new Small Pickup coming to the US?

Fiat seems to be testing the waters with their Strada based pickup. I hope they bring it to market here in the US.. if nothing else so I can hear the Ram Fanbois whine

I hope they market it with an available diesel too

Fiat Strada Pickup

RAM Rampage?

Diesel.. I'm listening.

It's an exciting time for small trucks. Nissan is rumoured to be modernizing the Hardbody chassis to serve as the underpinnings for a new small truck: http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com/2014/06/exclusive-nissan-will-forgo-navara-bring-small-affordable-pickup-to-north-america-as-the-next-frontier/

I think I'd give the Fiat rumour more of a chance of being true. I'd love to drive a manual-transmission Il Camine.

Hope so. Maybe it will prod GM and Ford to bring their small trucks over to compete.

Sort of looks a little like a Subaru Baja. Although I liked it, I don't recall that doing exceptionally well.

Hahaha! What an adorable little thing. With the right specs and price I'd have one for a city runabout/dog carrier/etc. Essentially a smaller subaru forester would be fantastic IMO.

I'd be very interested in that Nissan, but you won't be able to give those Fiats away in N.America.

Uhhh....I dont get it.....if you are buying a truck, do you not want more towing and hauling capability then a Dodge Dart??

http://www.autoblog.com/2012/09/20/2013-fiat-strada-first-drive-review/

I really hope it reaches our shores. I like this thing, a lot.

In reply to Fobroader:

Come live in an actual city, and you will understand the existence of the smart car, and the complete lack of desire in owning anything but the most compact of trucks (rangers, etc). Cars are about compromise, you just have to think of them in context for them to make any sense (and even then, some don't make any sense). This one makes a bit of sense to me, but then again I love the subaru baja; just not the enormous price tag that seems to come with it.

That Fiat looks quite a bit like the Vehicross to me.

accordionfolder wrote: In reply to Fobroader: Come live in an actual city, and you will understand the existence of the smart car, and the complete lack of desire in owning anything but the most compact of trucks (rangers, etc). Cars are about compromise, you just have to think of them in context for them to make any sense (and even then, some don't make any sense). This one makes a bit of sense to me, but then again I love the subaru baja; just not the enormous price tag that seems to come with it.

Yeah thats all fine and good, but a "truck", this thing is even as capable as a Ranger, should be able to haul or tow more than a vehicle or otherwise a why bother. Oh....and there is absolutely "0" situations where I would ever own or drive a "Smart" car.

In reply to Fobroader:

As I said, come live in a large city. If you have a smart car you have guranteed parking in San Francisco, on my street alone there are 3 spots that no one can use because even mini's overhang just enough on both ends to block driveways. You'll rarely reach speeds over 30, in rush hour you'll never reach any speed. Gas mileage isn't a factor in the parking lot that is SF's streets (unless you're driving an electric car you're idling more than moving). Factor in street sweeping every 2nd/4th mon/thursday of the month (for my street) and you'll start to see why they make a bit of sense for us city dwellers (and why I see so many of them in SF). Not saying I would own one personally, but they do make good sense.

Also with the 1.3 engine they claim it has a towing capacity of 2200lbs. That's not half bad, especially if they put a bigger lump in it for the US of A.

Obviously, you're welcome to your own opinion, just trying to clarify why it would be interesting to me.

Oh man, to each his own, absolutely.....just from the point of view someone who regularly hauls 2-2500lbs and pulls a 7000lb+ trailer with a truck, this thing seems quite useless to a truck owner like myself and everyone I know who owns one. As for living in a big city....I avoid it

http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2010/10/first-look-all-new-2011-ford-ranger-t6-global-pickup-truck-debuts/comments/page/2/

I've seen a bunch of these in my travels overseas. I like their size, utility, and diesel grunt. Anything bigger wouldn't be able to park at work in Seattle. Full Size trucks have their place, but after watching someone creep a new Ram 3500 diesel around an underground parking lot in Seattle this weekend.. I'm sure their place is not here.

So will they have to deliver these with the beds full of frozen chickens or something? Isn't that stupid import bad still in effect? Or are they going to build in North America?

I generally do not buy new... but I will go look at these if they come to our shores. I am intending on getting a -big- truck for my next boat (8000 pounds displacement0 and it will be an Isuzu boxtruck minus the box so I can use it with a 5th wheel and register it as an RV.

A small truck like this would be perfect for fetching everything I need for the boat and for home. There are times you need more room than the back of a hatchback or the trunk of a car.. but for 99% of what I need to get.. that is all I need

Can I give my FIAT dealer a deposit RIGHT NOW? This is ideal for pulling my 500lb camper. It's getting damned hard to find anything these days with a thrifty engine and a tow rating. Make it $17k with a/c and cruise, and I'm in.

Fobroader wrote: Oh man, to each his own, absolutely.....just from the point of view someone who regularly hauls 2-2500lbs and pulls a 7000lb+ trailer with a truck, this thing seems quite useless to a truck owner like myself and everyone I know who owns one. As for living in a big city....I avoid it

I heard this whole thing about 10 gazillion times over the Ridgeline. I think that Honda would have been better off providing a camper shell on it, and calling it a SUV with a removable rear canopy than calling it a truck. At least that way we wouldn't have to listen to every hairy-chested type whine about how they aren't trucks.

Trucks are defined differently throughout the country and the world. Ausies like their Ranchero/El Camino deals. You get three-wheelers in Southeast Asia. A truck in Montana is about three times more likely to be used for its intended purpose as it would be in Coastal California. Personally I like this class of light pickups because I live in one of those urban areas where a full-sized truck is a pain in the ass, but also transport enough smelly/oily stuff that a SUV doesn't do well. So the big question isn't so much "Do American's need small trucks?" as it is "Will they fail to sell because 80 percent of the time Americans equate truck size to penis size?"

Fobroader wrote: Uhhh....I dont get it.....if you are buying a truck, do you not want more towing and hauling capability then a Dodge Dart??

people who tow and haul a lot - I'm sure they do.

For some city-slicker who wants an efficient car that seats 4, but also a smallish bed to haul a few bags of mulch or a washing machine, and can still parallel-park or fit in an underground garage.....the probably don't care much about towing. But you can't fit a Ficus tree or a dishwasher in the back of a Dart.

IDK, growing up I remember a TON of my neighbors having small pickups like Mazda B100 and similar. They used them for weekend hauling and getting yard stuff or whatever, and they got good mileage IIRC.

Then everyone decided they needed giant 4x4 pickups with 10k towing and crew cabs and huge load ratings.....even though 90% of the people who have those things (work trucks excepted), don't tow jack, don't go off-road, and don't haul anything more than their bikes or a few bags of mulch.

The amount of full-size pickups I see around here that neither have a trailer hitch nor a speck of dirt in the bed always amazes me. They're just trendy bro-mobiles for the most part. We're one of the few countries in the world where people seem to feel the need to have giant pickups. All over Africa, Asia, and South America, those guys live an die in old Toyota Hiluxes, which seem fine for crossing mountains and deserts, carrying anti-aircraft machine guns, hauling a dozen militia guys with RPGs, or lugging around 20 sheep. To do that kind of stuff in America, 'Muricans would probably require an SVT-Raptor version of a F450 Dually.

In europe, most race teams tow their racecars with small vans with less power than a typical US minivan, and they tow all over the place with no issues.

Fobroader wrote: someone who regularly hauls 2-2500lbs and pulls a 7000lb+ trailer

clearly, then, you would not be the target audience for this vehicle, lol....So not sure why you're even worried about what its capabilities are. There is no shortage of big man-trucks to haul and tow stuff on the market. Seems like Ford, GM, and Dodge have about 25 variations each of the "big pickup", and then you could get a Titan or Tundra to boot.

For Fiat to bring over yet another big truck would not help Dodge's market share one bit, nor would it set Fiat/Dodge apart from the competition - which is clearly what they're trying to do. Like I said, I'm not the target market either (I live in the burbs, tow, and have plenty of parking), but I'm always happy to see something sensible and/or different come into existence.

accordionfolder wrote: Also with the 1.3 engine they claim it has a towing capacity of 2200lbs. That's not half bad, especially if they put a bigger lump in it for the US of A.

Unfortunately, overseas tow ratings don't mean much here. Hell, the Honda Civic is rated at 3,000 lb overseas. Between frivolous lawsuits and manufacturers (like their own Ram brand) convincing everybody that they need a crew cab 1/2 ton (or larger) for their extremely light duty needs, I would be surprised if it has a tow rating at all when it gets here and shocked if it's more than 1,000 lb.

That being said, the day somebody does actually bring out a genuinely well engineered and fuel efficient small 'truck' with a decent towing capacity, is the day I actually start to consider buying one...This is on the right track and I'm glad to see somebody considering the bold move of selling such a utilitarian urban runabout here in the states, but appears to probably be the pendulum swinging too far the opposite way for some of the reasons I would still want a truck.

My advise would be to place this truck into existing Fiat dealerships and take on Subaru.
I do wonder how the Fiat dealerships keep it going. There can not be that many sales

If it was able to haul plywood and some 2x4s, got decent gas mileage, and was less than 20 for the cheapo, regular cab one, I'd rock it in a heartbeat.