$9000.00 GM Pickup

Was reading in Apple news this morning that GM has built and produced a $9000.00 pickup that can turn into a flatbed by folding down the sides.
They even showed a pic.
Problem is that it is not available in the states. It is made for overseas sale.
I wish I had a pic of it to show.
Just imagine how many of these things they could sell in the states.

 

https://www.thedrive.com/news/39893...own-bed-sides-thatll-never-make-it-to-america

 

Thank you sir..
This should be looked at carefully by any and all auto manufactures as a hot item to introduce here.
It could fill a niche market real nicely and the carbon footprint to a small turbo motor would be welcomed by many.

 

I agree that it could be super useful to have in so many delivery, construction support, landscape, pool maintenance etc. applications.
The problem, as evident from the 2022 Tundra discussions, and others, is that Americans believe that you have to have a V8 4x4 full size, otherwise it is not a truck and you are an idiot for driving it.
These small trucks work for the rest of the world, and we have to get over our bigger is better mentality and fill those gaps with trucks that make sense for the task.
Leave the full size V8's for those who need them, or can afford to just want to have them.

 

Toyota used to sell these Stallion trucks in South Africa. Ugly, but cheap reliable work horses for many industries where they would have had to buy "regular" trucks for twice the price if these were not available.

 

There must be a market for smaller if Ford is doing this:

 

Perfect truck to haul my drones for recreational fun!

 

I love big trucks, but lets be realistic, 90% of pickups in so cal at least rarely haul something a minivan couldnt

 

Here's the Chinese toy electric truck you'll get to buy in the US for the same price soon...looks more like a golf cart than a pickup.

https://www.core77.com/posts/83826/Chinas-9000-Electric-Pickup-Truck-is-Coming-to-the-US

https://youtu.be/xE4wrJeQYGw

$9,000 here doesn't really buy you much today at all. Last car I remember seeing that went for $10K was a Plymouth Neon back in 95.

 

If there was a market for them, they would have them. We don't even have compact trucks here anymore because they weren't selling well. There is a reason why all the compact trucks are no midsize trucks. That's what people want. There would be a small niche market for them, but no enough to bother with the R and D and developing the safety features etc that would be needed. American's just don't want small trucks anymore. Hell people are even getting rid of their half tons and getting 3/4 tons just because they want bigger.

 

Let's see... A GM truck that stickers for $9,000 should actually sell for closer to $7,500 after discounts, rebates, and incentives. Maybe even $6,500 if you happen to buy during "Truck Month".

 

Add in the safety features and emission requirements and now it's a $15,000 truck selling in the U.S.

 

When I was in Turkey, that's pretty much what their pick up trucks work trucks look like. The side walls can be opened. But they also have the nice pick up trucks like we have here. Companies like Alumbody can make these beds.

 

My point exactly.
There is a reason why it works in the rest of the world and not in the USA. WANT. It's our culture to get what we want.
We are spoiled and get what we want. The rest of the world make do with what they need. I am not saying it is wrong; I am just saying we don't need full size trucks. I certainly don't need mine for what I do; I could do just about everything I do with my Tundra with a small or midsize truck, but I chose to buy a Tundra because I could, and because all my co-workers drive full-size trucks, even though they don't need them either.

It is a culture thing, not a need thing.
There is a market for them, but we don't want that market to exist.

 

Truck sales in this country are excellent. GM would never bring out something that would dent into sales of something in that vain of autos.
It would sell here something fierce.
Would be a great hauler for any garage band's stuff, motorcycles, I could think of a million reasons.
Someone should ask GM why not here.

 

Just a friendly reminder that a Dodge Grand Caravan, Honda Odyssey and Kia Sedona has more payload than the average Tundra Crewmax.

 

Many of these smaller trucks mentioned here are primarily used in very populated high density countries. AKA Japan, Philippines, and India for example. The only large trucks are commercial and the occasional rare fullsize import. No parking to be had, narrow roads, cost factors such as affordability. Inadequate safety standards equals less production cost. Has nothing to do with being spoiled. Pure nonsense.

 

It has everything to do with being spoiled. I have lived 27 of my 50 years in other countries. We are spoiled in this wonderful USA.
We can get what we want. Most other countries have to use what they can get. That's the very definition of spoiled.