Fiat thinks big with new pickup for global markets

Fiat is thinking small in the United States, it will soon discontinue the 500X and bring the tiny 500e EV to our shores, but its global range will continue to include bigger models. One of its not-so-city-friendly vehicles is a medium-sized body-on-frame truck announced for Brazil.

Official details about the pickup are few and far between, we don’t even know what it will be called yet, but a preview image released by the company’s Italian division reveals familiar styling cues. The grille, the shape of the headlights, and the kink in the beltline remind us of the Peugeot Landtrek, a body-on-frame truck designed jointly with Chinese carmaker Chang’an and sold in some global markets since 2019.

Fiat hasn’t confirmed that its upcoming truck is Peugeot-based but borrowing the Landtrek’s platform would make sense: the two companies both live under the Stellantis umbrella. And, the Landtrek is largely sold in countries that Peugeot has historically been strong in, such as certain African nations, but it’s not available in Brazil, where Fiat dominates a pickup segment growing at a surprisingly quick rate. The firm claims that its Strada, a small car-derived model that makes the Ford Maverick look a little big-boned, is the best-selling pickup in Brazil.

Additional details about Fiat’s next truck will emerge in the coming months. When it lands, it will join the aforementioned Strada and a unibody, Jeep Renegade-derived model called Toro in showrooms. Nothing suggests the pickup will be sold in the United States and it may not turn a wheel in Fiat’s home country, where the company hasn’t sold a truck since the Mitsubishi L200-derived Fullback retired in 2019.

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