Battle for No. 1
Nissan hopes its new Navara will push ahead of the Mitsubishi L200, the perennial leader in European pickup sales. But Mitsubishi isn't going to give up the top spot without a good fight. At the Bologna auto show in early December, Mitsubishi will launch its successor to the L200.
Mitsubishi plans to import 35,000-45,000 of the trucks to Europe annually from its factory in Thailand.
Nissan aims to build 28,000 Navaras in Spain this year. The carmaker hasn't set its production target for the car for 2006, Nissan says.
| Pickup sales in w. Europe | ||
| Jan.-July | Jan.-July | |
| 2005 | 2004 | |
| Mitsubishi L200 | 18,905 | 19,409 |
| Nissan Navara/Pickup | 17,280 | 18,823 |
| Ford Ranger | 9,142 | 6,943 |
| Toyota Hilux | 7,380 | 8,601 |
| Mazda B-series | 3,069 | 2,542 |
| Fiat Strada | 3,632 | 3,675 |
| Source: JATO Dynamics | ||
Carmakers are making pickups look and behave more like SUVs in a bid to convince Europeans that the new-generation trucks are not just for farmers and construction workers anymore.
