Pickup trucks are an epitome of American culture. How often have you seen a Hollywood movie with no pickup trucks in it? That’s the level of American these trucks hold.
The pickup trucks have been there for a while, and have been etched in the American culture. But, what about India? The country has rather been a tad picky when it comes to American cars and companies. That’s for sure.
However, when it comes to pickup trucks even the Japanese Isuzu and Toyota didn’t fare well. Moreover, when the indigenous companies like Mahindra and Tata tried their hands in this sphere even they failed miserably.
So, what is it about pickup cars, that fails to impress us Indians? Let’s look into that.
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The ‘Log Kya Kahenge’ Factor
Yes, that’s the biggest concern. We, Indians don’t buy cars because we like them. We buy our cars because it’s better than the neighbours or more expensive than that.
Just imagine the stock of judgemental eyes you are going to get when you drive around in your pickup truck. Your office people are gonna judge you. The neighbours in your locality might even go on to say that you have a ‘rustic choice’ and whatnot.
So, yes a pickup truck takes a backseat in the list of preferred cars while buying one. Eventually, society has a bigger role in helping you buy your next car rather than buying one because you like it.
“Kitna Deti Hai?”
These trucks have a monstrous engine, for obvious reasons. As far as this is a good thing on the performance front, it might not turn to have good mileage. Now, Indians have a thing for mileage, and they should.
Fuel’s essentially expensive here. So, while you own a car you’ve got to ensure it doesn’t drain down your wallet in fuel prices. However, things get a bit suitable for pickup trucks in the USA. Being a major oil producer, it obviously has a large pool of oil resources bringing the final gas price down.
“Itni badi gaadi”
Well, we do have a thing for bigger brawny cars. But, these pickup trucks are rather too large. Manoeuvring through traffic jams and clogged traffic roads can turn out to be a dreadful nightmare with these.
For instance, the latest Ford F150 is essentially a mammoth. It measures 6190 x 2459 x 1923mm (L x W x H) in dimensions. Driving them around through the roads of our country might not be a good idea.
“Value for Money? Err Not Exactly.”
Warranty, low price, and mileage. The trifecta which affects every car buyer’s choice in our country. While the conventional cars from our carmakers might cater to that quite well, the pickup trucks in India don’t.
The cars are too big, are essentially quite expensive and usually don’t have a lot to brag about on the mileage front. For instance, the Ford F150 Raptor retails somewhere between USD 25k to USD 50k. This is around 16 to 32 lakhs. For this price, you might go for a luxury sedan or an XUV500.
Stereotype
Now, we don’t speak for everyone reading this, but most of the people do have an image associated with a vehicle. An Omni or Eeco is basically a delivery van, a big expensive SUV might be associated with someone powerful and influential and so on. Similarly, a pickup truck in India is majorly known as a ‘goods carrier’.
The Culture
There’s nothing wrong in not liking a segment of cars. Our country is not associated with pickup trucks. Simple. What we associate ourselves with are sweet and simple family cars.
The family cars are prioritised in our country and that’s perfectly fine. So, eventually, pickup trucks in India, might not have a good destiny.
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Conclusion | Pickup Trucks India
Pickup trucks are amazing. They do tick most of the boxes. The pickup trucks essentially started as a goods delivery vehicle in the 1910s by Ford.
Since then they have come a long way and for the good. So much so, that USA’s top-selling vehicle is a pickup truck. High-income countries like USA, Australia and New Zealand have developed a special liking for the pickup trucks. A pickup truck seems invincible and hard to defeat when driven around.
When Top Gear took the Toyota Hilux to the North Pole, it came back all hale and hearty. But, when it comes to India, these monsters have decided to stay away.
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What about the cost they are way expensive than other mpvs and suvs
Hi Vishak,
The Pick-up trucks come equipped with a plethora of equipment that increases the cost of the vehicle. Features such as 4WD are not common to the MPVs or the normal SUVs. Stay tuned!