Cars - Pickup truck

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	Cars - Pickup truck

A pickup truck (aka 'pick-up') is a light truck with an open-top rear cargo area. It generally refers to a truck with a rating smaller than 1-ton rating (at least in the US).

In North America, a pickup is small or medium sized truck, not based on a passenger car, but of similar size. This light commercial vehicle features a separate cabin and rear load area (separate cargo bed). Two North American vehicles, the Chevrolet El Camino and Ford Ranchero were passenger car-based vehicles with integrated cargo bed, but were not generally referred to as pickup trucks (see Coupe Utility below).

The basic modern design of the pickup truck first appeared in Geelong, Australia in 1934. Many pickups have short rigid sides and an opening rear gate, while others have a flat tray back. These vehicles are known in Australia and New Zealand as a ute or utility (from "utility vehicle"), in South Africa as a bakkie (pronounced "bucky"), and in Israel as a tender. Panel vans, a kind of van, popular in Australia during the 1970s, were based on a ute chassis.

The design details of such vehicles vary significantly, and different nationalities seem to specialise in different style and size of vehicles. For instance, North American pickups come in full-size
(large, heavy vehicles often with V8 or six-cylinder engines), mid-size, and compact
(smaller trucks generally equipped with inline 4 engines).

Types of pickups

Compact pickups

The compact pickup (or simply pickup, without qualifier) is the most widespread form of pickup truck worldwide. It is built like a mini version of a two-axle heavy truck, with a frame providing structure, a conventional cab, a leaf spring suspension on the rear wheels and a small I4 or V6 engine, generally using gasoline.

Until recently, compact trucks were very popular in North America, though mid-size trucks are now dominating the market. Compact trucks sold in the US market in 2006 include:

In Europe, compact pickups dominate the pickup market, although they are popular mostly in rural areas. Only Japanese makes such as Toyota (Hi-Lux), Mitsubishi (L200) and Nissan (Navara) have typically built models for this segment, with few entries by European manufacturers, the most notable of which is perhaps the Peugeot 504 Pick-Up, which continued to be sold in Mediterranean Europe and Africa long after the original 504 ceased production. Opel, Ford and VW have occasionally sold rebadged versions of Japanese products, built by Isuzu, Mazda and Toyota, respectively. Eastern European manufacturers such as ARO or UAZ have served their home markets faithfully for decades, but are now disappearing. The near-majority of compact pickups sold in Europe use Diesel engines.

North American full-size pickups

A full-size pickup is a large truck suitable for hauling heavy loads and performing other functions. Most full-size trucks can carry at least 1,000 lb (450 kg) in the rear bed, with some capable of twice that much. Most are front-engine and rear-wheel drive with four-wheel drive optional, and most use a live axle with leaf springs in the rear. They are commonly found with V8, V10, or Diesel engines. The largest full-size pickups feature doubled rear tires (two on each side on one axle). These are colloquially referred to as "duallys" (dool-eez), or dual-wheeled pickup trucks, and are often equipped with a fifth wheel for towing heavy trailers.

Full-size trucks are often used in North America for general passenger use, usually those with 1/2 ton ratings. For a number of years, the 1/2 ton full-size Ford F150 was the best-selling vehicle in the United States, outselling all other trucks and all passenger car models.

Until recently, only the "Big Three" American automakers (Ford, GM and Chrysler) built full-size pickups. Toyota introduced the T100 full-size pickup truck in 1993, but sales were poor due to high prices and a lack of a V8 engine. However, the introduction of the Toyota Tundra and Nissan Titan marked the proper entry of Japanese makers in the market. Both of these trucks are assembled in North America.

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Cars - Pickup truck

Types of pickups

Compact pickups

North American full-size pickups

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