Many people's focus today will be on the situation in Russia and Ukraine, which has been talking about it as the forefront of the war between Russia and Europe and even NATO. But our focus today is not on war, but on seeing what pickup trucks are in the Ukrainian auto market.
But from some of the auto market data that we can get, pickup trucks are also niche models in the Ukrainian market. From the perspective of brands and models, the most popular in the Ukrainian market is the SUV model from the Renault brand, followed by Toyota, Chery, Hyundai and other brands. In addition to Toyota, these brands often do not have the right pickup products, Toyota's Hilax is mainly for Australia and other markets, and Tantu and Tacoma are mainly for North America and other markets. So the likelihood of seeing pickup trucks in Ukraine will be slim.
Brand sales in the Automotive Market in Ukraine in January 2022
Vehicle sales in the automotive market in Ukraine in a month
However, the smaller pickup market share just gives some pickup truck companies opportunities, such as our Chinese pickup truck companies. Great Wall Pickup has opened up many new markets around the world, and Ukraine is one of them. In 2017, the Great Wall Fengjun 5 was procured by the Ukrainian military for use as a military vehicle. This car was later developed by Ukrainian military enterprises for the second time to create a new light multi-purpose vehicle. These vehicles will replace the UAZ off-road vehicles produced in the former Soviet Union.
In 2019, the Great Wall Fengjun 7 was officially launched at the Auto Show in Ukraine, and the car was named "Wingle 7" in Ukraine as an English translation of the name. The car is also equipped with GW4D20D diesel engine in the Ukrainian market, with a maximum power of 105 kW and a peak torque of 315N·m/1400-2800 rpm, which is matched with a 6-speed manual transmission. The car starts at about 157,000 yuan in Ukraine, which is higher than in China.
Of course, in addition to the Great Wall pickup, there is another Chinese brand pickup truck that may also appear in the Ukrainian market, which is the Dongfeng Rich6. In a report called "Russia China Auto Network" on April 7, 2021, it was shown that the Dongfeng Rich 6 had arrived in Ukraine, which is actually the Ruiqi 6 sold in China. The car is expected to sell for $28,000 in Ukraine, or about 177,000 yuan. According to the report, the car will be equipped with a 2.5T diesel engine of the Nissan ZD25T5, matched with a 5-speed manual transmission and a four-wheel drive system.
In addition, at the beginning of this year, the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine handed over 40 Mitsubishi L200 pickups to the Ukrainian National Border Guard to assist in border guard missions. A further 60 models will be delivered by the end of February. However, referring to the current situation in Ukraine, we expect that the remaining 60 Mitsubishi L200s will not be delivered for the time being.
The Mitsubishi L200 is also familiar to domestic users, and it was exposed last year that the car will be introduced into China, but in 2022, I have not seen any movement in this car. The car is equipped with a 2.4T diesel engine and has an automatic and manual transmission options. Pickup trucks delivered to the Ukrainian State Border Guard will also be equipped with portable thermal imagers, inflatable tents, bulletproof helmets, modular protective ballistic body armor and other necessary equipment.