GM Makes This Pickup Truck: What the Hell Is It? MotorBiscuit

General Motors makes all kinds of different vehicles for different regions. This strange-looking double cab pickup is for China. It’s a collaboration with SAIC and GM and it is called the Wuling Zhengtu. To be honest, it looks somewhat like those cartoon cars with small wheels and tires. The proportions are really strange for a truck. Let’s look at what GM in China has wrought.

Adding to the cartoon illusion is that the Wuling Zhengtu is very narrow

Wuling Zhengtu | SAIC

Adding to the cartoon illusion is that the Zhengtu is also very narrow. It comes out to 64.5-inches wide. As an example, the Ford Ranger comes in at 77-inches wide. Production is scheduled to begin sometime next month. 

But that is what makes it interesting to look at. According to different reports out of China, the Zhengtu has gotten a lot of pre-orders, so it strikes a chord with buyers there. It rides on a 124.4-inch wheelbase so it is a little bit smaller than a Chevy Colorado which has a 128.3-inch wheelbase. 

The Zhengtu is body-on-frame rear-wheel drive-only making it able to take on more rugged applications. Would four-wheel-drive make it more appealing if imported here? Reports also add that this is the largest pickup SAIC’s Wuling has ever designed.

Besides the standard solid bedside, there is a folding bedsides version

Wuling Zhengtu | SAIC

RELATED: The Best-Selling EV In China Is Made By GM Not Tesla

While it looks like the cab choice is only the double-cab body there are bed options. Besides the standard solid bedside, we’re used to in the US, there is also one where the bedsides fold down. This makes for a very functional flatbed pickup whether here or abroad. We don’t know why more pickups don’t have this feature in America?

Power comes from a 1.5-liter gas engine with 99 hp. The top speed is 75 mph so this is almost like a lawn cart. Though there are no plans to import these into the US we would expect that something with a bit more power would come with any entry to America. 

Underneath the Zhengtu is a throwback with a solid I-beam front axle

Wuling Zhengtu interior | SAIC

Inside these are fairly utilitarian with lots of plastic and a smattering of silver finishes. Underneath it is a throwback with a solid I-beam front axle. The largest wheels it comes with are 17-inch alloys. It utilizes the same ladder frame as the Hongguang space van. 

Prices for the Zhengtu start right at $9,000 with the top-of-the-line version running $9,867. Remember that Japanese manufacturers gained traction in the US with minitrucks in the 1960s. We wonder how well the Zhengtu would sell in the US with a price that low? Would it scare customers off or attract them? Unfortunately, we won’t be able to find the answer to that question as Wuling has no plans to bring the Zhengtu here.

Wuling Zhengtu | SAIC