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The Ford Maverick is proving popular, pulling buyers that typically go for cars rather than bigger trucks.
As the small pickup market gains traction in America with the likes of the Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz, other makers are looking to get into the action. And tantalisingly, it looks like those new entrants could be powered by electricity.
According to a recent report from Bloomberg, General Motors and Nissan are two such companies. GM spokesperson, Stuart Fowle, told the publication that a small ute is one of several electric options mocked up by a team of engineers and designers focused on developing affordable models, though he specified that “at this point it’s simply a design proposal… There are still some steps before anything moves to production consideration.”
Meanwhile, Nissan’s advisory board member Tyler Slade reportedly said an electric version of the brand’s Frontier pickup could become the second battery-powered vehicle to be produced at the brand’s Mississippi plant, alongside the Ariya SUV.
Hyundai has finally revealed its production ute, the Santa Cruz.
This isn’t the first we’re hearing of Nissan’s electric ute either. In 2021, a report from Automotive News claimed Nissan was considering such a truck for the US market back then.
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It didn’t go into detail but going electric would almost certainly give it the torque advantage (as well as obvious fuel consumption wins) and potentially open it up for international export, as EVs are inherently easier to convert from left- to right-hand drive.
Apparently, the audience could be massive within America but also in New Zealand where the lack of electrified or fully electric utes has been brought into light with the Clean Car Discount and Standard both coming into play.
“There are an awful lot of people who are like ‘I want a truck, but I don’t really need a truck, so this little run-around pickup is fine,'” said Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Kevin Tynan. “For a car company, it’s a great little strategy that nobody is really talking about.”
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LDV’s eT60 is, at the time of writing, the only electric ute available in New Zealand.
In New Zealand, there is only one electric ute on the market, LDV’s eT60. Back in 2021, ex-Pime Minister Jacinda Ardern somewhat infamously said that “within the next – we’re hoping the next 12 to 24 months – the likes of Toyota are talking about bringing in EV utes. My hope is then people might delay their purchase in order to start building the market.”
Toyota revealed a concept battery-electric Hilux late last year, but didn’t detail much beyond the Hilux Revo BEV Concept name. Considering a hybrid Hilux is still to be formally revealed, an electric version is still a while away yet.
In reality, electrified utes from the ‘Big Three’ manufacturers won’t be here until around 2025. Kia has been working away at a ute (or two) for some time, while Chinese offerings could beat Toyota, Ford and Mitsubishi to the punch as well.
Damien O’Carroll/Stuff
A smaller Nissan ute could be on the way with electric power.
The only real hurdle is that these small utes are more targeted towards lifestyle buyers – those that want a ute for things like going camping, fishing or hauling bikes out to off-road trails, or want more cargo space than a sedan, and aren’t interested in an SUV.
There are also things like range and price to consider, both of which are unknown variables at this stage. Theoretically, a small electric ute should be relatively affordable with decent range, but as we know, towing can put a dent into electric range and Kiwis love to tow.
But, all that said, current ute drivers that rarely tow, or don’t at all, could be quite happy with a battery-electric option slotting in below the current diesel crop.
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