China is a large and populous nation. Accordingly, it has a large automotive industry. Many of the companies in that area have names that may not be familiar to many here in the United States. For example, one of the largest automotive manufacturers over there is SAIC, Shanghai Automotive Industry Corporation. That company has announced work on a new pickup. That’s where the Maxus V comes in. 

As a big player in China, SAIC does not sit on the sidelines. The company also innovates new wares for new markets. Specifically, the new electric pickup market has caught their attention. To penetrate that market, they put Maxus on the case.  

The clean and green initiative

MAXUS is one of SAIC’s sub-brands, which is currently in the middle of an initiative to deliver 20 new energy models, EVs, and PHEVs, before 2025. So, more news should be forthcoming soon on several models. The mysterious Maxus V might be one of them. 

The Maxus V is speculated to be an electric pickup that will be launched later this year. Maxus has been producing trucks and SUVs for SAIC. So, they already know a bit about how durable trucks need to be. Consequently, they should be able to create a decent new product. There is very little information available about the new V truck at this time, however. 

Very little information released

The minuscule information that is available on the possible electric truck comes from a single post about the Maxus V on the Weibo social platform, a large social network in China.

“Simple and futuristic, what will it be? See you in the second half (of 2020).”

Aside from that comment from the social media post, there was a single image too. That image definitely shows a pickup truck design. It has a cargo tray on top of the truck’s cabin, and the front has a large grill. The image is below. 

They already have another truck

SAIC’s Maxus brand already sells another pickup truck, the T60. The T60 is a midsize, double cab, Toyota Tacoma/HiLux sized vehicle. It has a 2.8-liter turbo diesel with 148 horsepower. It is unclear if this new V model will come alongside the T60 in the lineup, or if it will replace the T60.

The powerplant for the new Maxus V is unclear. The electric power is suspected of coming from another Maxus vehicle in the lineup called the Euniq 6. That source has 174 horsepower, 228.6 lb-ft of torque, and a range of 317 miles. But, this is all speculation at this point. 

Until more information comes out from Maxus, SAIC, spy photographers, or from people in the know, we are stuck waiting to see if they can put out an electric pickup comparable to those that are anticipated here. The electric pickup market keeps heating up with the announced competition of the Cybertruck, Bollinger’s pickup, Ford’s new electric F-Series, the new Hummer pickup, the Atlis pickup, Rivian’s pickup,… the list keeps growing. There is no information yet indicating that the Maxus would come to the United States. However, every one of these companies is targeting sometime during the next two years for their own debut. Hang on folks, it is going to get interesting.