I’ve often asked myself why we have SUVs, compact SUVs, MPVs and crossovers but don’t have a big enough market for lifestyle pickup trucks in India. A good classy pickup truck would find a lot of takers here for sure, yet we don’t see this segment gaining any traction in the market except for the Mahindra Scorpio Getaway and the Tata Xenon, which have achieved limited numbers.
Now, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that manufacturers play a volume game. If there is demand, then the products will appear.
Look at the sub-four metre car/SUV category – it’s booming and automobile manufacturers are working out their strategies for an offering in this segment. I understand that lifestyle pickup trucks come across as a niche segment and maybe that is why manufacturers have shied away. However, there is another lesson to be learnt and this one comes from an American two wheeler manufacturer.
Prior to Harley-Davidson setting up shop in India, all the two wheeler manufacturers were often found stating that the ‘big bike’ segment in India is too small to consider. Harley proved them wrong and today you have just about every big bike available in the country. Sometimes it’s about creating the ‘want’.
As a country, India is an ideal market for lifestyle pickup trucks. We have the terrain, the need and a large enough population that would opt for such a product. Yet we have never been given a big enough choice except for the Mahindra Getaway and the Tata Xenon.
I really don’t know why those didn’t find more takers – it could be that they came across as too utilitarian or just too cumbersome to own. However, of late I got to take a quick spin in the Isuzu D-Max (which incidentally is only sold as a commercial vehicle) and it was a revelation. The D-Max drives like a sedan! It’s easy to maneuver, fun to drive and offers a ride quality that most SUVs would envy.
The D-Max with a twin cab would make for the ideal vehicle that I am talking about here and I’ll tell you why. India is constantly referred to as ‘SUV country’. Our love for big vehicles with go-anywhere capability has spawned a number of sub-segments including front-wheel-drive SUVs that can’t really leave the tarmac. Such is our love for these big vehicles that a lifestyle pickup truck would actually be a logical extension to this line of thought.
Look at the Toyota Hilux, Mitsubishi Triton, Ford Ranger, Chevrolet Silverado, Volkswagen Amarok and Isuzu D-Max – all of them are strikingly good looking machines that would be at home in the city or out in the country.
They make for great adventure vehicles, and in many ways are more practical than just a big SUV thanks to the load bed. Such pickup trucks would essentially cater to both urban and rural demand which is a winning combination to have from a single product.
So the big question is why haven’t manufacturers jumped on this bandwagon yet? Government regulation might be one element, however as long as it offers five seats, it should comply.
The only other reason that I can think of is that no one has bothered trying to make an honest attempt at establishing this category. Isuzu has the potential to do so, but just about every manufacturer present in the country could effectively bring in a pickup truck from their global portfolio.
It is a segment that’s there for the taking. The first mover could hit a home run and cash in big. Hopefully, someone is listening.
(Vikram Gour is one of India’s renowned automotive journalists and the Co-Founder of MotorScribes. He can be reached on Twitter: @VikramGour)
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