pick-up brand, calling the global market’s 5.67 million sales in 2024 a “golden era” set to hit 6.3 million by 2030, per IHS data. Geely’s Radar hybrid and JAC’s T9 Hunter plug-in hybrid, with 524hp and a 62-mile electric range, also debuted.
Big players are reacting. Ford’s CEO, Jim Farley, knows Chinese brands are pushing into markets where Ranger rules. He’s talking “capital-efficient” moves, likely expanding Ford’s Chinese partnerships with JMC.
Nissan’s already tapping its Chinese ties, launching the Frontier Sport with Dongfeng. It’ll be built in Spain through a deal with Santana Motors, marking Nissan’s return to pick-up production there after stopping Navara in 2021.
Renault’s out of the one-tonne game after the Alaskan, focusing on smaller pick-ups in South America using car platforms. Mitsubishi, with its Thailand factory, isn’t likely to bring back the L200 in Europe. Regulations demand electrified powertrains, but Mitsubishi’s other markets don’t, so it’s not worth building one just for Europe, says their Europe boss, Frank Krol.
Others aren’t slowing down. Ford’s got a 2.3-litre plug-in hybrid for Ranger and VW Amarok. Isuzu just dropped an electric D-Max, but its 163-mile range, 50kW charging, and £60,995 price (versus £36,755 for diesel) limit its appeal. Still, it hits the one-tonne payload for UK tax breaks.
Source and Image: AutoCar UK