American Invasion: Meet the five huge pickup trucks that will replace your Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger.

There are five American pickup trucks on the maps of Australia.

Just a few years ago, the very idea of ​​getting the keys to the automotive kingdom of America seemed like a pipe dream, because all the weird and wonderful cars sold in the US are strictly left-hand drive, and therefore inaccessible to our market. .

But haven't times changed? Now our streets are packed with Mustangs and Camaros, and soon even the monstrous Corvette C8 will tear our asphalt.

Probably the most conspicuous American cars are on our roads among the huge trucks that have begun to flood them, not least because their sheer size makes them hard to miss.

From the Ram 1500 to the Chevrolet Silverado, American-style pickups have found a home in Australia, where buyers have welcomed them with open arms and open wallets.

And it hasn't gone unnoticed as other car companies are now also planning to launch big trucks in Australia and claim a stake in this growing pickup segment.

In fact, there are five trucks that are either likely or definitely coming to Australia in the near future. And being good people, we've compiled them here for you so you know exactly what to expect and when.

Nissan Titan

Titan is offered in the US in two sizes; the standard Titan and the larger XD version.

Make no mistake, it's a matter of when, not if, the Nissan Titan will debut in Australia.

Australian bosses have been pressuring their American counterparts to supply a factory right-hand drive version, but say that - if that fails - the brand will simply remake them from left-hand drive to right-hand drive right here in Australia.

There's form, of course: Both the Ram and Silverado were converted on site in Melbourne by American Special Vehicles and HSV, respectively, and both were praised for their workmanship.

“We are working as fast as we can,” says Nissan Australia CEO Stephen Lester. “If we can make Titan special, it will most likely happen with conversion. And we will have to follow this path to find someone who can do it for us.

“At the moment we have no reservations about working with anyone. It all comes down to who is the best at their job.”

Titan is offered in the US in two sizes; the standard Titan and the larger XD version. We expect to get the standard version which is 5.79m long, 2.01m wide and up to 1.93m high. It is offered in Single, King and Crew Cab configurations.

Expect a maximum towing capacity of around 4.2 tons and a maximum load capacity of around 900 kg. Under the hood is a powerful 5.6-liter V8 with 290 kW and 534 Nm - the only engine currently offered in the Titan lineup.

And it's really coming. Let's take this from Mr. Lester: "I hate to give a timeline, but we'll do our best to get it as soon as possible, and we'll get it any day of the week, as fast as we can."

Toyota Tundra

We now know the brand is working on a global truck platform that will likely underpin all of Toyota's workhorses, including the Tundra.

There has only ever been one hurdle in getting the Tundra to Australia, and that's that it's only available in left-hand drive.

But don't worry, dear reader, a new version is coming soon. And this is the car that brand bosses in the US finally want to see as global – the globe, of which Australia is a part.

We now know the brand is working on a global truck platform that will likely underpin all of Toyota's workhorses, including the Tundra, Tacoma, and possibly even the HiLux - a right-hand drive version suddenly seems very likely.

"We're working on our next generation Tundra and I can't wait to show it to you," says Jack Hollis, vice president and general manager of the North American Toyota Group.

“I would like this car to go global. We have a great relationship with Australia – the company is doing a fantastic job there.”

The current Tundra is an impressive 5814mm long, 1961mm high and 2029mm wide in the TRD Pro version. It's big - the 2019 Toyota HiLux Rugged X measures a relatively svelte 5350mm long, 1815mm high and 1885mm wide.

Buyers can choose between two V8 engines; 4.6-liter unit (231 kW and 443 Nm) or larger 5.7-liter engine (284 kW and 543 Nm). You can also count on a payload of around 750 kg and a pulling force of 4.5 tons.

So what does Toyota in Australia have to say about this? This is also good news. We understand that the Tundra has been under study since 2018 and the company is basically waiting for right hand drive.

“It's definitely something we don't rule out. And we know this is a growing segment, a full-size pickup truck in the Australian market,” said a spokesman for Toyota Australia. Cars Guide.

“We do not rule out that the Tundra will appear in Australia in the future, but at the moment we do not have firm plans. But if there is a global business case that could include Australia, then there is no reason why we would not seriously consider the tundra for Australia.”

Chevrolet Silverado 1500

The largest versions are 6128 mm long, 2063 mm wide and 1990 mm high, and have a payload of almost one ton and a tractive effort of 5.5 tons.

Imagine the conversations at the HSV factory, where they are hard at work converting the Chevrolet Silverado 2500 and 3500HD, but which are selling relatively slowly here in Australia.

In the same facility—though technically under a different company—American Special Vehicles remakes the Ram 1500, and it sells like giant hotcakes. The brand moved over 1400 trucks to Australia this year, with over 1200 sold for the 1500 model, with the 2500 and 3500 models selling around 150 units.

Obviously the size 1500 is sold in Australia. But HSV doesn't have anything to work on. Well not yet...

We expect the sales data to encourage HSV to look at the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 for Australia, giving the brand a real competitor to the dominant Ram 1500. Earlier reports even suggested that HSV visited Detroit to explore right-hand drive modifications to the 1500 in 2018.

Freshly updated for 2019, the Chevrolet Silverado (or 1500) comes with a complex network of six engine and transmission combinations, but we expect the HSV to be most interested in the 5.7-liter V8 and eight-speed automatic transmission (265kW, 519Nm). or a 6.2-liter V8 and a 10-speed automatic (313 kW and 623 Nm).

The technical specifications are also impressive: the largest versions are 6128 mm long, 2063 mm wide and 1990 mm high, as well as a load capacity of about one ton and a pulling force of 5.5 tons.

F

The overwhelming success of the Mustang in Australia proved that American-infused cars could find a large audience in Australia.

It has always seemed strange that Ford makes the best-selling car on the planet, the F-series truck, and yet hasn't sold it in Australia for over a decade.

The problem, as always, was right-hand drive accessibility, but the Mustang's runaway success in Australia proved that America-infused cars could find a large audience in Australia.

So, good news; all global talk points to the next generation F-150 being offered in both left-hand drive and right-hand drive, and the brand is looking to anchor global icons rather than cars that are just popular in the US.

Take, for example, the words of Peter Fleet, Vice President of the Ford Group and President of the International Markets Group: “If you look at the success of the Mustang, what did we do there? We've taken one of our iconic North American brands and made it global. There's a lesson. These things work.

“I'm a big believer in trying to make more of these iconic brands in-house. If I have the opportunity to bring these cars to Australia, I will be at the front of the line.

“It's all about scale, and right hand drive is the hardest part. It's about whether you have enough scale to justify the design costs, and then which plant you put it into production in."

For its part, Ford in Australia says it is currently exploring the full-size truck market.

“I think that if customers go this way, we will definitely bring one. We already had full-size pickups when they were available in right-hand drive,” says Ford Australia marketing manager Danny Winter. “There is no right-hand drive full-size pickup available, but if there was, we would look at it and see if there is demand here.”

Rivian R1T

The R1T is powered by a four-motor system that puts out 147kW per wheel and a barely plausible 14,000Nm of total torque.

Automotive newcomer Rivian is getting a lot of attention in the U.S., first because it got about $700 million in investment from corporate giants like Amazon, and then because Ford saw something it liked about the company too, buying a share of US$500 million. hope to share their "skateboard" technology for electric vehicles.

As such, a company to be taken seriously and is definitely planning to launch its futuristic R1T pickup truck in Australia.

“Yes, we will have a launch in Australia. And I can't wait to get back to Australia and show it to all these wonderful people," says brand chief engineer Brian Geis.

So what do we get? Imagine the speed of a Porsche combined with the practicality of a tough truck.

The R1T is powered by a quad-motor system that puts out 147kW per wheel and an hardly plausible 14,000Nm of total torque, and Rivian claims it hits 160kph in just 7.0 seconds.

The brand also promises 14 inches of dynamic ground clearance, 4.5 tons of towing power and a range of 650 km.

Too good to be true? We will know when it arrives, which is currently expected in 2021.