Spied: Chinese Midsize With a Small Cummins
It's no secret that the non-full-size pickup truck segment is building steam. The 2016 Toyota Tacoma goes on sale next month, both midsize GM players (the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon) will sell more than 100,000 vehicles by year's end, Hyundai just gave the green light to a new type of lifestyle midsize player, and some believe there's a huge hole in the entry-level marketplace — underneath the main players — for a less expensive pickup.
Whether that new truck comes from one of the U.S. truckmakers or a Chinese, Indian or South Korean manufacturer, we'll have to wait and see. Our Death Valley, Calif., spy shooters are seeing some pretty interesting vehicles with familiar engine badges running around the lowest place in the U.S. during the heat of the summer. This particular automaker is known for its commercial vehicles, but it also sells a version in Australia with good success at a relatively low starting price. Here's what our shooters told us.
"The desert heat brought us something unique last week, with the appearance of the Foton Terracota testing in Death Valley.
"The Foton Terracota — it's also known as the Tunland in the Australian and South African markets — is built in China for export to several global markets. This Foton pickup is powered by a 2.8-liter Cummins turbo-diesel, which has a massive badge proudly displayed on the truck's front fender.
"Spotting foreign trucks testing on U.S. soil always raises the question as to whether the truck is being considered for the North American market, so we're left to ponder that thought once again. Mahindra tried to set up a deal to tackle the U.S. market with its odd-looking trucks, but that deal went down in flames, and Mahindra is still dealing with the litigation fallout. So, is there room for another upstart to take a shot at U.S. showrooms, especially one that can tout a stout Cummins powerplant? It would likely all come down to price, but just how much could something like the Foton undercut the competition?
"The Foton definitely looks a bit rough, but not nearly as offbeat as the Mahindra, and could serve those looking for affordable function in the face of more appointed, but pricier competitors like the Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon or the latest Tacoma.
"The Foton test truck photographed here was part of a small test parade, with one additional pickup and some larger commercial trucks rounding out the gathering. Both pickups were U.S.-spec left-hand-drive configurations (right-hand-drive Fotons are offered in Australia and South Africa); however, the gauge packages, it must be noted, were still set up in kilometers per hour.
"If we had to guess, it's likely that the Foton pickups were simply being tested by Cummins engineers, to finetune the software on the 2.8-liter diesel engines, with no implications for the American truck market. Still, with midsize trucks getting new attention from automakers and buyers alike — and with Chinese automakers still looking for some point of entry into North American showrooms — seeing something like the Fotons on U.S. soil caught our attention."
KGP Photography images
