Pickup trucks...imported..

[ironglow]

.
   Some are interesting, others weird..at least to our thinking..  First, the DKW Schnellaster..Schnellaster translates roughly to "rapid transit"..

  Next, the very versatile VW pickup..they were just starting to be sold here, when there erupted a "chicken war" tariff, ending up with a 25% tariff on any trucks from Europe, so they quit exporting...  Otherwise I may have had one myself.  Underpowered, yes..but it was very versatile and well built.

[Bob Riebe]

The W115-Based “La Pickup” Was a Mercedes-Benz El Camino



Mercedes-Benz once built a pickup version of its indestructible W115-body mid-size sedan, and it was offered with a single or double cab. The pickup was assembled in Argentina between 1972 and 1976, at a time when it was forbidden to import cars and trucks into the country. But it was possible to assemble them locally in the form of CKD (completely knocked down) production, with imported mechanical and body parts. The truck was made at Daimler’s González Catán production site, a plant that’s currently gearing up for production of the Sprinter.
Affecionately called La Pickup in Argentina, this W115 is powered by the sturdy OM615 2.2-liter diesel engine, rated at a modest 60 horsepower. It was mated to a four-speed automatic transmission.

This is old enough you could import one; now put a SOHC Mercedes V-8 in there and you would a German El Camino.

[ironglow]

.
  ...And believe it or not, Renault had a "El Camino", before Chevy did !  ...And Fiat had one too...

[ironglow]

.
  ....And there were the 3-wheel models, both in pickup and larger sizes..  First, the German built Scammel Scarab..

  ...Then the Goliath/Borgward..

  I do think I would at the least, want studs on that front tire for winter use..  I used to see them in Europe, but they were not very common.

[ironglow]

.
  Another one that is "different"..  A BMW Isetta !  The cars in both 2 passenger and 4 passenger were quite common, but I never happened to see a BMW Isetta truck. Since it mentions Cordoba, perhaps they were more or less confined to Spain.   The rear wheels on the cars, were only about 16" apart..

   BTW; don't even ask about air bags    

[Bob Riebe]

Now the Mercedes up above this was not imported, but here is another that was not imported and while reworked by Mercedes, is based on a Nissan pickup that we also do not get , according to MOTORAUTHORITY due to the "Chicken Tax"

2018 Mercedes-Benz X-class Pickup
https://www.caranddriver.com/reviews/a15077506/2018-mercedes-benz-x-class-pickup-first-drive-review/
BUT

It seems  Mercedes making a reworked Nissan shows Mercedes name tain't what it once was:
Mercedes-Benz X-Class pickup truck to end production in May
https:
//www.motorauthority.com/news/1124054_mercedes-benz-x-class-pickup-truck-to-end-production-in-may

BUT, Nissan seems to be popular at places NOT in the U.S.

Nissan expands Navara production as global pickup demand grows
https://global.nissannews.com/en/releases/release-b5172ad36f97f33585f66570d1097841-nissan-expands-navara-production-as-global-pickup-demand-grows

[ironglow]

.
  Over the decades, we missed out on some good ones..due to the "chicken tax" !  Below, see 4 passenger BMW Isetta...

  Below that, a Messerschmitt, 2 passengers one behind the other..I even used to see them on the Autobahn.

[Bob Riebe]

  Another one that is "different"..  A BMW Isetta !  The cars in both 2 passenger and 4 passenger were quite common, but I never happened to see a BMW Isetta truck. Since it mentions Cordoba, perhaps they were more or less confined to Spain.   The rear wheels on the cars, were only about 16" apart..

A couple who lived one-half block from me in the sixties had one of these, then two. (sedan type)
As a "yout" I thought it was as neat as things get.

[ironglow]

.
  1930s Opel (German GM) Blitz..  You often see them in movies..   Sign over door behind truck says  "smoking forbidden"..

[Bob Riebe]

Two full size Euro pickups we, probably, will never see:


2018 Volkswagen Amarok
First launched in 2010, the Amarok came in a few variants with the base trim carrying an original price tag of $34,990. The Amarok is fitted with a 3.0-liter V6 engine. But what a lot of people don't know is that has a Desert Edition cousin that packs a V8 under the hood. The 2018 model received an 8.3 out of 10-star rating from CarsGuide.com.au while the latest version is one of our top foreign choices for 2020.


Peugeot Landtrek
Though it's understandable to not see this one-ton truck in American stores, it's surprising to know that it won't be available in France either. In terms of options, several variants are made available. For those looking at the 1.9-liter diesel engine, expect 150 hp. For the 2.4-liter gas engine, a good 210 hp can take you places.

[ironglow]

.
  You posted that VW above...apparently some of them are not slouches...LOL..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62gW3Se5e0
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn8eFKgdfes

[Lloyd Smale]

watch the video closely and youll see the chev was in 2 wheel drive and the vw was in 4x4. Probably helps to have a v10 Audi motor TOO!!! put a duramax or cummins or ford diesel in a 4x4 and it would rip that toy in half. As to the jeep? Twice the hp will do those things. My guess is if you took one of the new wrangler rubicons with the ability to lock all 4 wheels in and have 450 hp on tap it would crush that vw. Thats about like bragging that a 911 porche turbo can beat a 6 cyl mustang in the quarter mile. Another overlooked thing in both of those videos is both the jeep and truck had agressive off road tires that dont work well on the street and the vw had street tires. Lets make it fair. Lets hook them up end to end in a mud hole and see which one pulls which. Heck ill even give the vw any tire he can fit on it. Just internet bs where you can fix a test to make anything you want win. 

.
  You posted that VW above...apparently some of them are not slouches...LOL..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62gW3Se5e0
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn8eFKgdfes

[VA Rifleman]

IDK IG. The VW V10 Touareg doesn’t appear to be a pickup or any form of truck.

The VW Touareg has 309 horsepower and 553 lb⋅ft of torque at 2,000 RPM.

My 2016 LML Duramax isn’t that stought by today’s standards. Only 400hp and 765lb-ft. of torque. New LP5 Duramax’s have 445hp and 910lb-ft. of torque

Lloyd right on with the 1st video. A good jerk would rip important parts off that VW.

[Lloyd Smale]

when i was still working we had wires down on two poles that were about 20 yards off the road. It was winter and there was probably close to 3 feet of snow. The incline off the road was about 35degrees down. I backed my line truck into that mess knowing id have to have a wrecker come pull me out when we were done. Well we had just finished getting the line spliced and back up. I had already called for a wrecker and was stretching out a tow strap that the wrecker could hook onto when a couple snowmobilers driving a ford f250 power stroke diesel pulled over and asked me if i want a pull out. THis was a full sized high ranger truck with a 55 foot bucket boom on it. I laughed and said theres no way you going to even touch this thing with that little truck. He said let me try. So we strung out alll the slings we had and all what he had and it got him on bare pavement. He started pulling me and his tires were wrinkling up like a dragster from the torque of that thing and he walked me right out of there through 3 feet of snow and up a 35 degree incline. If you know me im not a ford guy but i ate some crow that day. That thing had some POWER! Aint no way some sport utility would have even budged that big truck. a line truck loaded with gear and transformers and tools is about as heavy as you can get away with without twin rear axles. matter of fact some of our trucks are duel axle trucks. A 55 foot boom is as big as we have with only one rear axle. Your talking to the wall if you want me to believe that little sport utility would even pull a 1/2 ton gas 4x4 like that. Even my wrangler with lockers on both ends would pull that thing to town and back with half the hp.  I dont know much about those vws but i have to doubt its a sport ute that locks all 4 wheels solid. Only ones ive seen that did that were range rovers.

[ironglow]

watch the video closely and youll see the chev was in 2 wheel drive and the vw was in 4x4. Probably helps to have a v10 Audi motor TOO!!! put a duramax or cummins or ford diesel in a 4x4 and it would rip that toy in half. As to the jeep? Twice the hp will do those things. My guess is if you took one of the new wrangler rubicons with the ability to lock all 4 wheels in and have 450 hp on tap it would crush that vw. Thats about like bragging that a 911 porche turbo can beat a 6 cyl mustang in the quarter mile. Another overlooked thing in both of those videos is both the jeep and truck had agressive off road tires that dont work well on the street and the vw had street tires. Lets make it fair. Lets hook them up end to end in a mud hole and see which one pulls which. Heck ill even give the vw any tire he can fit on it. Just internet bs where you can fix a test to make anything you want win. 

.
  You posted that VW above...apparently some of them are not slouches...LOL..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62gW3Se5e0
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn8eFKgdfes

  Scroll down...the caption says they were both in 4WD.  ..However, I think you have a point in that the VW likely had all-weather of summer tires, which would likely lay down a more useful patch on the pavement..  Could be the chevy driver was a bit overconfident, because he immediately slammed the RPMs..not necessarily the way to draw a weight.  Maintaining traction it would seem, should be paramount over RPMs and brute horsepower.

[ironglow]

IDK IG. The VW V10 Touareg doesn’t appear to be a pickup or any form of truck.

The VW Touareg has 309 horsepower and 553 lb⋅ft of torque at 2,000 RPM.

My 2016 LML Duramax isn’t that stought by today’s standards. Only 400hp and 765lb-ft. of torque. New LP5 Duramax’s have 445hp and 910lb-ft. of torque

Lloyd right on with the 1st video. A good jerk would rip important parts off that VW.

    I was replying to Bob Riebe's post #, where he showed a VW pickup..probably much like the toureg.  With the Jeep..being hooked close and with a slightly higher hitch, he should have had an advantage.
  Hey, I drive a Jeep product too..but I can still give credit where credit is due.

  Look closely...that VW driver was pretty smart..or cagey..  He seemed to lock brakes, while his opponents hit the RPMs and started spinning...then he made a smooth , easy draw against spinning wheels.

  We know from driving snow and ice..that spinning wheels produce little motion in any direction....except possibly sideways..

[Lloyd Smale]

well the front tires on that truck sure were not turning back ones were up in smoke.

watch the video closely and youll see the chev was in 2 wheel drive and the vw was in 4x4. Probably helps to have a v10 Audi motor TOO!!! put a duramax or cummins or ford diesel in a 4x4 and it would rip that toy in half. As to the jeep? Twice the hp will do those things. My guess is if you took one of the new wrangler rubicons with the ability to lock all 4 wheels in and have 450 hp on tap it would crush that vw. Thats about like bragging that a 911 porche turbo can beat a 6 cyl mustang in the quarter mile. Another overlooked thing in both of those videos is both the jeep and truck had agressive off road tires that dont work well on the street and the vw had street tires. Lets make it fair. Lets hook them up end to end in a mud hole and see which one pulls which. Heck ill even give the vw any tire he can fit on it. Just internet bs where you can fix a test to make anything you want win. 

.
  You posted that VW above...apparently some of them are not slouches...LOL..

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k62gW3Se5e0
 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dn8eFKgdfes

  Scroll down...the caption says they were both in 4WD.  ..However, I think you have a point in that the VW likely had all-weather of summer tires, which would likely lay down a more useful patch on the pavement..  Could be the chevy driver was a bit overconfident, because he immediately slammed the RPMs..not necessarily the way to draw a weight.  Maintaining traction it would seem, should be paramount over RPMs and brute horsepower.

[ironglow]

.
  It seems like the Europeans are becoming interested in pickup trucks these days.. 

    Here's a photo of a contribution from France... the RENAULT ALASKAN.. 

   ..Looks about like almost any other pickup truck.  I suppose that in seeking th emost efficent body shape, they like automobiles, take on a similar appearance. 
 

[ironglow]

  .
  Strange, how boringly similar so many pickup trucks appear..even those in the rest of the world...for the most part..
    For instance Mercedes.. and Audi.. also VV....Even Fiat comes along with their  Strada Lumberjack..

[ironglow]

.
   Now China brings out it's "Great Wall" pickup.  Since GM is already having China build some of their Buicks,
  I wonder how soon we may see a Chinese, GMC pickup ?

    With Biden so cozy with China..maybe we will get a "Mexico Border Wall" ...pickup?         

[VA Rifleman]

IDK IG. The VW V10 Touareg doesn’t appear to be a pickup or any form of truck.

The VW Touareg has 309 horsepower and 553 lb⋅ft of torque at 2,000 RPM.

My 2016 LML Duramax isn’t that stought by today’s standards. Only 400hp and 765lb-ft. of torque. New LP5 Duramax’s have 445hp and 910lb-ft. of torque

Lloyd right on with the 1st video. A good jerk would rip important parts off that VW.

    I was replying to Bob Riebe's post #, where he showed a VW pickup..probably much like the toureg.  With the Jeep..being hooked close and with a slightly higher hitch, he should have had an advantage.
  Hey, I drive a Jeep product too..but I can still give credit where credit is due.

  Look closely...that VW driver was pretty smart..or cagey..  He seemed to lock brakes, while his opponents hit the RPMs and started spinning...then he made a smooth , easy draw against spinning wheels.

  We know from driving snow and ice..that spinning wheels produce little motion in any direction....except possibly sideways..

Look closely. No front wheel spin from the Duramax.  2wd version or wasn’t in 4wd.

BTW. New VW pickups share underpinnings with global Ford Rangers, not the Touareg and may not even be imported to the US.

Whatever.

[Bob Riebe]

  .
  Strange, how boringly similar so many pickup trucks appear..even those in the rest of the world...for the most part..
    For instance Mercedes.. and Audi.. also VV....Even Fiat comes along with their  Strada Lumberjack..

Several of those are reworked mid-size Nissan chassis; the company that fell on its face in the U.S. in the truck world.

[Lloyd Smale]

yup nissans just never had the reliablity reputation that toyota has.

  .
  Strange, how boringly similar so many pickup trucks appear..even those in the rest of the world...for the most part..
    For instance Mercedes.. and Audi.. also VV....Even Fiat comes along with their  Strada Lumberjack..

Several of those are reworked mid-size Nissan chassis; the company that fell on its face in the U.S. in the truck world.

[ironglow]

  .
  Strange, how boringly similar so many pickup trucks appear..even those in the rest of the world...for the most part..
    For instance Mercedes.. and Audi.. also VV....Even Fiat comes along with their  Strada Lumberjack..

Several of those are reworked mid-size Nissan chassis; the company that fell on its face in the U.S. in the truck world.

   ...But Nissan is still being marketed in the US..??  Pickups in 2 sizes, plus many cars and an oversized SUV.  Then there are medium duty trucks too..please enlighten me..

[Bob Riebe]

The news is, official auto sites, that Nissan is not going bring out a new generation of trucks when this ones life span is up due to. too low of sales.
They already have left Canada.

[ironglow]

The news is, official auto sites, that Nissan is not going bring out a new generation of trucks when this ones life span is up do to too low of sales.
They already have left Canada.

   Oooohh..I didn't know that !

[Lloyd Smale]

when you cant sell a truck line in the US you have a major problem.

[ironglow]

.
  Sadly, last I knew..few brand new trucks are being sold in the US !  Is that correct?

[Lloyd Smale]

other then there not available like they were a year ago i dont see a drop off in demand. They probably outsell cars 5 to 1 up here.

.
  Sadly, last I knew..few brand new trucks are being sold in the US !  Is that correct?

[Bob Riebe]

  .
  Strange, how boringly similar so many pickup trucks appear..even those in the rest of the world...for the most part..
    For instance Mercedes.. and Audi.. also VV....Even Fiat comes along with their  Strada Lumberjack..

Several of those are reworked mid-size Nissan chassis; the company that fell on its face in the U.S. in the truck world.

   ...But Nissan is still being marketed in the US..??  Pickups in 2 sizes, plus many cars and an oversized SUV.  Then there are medium duty trucks too..please enlighten me..

Here is how odd the market is:
The Armada, full size Nissan SUV , is selling in quantities large enough to be competitive with all the boys in that sect, outselling some .
It is amazing what you can find out when you spend money to get an insider news rag.