American pickup trucks target the Chinese market, with wealthy customers as their target users

According to foreign media reports, Ford and General Motors are targeting wealthy Chinese users and aiming to sell pickup trucks to them. Pickup trucks, which are regarded as a symbol of the United States, are generally only associated with farmers or construction workers in China.

Most cities in my country only allow pickup trucks to be on the road at night, but this year Yunnan, Liaoning, Hebei and Henan have carried out trial projects to allow pickup trucks to enter urban areas to promote the increase of pickup truck production. Currently, local manufacturers producing pickup trucks include Great Wall Motors, Jiangling Motors, etc.

As restrictions on pickup trucks become more relaxed, American pickup truck manufacturers plan to distance their products from my country's localized trucks to attract high-end Chinese users. At the Guangzhou Auto Show, Ford and GM displayed the Chevrolet Colorado and Silverado respectively, but did not announce specific prices, hoping to launch them in China next year.

In April this year, Ford said it would introduce a high-performance version of the F series to China. A Ford spokesman said Ford is currently considering whether to introduce a popular model to China, such as the F-150 or Ranger pickup truck. Wesley Liu, Ford's Asia-Pacific sales director, said that users who buy pickup trucks may already own other luxury models. Wesley also pointed out that there are four main target users for pickup trucks: wealthy people who want to stand out, businessmen who are not satisfied with traditional commercial vehicles, ordinary drivers who need multi-functional vehicles, and mechanical enthusiasts who simply like cars.

Although the Chinese government has provided large subsidies for new energy and clean vehicle technologies, wealthy Chinese users seem to prefer large cars and SUVs. Due to the fierce competition in the SUV market, many automakers are facing profit pressure, but they believe that high-end imported pickups will have great potential.

Currently, pickup trucks make up only a small portion of China's auto market. IHS Markit expects pickup truck sales in China to rise 14% to 368,791 units this year, but that would only account for 1.4% of China's light vehicle sales. By comparison, pickup truck sales in the United States are expected to reach 2.7 million units, accounting for 15% of light vehicle sales.

An official from Hebei pickup truck pilot project said that Hebei, home to Great Wall Motors and other automakers, produces more than half of the country's pickup trucks. So far, the pickup truck pilot project has not increased production, but its impact will not be assessed until the project is in operation for a year (May next year). The official said that the central government will take more measures to increase production, and it is very likely that pickup trucks will be classified as passenger vehicles rather than commercial vehicles. "The Chinese pickup truck market has great potential."

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, which is currently in charge of the trial project, did not make any comment.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.