The compact pickup space is about to get crowded. Nissan has joined a crowd of automakers considering building a truly small truck. Nissan’s would be electric.
“Nissan is said to be exploring a lightweight electric pickup that could come to market at the start of the next decade,” industry publication Automotive News reports.
Three years ago, there were no small trucks for sale in America. The smallest truck Americans could buy for nearly a decade was a midsize truck — often as large as the full-size trucks of a generation ago.
Then, Ford introduced the Maverick. About the size of a midsize car, with four doors and a small bed, it’s been the automotive equivalent of a Beyoncé tour — always sold out. Ford sold out of Maverick trucks long before production ended all three years of the model’s existence.
Around the same time, Hyundai introduced the Santa Cruz. It’s similar on paper but resembles a crossover with a small external bed. It hasn’t been a Maverick-like sales smash.
Nissan Won’t Confirm, but Dealers Will
Nissan hasn’t officially confirmed the report. Global product strategy and product planning boss Ivan Espinosa would only tell AN, “We’re going to keep investing in the truck segment,” and, “Eventually, we will have to electrify the truck.”
But someone close to the process says the small electric truck is in development.
Automakers and their dealers are separate businesses. Dealerships help the manufacturers plan their future lineups, often working through a board of dealership owners.
Nissan Dealer Board Chairman Tyler Slade told AN the company has plans for a small pickup. They “don’t want to be in the Rivian or the [Tesla] Cybertruck space. They want to be in the affordable $40,000 range,” Slade says.
The company may even have previewed the truck’s appearance. Two years ago, it showed off the Nissan Surf-Out concept — a small electric pickup not necessarily meant for production.
Could Be One of Many
Nissan is hardly alone. Toyota showed off a small electric pickup just last week at the Japan Mobility Show. That one was officially a concept car, too. But it looked production-ready.
Chevrolet is reportedly working on its own electric Maverick rival. And Ram last year introduced a compact pickup with a conventional gas-powered engine. Called the Rampage, it’s officially meant for the Brazilian market. But the American flag taillights make us suspect we’ll see it stateside soon.
