Research indicates that purchasers are receptive to hybrid or electric pickup trucks, particularly if they feature a Nissan logo.
- The market research company AutoPacific indicates that approximately one-third of the respondents who purchased Nissan trucks expressed interest in considering a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) pickup truck from the same brand.
- This week, Nissan presented a PHEV variant of the Frontier Pro pickup truck at the Shanghai Auto Show.
- Nissan has stated that the Frontier Pro PHEV will not be available in the United States.
Many manufacturers are focusing their efforts on producing fully electric, large, high-end pickup trucks. Just the previous week,
Volkswagen
dashed the hopes of every cheap EV hatchback enthusiast to pieces when it announced it
wouldn’t be bringing the ID.1 or ID.2 to the US,
And instead, it would concentrate on developing another electric pickup truck for the U.S. market.
However, with the launch of the new
Nissan Frontier
At the Shanghai Auto Show this week, along with the buzz surrounding it, made me ponder over what automakers are getting wrong.
I don’t know what sales charts they’re looking at or the crystal ball they’ve been consulting, but it’s becoming clearer that big electric pickup trucks might not be the move, no matter how good they are. The
The Cybertruck is stranded at dealer lots.
With motivations to kickstart production, Ford has experienced periods where manufacturing of the F-150 Lightning at its Dearborn, Michigan facility was paused. No point in asking about the
The Silverado EV has relatively poor resale value.
Even though several large electric pickup trucks have underperformed in terms of sales, research conducted by AutoPacific indicates that many consumers remain interested in vehicles that combine electrified powertrains with cargo space. However, this demand isn’t primarily for full-sized trucks.
When our team at AutoPacific researched potential buyers of mid-size pickup trucks, we discovered that 23% expressed an interest in Plug-In Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEVs), which contrasts significantly with only 14% showing preference for purely electric vehicles,” noted Robby DeGraff, who manages product and consumer insights at AutoPacific. A comparable trend was observed among purchasers of full-sized pickups, where there is greater enthusiasm for plug-in hybrids over fully electric options.
Moreover, DeGraff pointed out that the interest in a PHEV pickup truck rises to almost one-third of potential purchasers when Nissan, considered separately from the overall pool of truck buyers, is factored into the equation.
It’s truly regrettable that Nissan remains steadfast in its position of having no intentions to introduce the PHEV pickup to North America. Despite the fact that the Chinese Frontier Pro PHEV might achieve an estimated 84 miles of electric range under the WLTP testing standards, which may fall short when measured against the stricter U.S. EPA test cycles, this figure should still suffice for numerous potential customers seeking extended periods of engine-free operation with their pickups. Should Nissan seek insights into how a plug-in hybrid-electric vehicle (PHEV) pickup might fare within the North American market, they can simply observe markets like those found in Mexico or Australia, where such vehicles have already been introduced.
The BYD Shark is beginning.
To achieve progress. Maybe this time, an established automotive company might outpace a Chinese electric vehicle manufacturer, particularly in the U.S. market.
Actually, the desire for a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) mid-sized pickup appears to be closely correlated.
The unveiling of the Slate pickup truck.
Indeed, with its 150-mile range and single motor configuration, it probably won’t excel at towing or hauling over long distances. However, this isn’t the whole narrative. The pricing and practicality of the Slate pickup truck, or even an imagined mid-size plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) truck, render these options much more appealing compared to their larger counterparts for numerous buyers. Many simply cannot justify the almost six-figure prices associated with full-size trucks.
vehicles such as the Rivian R1T
or
Tesla Cybertruck.
Slate Auto EV Truck
If Slate and Nissan achieve success with their relatively compact electric pickups, this might encourage other car manufacturers to shift focus away from oversized electric vehicles and instead put resources into developing smaller and less expensive models.
Contact the author:
Kevin.Williams@InsideEVs.com
Related Articles
- Creating a plug-in hybrid vehicle is much more challenging than you might imagine.
- The 2025 Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV Lacks This Crucial Upgrade
- Nissan’s Upcoming Hybrids Will Be EREVs Instead
- Ford Executive: We Require EREVs as Americans Have a Strong Affinity for Large Pickup Trucks
