Utes a merging

Cashing in on the demand for pickups, Ford's 'trucklett' will replace the unpopular car shapes. 

DOUBLE-cab bakkies are taking over the world. The movement started with Ford’s F-series bakkies, which has been the best selling vehicles in the U.S. for decades and continue to grow not just in terms of sales, but size too.
 Size, in fact, is why most people want a double-cab. Never you mind that load-beds are now so high you need a ladder to access them, or that a loaded trailer will limit the legal payload to about 300 kg — bigger is just better and buyers cannot get enough.
Such is the demand that Ford has leaked plans for a whole new category of bakkie — the trucklet.
Smaller than the ginormous bakkies Americans drive, trucklets will be built in place of the Fiesta and
Focus cars.
Meanwhile, 2019’s leading car seller, Volkswagen, has signed an agreement with Ford to share costs on developing the next generation of bakkies  and vans. Both brands predict that demand for bakkies and vans will continue to rise through 2025.

The Tarok concept tested in Brazil could be the next Amarok, to be build at Ford's plant in Silverton, South Africa. 

Lower development costs

The world’s oldest car maker, Mercedes-Benz. have already gone down this path with the X-Class bakkie that was based on the Nissan Navara in 2016.
Unlike the successful Mercedes-Benz Musso deal with Korean automaker SsangYong in the early noughties, the Merc-Nissan experiment did not pan out and punters blame the premium price that Merc wanted for the their luxury Nissan.
If the wording from official statements are any indication,  it looks Ford and VW will not repeat Merc’s mistake. Instead, their aim is to keep costs low to build bakkies that they can sell to more people.
The best news for South Africa is that this means the 2022 Amarok will built at Ford’s plant on Alwyn Rd in Silverton, Tshwane.
Ironically, Ford effectively saved a competitor with this agreement. In the official statement announcing the collaboration at last year’s Detroit Auto Show, Ford said it aims “to satisfy customer demand” and “boost competitiveness in an era of rapid change”.
Thomas Sedran, who chairs VW’s board of commercial vehicles said, “Ultimately it is our customers who will benefit, as without the co-operation we would not have developed a new Amarok.”
More recently, Volkswagen Group CEO Dr Herbert Diess said, “This collaboration will efficiently drive down development costs, allowing broader global distribution of electric and commercial vehicles, and enhance the positions of both companies.”
Ford has already announced it will start selling an all-electric Ford Transit cargo van next year.  VW has not announced any electrifying plans for its commercial vehicles yet,  but it has systems in place to quickly convert drivetrains to evees when the time comes.

Mazda's 2020 year-model BT-50 uses Isuzu's D-Max underpinnings and engine.

Mazda’s ‘sultry-looking’ bakkie

Mazda formally revealed the BT-50 today in a live stream from Australia after earlier confirming the new Mazda double cab will share underpinnings of the new Isuzu D-Max.
The previous generation BT-50 was a badge-engineered Ranger that proved popular with drivers who did their homework and consequently paid less for their Ford.
With Ford now in bed with VW, Mazda had to find a new badge partner and who better than the fellow small Japanese company that specialises in commercial vehicles — Isuzu?
Fully redesigned for the first time in nine years, the new BT-50 has the same lines as the popular Mazda CX-9 crossover. Mazda’s described the design as "sultry-looking", which should appeal to all the suits in utes Down Under.
When the BT-50 arrives  in Mzansi, our drivers will like that the smooth looker has Isuzu’s three-litre turbo diesel engine under the hood, making 140 kW and a respectable 450 Nm.

Navara may get Triton bits

Not to be left out of all this badge engineering, Mitsubishi, which is part of the shaky Nissan-Renault Alliance, could supply “engineering assets” for the next Nissan Navara, which will be built at Nissan's plant in Rosslyn.
The plant currently builds South Africa’s only half-ton bakkie, the NP200, as well as the larger NP300 one-ton workhorse.
Nissan has already invested R3 billion to tool up the Rosslyn plant to build 30 000 Navaras a year. But staff there expect this number may go higher to take up the shortfall when Nissan closes its plant in Spain as part of plan to cut almost R50 billion in costs worldwide. Like the Amarok-Ford collaboration, more bakkies being build in South Africa is all good news for the local economy.
Previous Nissan director Mike Whitfield said the R3-billion investment will add some 400 new jobs and 800 jobs in the larger value chain that will supply up to 48% local parts content.

The Triton Extreme in 'Safrika' goes as good as it looks.

Fully-kitted Triton 

Amid all this badge engineering development,  Mitsubishi South Africa has introduced a fully-kitted version that’s it said is “aimed at owners who want something extreme”.
Mitsubishi South Africa said the Triton Xtreme’s upgrades would cost some R100 000 as aftermarket add-ons, but the are asking “just R40 000” over the standard Triton.
As is Mitsubishi’s wont, the upgrade is not just cosmetic. The 4x4 capabilities now features a 28-degree approach angle, 23-degree departure angle and 25-degree break-over angle despite a Bosal tow bar at the rear.
The cabin gains Android Auto/Apple CarPlay and the tailgate gets ‘Ezydown’ hydraulic dampers. The load box is also rubberised and comes with a tonneau cover.
Under the hood, the 2.4-litre MIVEC turbo diesel engine is unchanged, making 133 kW and 430 Nm.
The Triton Xtreme Double Cab 4WD Auto sells for R639 995

The author with the only pickup he deems fit for work. 

For may part, I still deem a used Mistubishi pickup, launched in 1986, as the only real workhorse out there. It easily carries 1,5 tons on its short 1,68 metre body, has an all-but indestructible 2,5 diesel that made only about a third of above engine's power (a puny 51 kW and 146 Nm) but also drinks a lot less diesel. Parts are cheap and the old vehicle has zero appeal for hi-jackers in crime-ridden South Africa. By comparison, the huge pickups above serve the same function as codpieces did when men wore high heels, silk stockings and wigs.