【Military Martial Subplane】Author: Military Mushroom.
On January 2, 1987, the 30-year-old commander of the Chadian National Army, Hassan Jamus, personally led the main force of the National Army on an expedition to attack the Fada logistics warehouse controlled by the Libyan army. The Libyan regular army stationed at the base is 1,200 men, with 400 militia members and hundreds of T-55 and BMP-1 combat vehicles. The Chadian army, with its strength of 3,000 troops, does not have a single armored vehicle.
With more than 3,000 light infantry, attacking thousands of heavily armed and heavily armored units sounds like hitting a stone with an egg. But Hassan is not a madman or a reckless man, and although he does not have any decent weight, he has a "simplified" mechanized army in his hands: 400 pickup trucks.
These pickup trucks not only carry infantry, but also are equipped with heavy machine guns, rocket artillery, anti-aircraft guns, missiles, etc., and are transformed into light combat vehicles.
During the battle, pickup trucks equipped with "Milan" missiles played a huge role, and the drivers took full advantage of their mobility to attack the enemy tanks in groups of two. Because the pickup truck was running so fast, the Libyan army was destroyed by missiles before it could take aim.
While one of the pickup trucks was attacking head-on, another convoy was moving at high speed, detouring back to the rear of the Libyan base, leaving the Libyan army unable to organize an effective defense, and could only be broken by missiles from a distance in the confusion.
The outcome of the battle of Fada was unexpected: the Libyan army lost 784 dead and hundreds of armored vehicles destroyed, while the Chadian army lost only 3 pickup trucks and 18 soldiers.
Nowadays, pickup trucks are not just the exclusive configuration of the armies of third world countries, taking the US military as an example, although the US military has sufficient light military combat vehicles, it still procures a variety of non-standard tactical vehicles, a large part of which are pickup trucks. Spare parts are more readily available for common civilian vehicles than for military vehicles, simplifying logistics**. Civilian pickup trucks with a low-profile appearance are also better suited for covert operations than tall and mighty military vehicles.
During the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, U.S. special forces and military contractors made extensive use of civilian pickup trucks as transport, reconnaissance, patrol and support vehicles. Until now, there are still quite a few countries, even military powers, that use pickup trucks as a supplement to military wheeled vehicles.
It is clear that pickup trucks can become representatives of "non-standard tactical vehicles", largely because of the high stock of pickup trucks in the local area. Only under the premise that pickup trucks can adapt to the local natural environment and traffic conditions and be recognized by the market, the military has the basis for large-scale use of pickup trucks, which is closely related to the performance advantages and unique functions of pickup trucks themselves.
At the beginning of the 20th century, when it was just starting, minivans similar to today's pickup trucks appeared. However, at that time, the car was still a highly customized product, and it was not until the 30s of the 20th century that a real pickup truck began to be born. This combination of a sedan and a minivan design combines the driving experience of a sedan with the carrying capacity of a minivan, and can be used as a vehicle for daily transportation as well as a certain amount of cargo, making it very functional.
After the end of World War II, the leaders of various countries began to explore the development direction of future civilian vehicles, and pickup trucks were also one of them. In order to attract more users, the design ideas of pickup trucks are becoming more and more like large sedans and sports cars, and great progress has been made in appearance, comfort, and driving experience. At the same time, in order to solve the problem that the number of seats in pickup trucks is not as good as that of sedans, four-door pickup trucks with double rows of seats have become the mainstream. During this period, the market for pickup trucks further expanded, and in countries other than the United States, especially in Africa, South America, the Middle East, and Southeast Asian countries, Japanese pickup trucks began to become the mainstream of the local market.
In the 90s of the 20th century, pickup trucks were no longer a simple tool car, but an important model that integrated work, life and entertainment, and was the best means of transportation for many people to travel at home and picnic. Owning a high-end pickup truck has become a status symbol in many countries.
For a long time, due to domestic policy restrictions, pickup trucks have been a relatively niche model in China. But even under such conditions, China's pickup truck market is still expanding year by year. As the economic conditions are getting better and better, there are more and more people pursuing high-quality life and unique spiritual needs, and the future of China's pickup market has great potential.
Source**: Zhiyan Consulting.
In addition to developing the domestic market, promoting domestic pickup trucks to go overseas is also an important development direction. In 2022, the number of pickup truck exports in China exceeded 100,000 units for the first time, reaching 1250,000, an increase of 65% compared to 2021. Such astonishing data is inseparable from the efforts of Chinese car companies.
Due to the late start of the domestic market, missed the first period of the development of the pickup market, the United States, Japan, and European pickup trucks have occupied most of the market, and when the domestic pickup truck entered, the market has become nearly saturated. If you want to "fight your way out" in such an environment, the difficulty can be imagined.
Initially, domestic companies wanted to get a share of the pickup market, and the main means they relied on were to fight the first war and win with low cost performance and higher cost performance. In Africa, West Asia and Southeast Asia, such a approach has worked significantly, and Chinese pickups have quickly gained a foothold in the low-end car market.
Such an achievement is indeed something to be happy about, but if domestic cars stop there, then in the future they will only be labeled as "low-end" and "cheap". Even if the quality does not lag behind, it is still difficult to be recognized by consumers and difficult to open up the situation in the high-end market, which is also the dilemma that "Made in China" has long faced overseas.
In this regard, some people dare to be pioneers and set a precedent for all things in the world. Founded in 2011, the brand name is SAIC MAXUS, and its pickup trucks chose to develop both at home and abroad in the early days of listing, and took the high-quality route overseas, and after five years of development, it has achieved the first place in China's pickup truck exports in 2022. Many people may not be familiar with this brand, but a closer look in life will find that it not only occupies an important position in the domestic civilian pickup market, but also has a large number of applications in family travel, outdoor life, business partners, and even the military.
SAIC MAXUS military vehicle delivery ceremony.
However, what is even more eye-catching is that SAIC Maxus pickup trucks are not only the most expensive overseas, but also have high sales. In developed markets such as Australia and New Zealand, SAIC Maxus pickup trucks are the most expensive Chinese brands in the region. Not only has the sales volume dominated the list for a long time, but the market share has ranked among the top three, and it has successfully established a "Chinese business card" in the local area.
No wonder some netizens once posted in Australia that they thought they were in China, because they saw a lot of Chinese cars on the road, especially SAIC Maxus's pickup trucks.
In the early years, it was very difficult for Chinese car brands to break into overseas markets, especially the pickup market, which had been dominated by Japan and the United States for decades. SAIC Maxus pickup trucks have achieved remarkable success in overseas markets, mainly due to their excellent quality, excellent performance, and innovative design.
In 2017, SAIC Maxus' first pickup truck model, the T60 (domestic interstellar pickup truck), entered the Australian market and received a five-star safety rating in the crash assessment of the Australian New Car Safety Assessment Association (ANCAP).
ANCAP score of SAIC MAXUS T60.
It is important to know that the scoring rules of ANCAP are quite strict, and the vehicles participating in the test must pass five tests: side impact, column collision, seat belt unfastened collision, pedestrian protection, and 64km h frontal 40% overlapping deformable barrier collision, with a full score of 37 points. And the T60 (domestic interstellar pickup) received 35 in the testWith an excellent score of 46 points, it became the first Chinese pickup truck to receive ANCAP five-star certification, and also set a record for the highest score of a Chinese brand in the ANCAP evaluation.
Crash test of the SAIC Maxus T60 pickup truck in Australia.
SAIC MAXUS won the first battle, winning orders for 1,100 units in the first month of its launch in the Australian and New Zealand markets. In the first battle, it started its high-quality positioning and occupied a place in the Australian market.
In developed countries such as Australia, pickup trucks are not only a tool car, but also have certain fun and light luxury attributes. Users are not only looking for sturdiness and stability, but also for a high-quality, personalized design and aesthetic appearance.
In this regard, SAIC MAXUS has adhered to high quality and high premium from the beginning, high-end positioning, and does not take the route of competition, which makes SAIC MAXUS's pickup trucks often look high-headed, and they are very domineering.
At the same time, SAIC Maxus pickup truck also supports C2B personalized customization, which can be customized for users with different configurations. Whether it is for business, home or play, you can find a model that suits you, and it has ranked first among Chinese pickup brands in Australia in terms of sales for three consecutive years.
With its consistent quality and excellent service at home and abroad, SAIC MAXUS has won wide acclaim in Australia and has become a bright business card of China's auto industry.
In addition to Australia, which is vast and sparsely populated, SAIC Maxus pickup trucks are also "conquering" other countries, and Chile is one of them. Chile, a mountainous country with a great demand for pickups, is a long and narrow country with complex terrain, with the towering Andes Mountains in the east and endless plateau deserts in the north. Any car that wants to open the market in such conditions must have a solid structure, strong off-road ability and superior reliability, which is simply tailor-made for pickup trucks.
Moreover, Chile is an emerging quasi-developed country in recent years, and it is also the richest country in South America, with rapid economic growth and high requirements for car comfort and exterior design in the local market.
As a result, Chile has become one of the most competitive regions in the global pickup truck market, with more than 20 brands competing here, including Nissan, Mitsubishi, Toyota, Great Wall, Chevrolet, ......It includes almost all major pickup truck brands in the world.
In this context, SAIC Maxus pickup truck stands out, with its excellent performance, comfortable driving experience and reliable safety, it has become a dark horse in the Chilean pickup market, and has been loved and recognized by the majority of consumers. It successfully defeated the three major pickup truck competitors from Japan, the United States and Europe, breaking the 12-year dominance of Japanese brands in the market, and also breaking the record for single-year pickup truck sales in the past 12 years. This fully proves that Chinese brand cars have caught up in terms of technology and quality, and even surpassed some internationally renowned brands.
In addition, the SAIC Maxus T90 EV (domestic interstellar EV) is the first electric pickup truck to land in Europe. Before it was officially launched, it received more than 2,000 pre-sales orders in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, South America and other marketsOnly 7 days after the pre-sale was launched in the UK, the number of orders quickly exceeded 1,000 units. Entering Europe earlier than Tesla, in Australia and New Zealand, the new energy pickup truck has received national recognition from the New Zealand Ministry of Transport.
Up to now, SAIC MAXUS has sold 300,000 vehicles in overseas markets, including 120,000 pickup trucks, and its products sell well in 73 countries and regions around the world, forming five "10,000-unit markets" in Australia, New Zealand, Europe, South America, Mexico and the Middle East. Luck is always on the side of the brave, and the courage of SAIC Maxus to "dare to be the first" has won today's rewards for itself.
The success of SAIC Maxus pickup trucks in overseas markets has set a model for domestic auto brands to go global, won a place for domestic auto brands in the global market competition, established confidence for the domestic auto industry, and encouraged more Chinese brand cars to expand into the global market.
In today's great changes unseen in a century, China's influence continues to increase, more and more Chinese brands have been recognized by the world, SAIC MAXUS has long adhered to its own high-quality, high-end brand positioning, intensive market segmentation, has become a Chinese business card, to show the world the new era of China's intelligent manufacturing, to achieve the dream of China's automobile power has taken a solid step.