While various fields of transportations have jumped aboard the wave of electrification successively, Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles, one of the major truck manufacturers, doesn’t seem to have been affected by this current trend. At present, the plug-in hybrid Jeep of the company has been delayed, and the battery electric truck remains below the radar.
Mike Manley, the CEO of Fiat-Chrysler Automobiles (FCA), commented recently during an interview that the company has yet to see relevant threats that call for an immediate plan for electrification.
“We don’t think that there isn’t a market for electric trucks, and we are actually quite serious about our arrangement in electrification strategies. Our key market is focused on trucks, and we will not sit back and do nothing if we feel that our leading position has been threatened”, commented Manley.
Pickup trucks are relatively niche in Taiwan, though they are one of the most popular vehicle models in the US. The best-selling pickup truck RAM under FCA has sold up to 630K units in the US in 2019 to occupy roughly 20% of the market share. It is one of the three leading pickup trucks alongside Ford’s F series and General Motors’ Silverado. Together, the three models have sold 2 million units in total, which accounts for nearly 70% of the entire market.
Looking at the existing market status, it is true that the highly anticipated electric trucks are unable to falter the status of RAM. For example, products like General Motors’ Hummer EV, Ford’s battery electric F-150, and startup Rivian’s upcoming R1T, as well as the viral Cybertruck from Tesla, are yet to able to create threats to the market leaders since they haven’t even been produced.
However, the leading position is never guaranteed in this world, and only the survivors can last until the end in this ever-changing market. How many consumers will be willing to stay for your brand by giving up on the more advanced products amidst the surging entries of new competitors?
▲ Fiat E-Ducato。
FCA has not completely disregarded electric vehicles, as the company is currently propelling the production of electric van E-Ducato, which is a commercial pilot vehicle that will only be produced in a small quantity for partial enterprises, with an anticipated delivery time of 2021. Simultaneously, while working with Foxconn on creating a brand new electric vehicle, FCA’s popular subsidiary Jeep will also introduce its first PHEV, and march towards a “slow and firm” implementation of electrification.
(Photo source: FCA)