[Industry] Talking about domestic entry-level RVs——pickup RVs

Pickup trucks have the dual functions of cars and trucks, so they are named “pickup” pickups. Due to many reasons, the use of pickup trucks in China is relatively low, but the RV based on pickup trucks has a considerable degree of recognition in China.

Pickup History

The “pickup” was first seen in 1925. Based on its T-type 2-seater station wagon, Ford Motor converted the rear trunk of the vehicle into an open cargo box. Since then, this epoch-making model was born. Pickup trucks have the dual functions of cars and trucks, and are deeply loved by North American users. They have given the car a nickname—”pickup”, which is translated as pickup trucks in China.

Pickup trucks are a model that was developed earlier than sedans in China. It can be traced back to the early 20th century. The landmark event was that Hebei Baoding Automobile Manufacturing Factory (the predecessor of Hebei Zhongxing Automobile Manufacturing Co., Ltd.) was born in 1989. China’s first autonomous vehicle Pickup trucks with intellectual property rights were also called the first year of Chinese pickup trucks. In China, pickup trucks are a multi-functional model that can meet people’s various needs and often play three roles: light trucks, off-road vehicles, and sedans. According to official statistics, in 2017, the 15 major pickup truck manufacturers in the country produced a total of 415,540 vehicles and sold 410,665 vehicles.

Iveco, Chase V80, and Transit V348 chassis are often the mainstream in the domestic RV modification industry. Pickup chassis is the first choice for entry-level RV chassis. With its non-load-bearing body, high chassis, easy modification and powerful four-wheel drive system, it has become the first or The first choice for light RV users. At present, domestic pickup truck RV chassis include Great Wall Fengjun, Isuzu D-MAX, Huanghai pickup, Foton Trailblazer, Kawei pickup, Jiangling Qiling, Chase T60, Higer pickup, imported Ford Raptor, imported Toyota Tundra, etc. Among them, Great Wall Lanzhong RV, Jiangling D-MAX off-road RV, Dream Tour RV, Zhongdao RV and other RV brands are more common.

Brief Analysis of Pickup Chassis

After more than ten years of development in China, RVs have a complete range of categories, especially light passenger chassis as the mainstream product. Although pickup trucks do not occupy a large share of the total inventory, due to the versatility, low price and diesel power of pickup trucks, they often become an advantageous product for both commercial and household use in fourth-tier cities. Another star product after light trucks, coupled with the lifting of the national policy on pickup trucks, will give pickup trucks a room for development that tends to be like cars in the future. The reason why pickup trucks have become the “highlight” chassis in the RV industry is mainly due to the fact that pickup truck RVs are small special-purpose passenger vehicles in the motor vehicle category, coupled with the overall upgrade of pickup truck products and the integration of four-wheel drive, automatic transmission, and high-end features in sedans and SUVs. The injection made this niche product comparable to sedans again, and lowered the purchase threshold of RVs to about 200,000, opening up another incremental market for the existing three major RV models. This article takes the four common RVs in China as examples to briefly talk about the pickup phenomenon in the RV circle.

RV

Great Wall Motors has been developing RV-specific chassis technology since 2010, and it was first applied to Great Wall Fengjun series RVs in 2012. The chassis adopts an overall design concept, which is fundamentally different from general pickup RVs that are directly refitted on pickup truck chassis. Its wheelbase has reached 3875mm, which meets the demand for large space of the RV.

Compared with the rear axle of the original Great Wall pickup truck, the differential gear and speed ratio of the rear axle of this chassis have been adjusted in a targeted manner. Most importantly, the overall width of the rear axle has been increased by 120mm, and the rear wheelbase has been increased by 120mm, making the pickup truck more stable during driving and safer when turning and changing lanes. The standard ABS+EBD system produced by Doctor Company has brought a great guarantee for the active safety of driving.

D-MAX off-road RV

The D-MAX chassis is the earliest pickup truck model introduced in China. It is the seventh-generation model of Isuzu pickup truck. It used to be the only domestic joint venture brand pickup truck model that is synchronized globally. The D-MAX chassis adopts a seven-horizontal and two-vertical enclosed trapezoidal structure.

Made of high-strength tension steel, it has good torque resistance, allowing D-MAX pickups to easily handle various difficult road conditions. The front suspension of the vehicle adopts double-wishbone coil spring independent suspension, and the overall stroke of the suspension is long, which provides the vehicle with high ride comfort and outstanding handling stability. The rear suspension of the D-MAX pickup chassis adopts a non-independent suspension structure of five leaf springs, and the non-independent suspension of leaf springs is also conducive to improving the stability of the vehicle.

The overall structural ratio of the D-MAX chassis is reasonable, the wheelbase of the vehicle is 3095mm, the approach angle of the front is 25°, the departure angle of the rear is 21°, and the minimum ground clearance is 205mm, which has strong passability. The D-MAX pickup truck chassis adopts a three-stage structure, that is, the chassis system is divided into front, middle, and rear areas according to functions, which realizes a high degree of modularization in the vehicle production process and facilitates the subsequent modification or upgrade of the vehicle. D-max off-road RV adopts 4WD automatic ultra-luxury version, rich in car configurations, 5-speed automatic transmission, part-time four-wheel drive, automatic air conditioning, dual front airbags and other configurations are another highlight.

Chase T60

SAIC MAXUS T60 is the first self-owned pickup truck of SAIC. It was launched at the end of 2016. After a year of market competition, it has achieved sales of 11,455 units. Its product strength is evident. Although the T60 is only a functional car, its internal configuration can be described as luxurious, not only equipped with reversing radar, reversing image, electric folding rearview mirror, rearview mirror heating, seat heating, multi-function steering wheel, cruise control, etc. Functional configuration is also good enough in terms of safety configuration – T60 is equipped with lane departure warning, merging assist, driving fatigue warning, double pre-tensioned seat belts and other configurations, which are intended to protect the driving safety of the occupants to the greatest extent . The configuration of the T60 pickup can be compared with mainstream SUVs, which also makes it a new benchmark in the pickup truck market in 2017.

The first T60 model is a diesel model with mainstream demand. The T60 is equipped with a VM2.8T in-cylinder direct-injection turbocharged diesel engine from Europe, which adopts VGT variable cross-section turbocharging technology, with a peak torque of 360N m; a maximum power of 110kW . The same engine is also used in the Colorado model of the world-renowned pickup truck GM, with an output of more than one million units. It has international-level quality and is stable and reliable.

Who’s Converting Pickup RVs

Pickup RVs are the entry-level models of domestic RVs. On the supply side, there are single-row and double-row pickup RVs. The price ranges from 150,000 to 300,000. The biggest demands on the demand side are automatic transmission and four-wheel drive functions. At present, refitting manufacturers involve Jiangling Group RV, Great Wall RV, Zhongdao RV, Dream Tour RV, Speed ​​RV, Sagitar RV, Lingyang RV, etc.

Lanzhong C7

Lanzhong C7 RV is refitted with the 2017 Great Wall Fengjun 5 chassis. Compared with the current model, the wheelbase of the new car has been extended by 800mm to 3875mm, and the rear wheelbase has been widened by 120mm to 1645mm, which has enhanced the driving stability of the RV. , and make the RV more evenly loaded. In addition, the new Lanzhong C7 also adds a sunroof to enhance the permeability and lighting of the vehicle, and the passenger door is also upgraded. In terms of power, the new car uses a 2.0T diesel engine model GW4D20 with a maximum power of 110kW (150PS), matched with a 6-speed manual gearbox. The manufacturer publicizes: the streamlined appearance is soft and beautiful, the special chassis makes the RV more stable and safe, the RV-specific wiring harness, RV-specific technology, professional RV testing line, and the RV proving ground produce a safer RV.

JMC D-MAX off-road RV

The biggest highlight of the new JMC D-MAX off-road RV is the addition of a liftable roof, an original tailgate integrated camping platform, and an RV anti-mosquito sunroof. At the same time, the height limit of less than 2.5m increases the passability of the vehicle. It adopts the latest 4JJ1-TCHI engine launched by Isuzu, with a displacement of 3.0T, meeting the National V emission standards, and a maximum torque of 430N·m. The body size is 5770mm×1960mm×2560mm, with wild appearance and exquisite and compact interior, it is known as the best choice for field travel. The four-wheel-drive pickup car with automatic transmission has newly added Eaton differential lock to enhance the ability of the vehicle to get out of trouble, and it is a purely mechanical structure, which is durable and can function without manual operation.

Extreme Speed ​​T60 RV

Jisu created the first domestic RV using Chase T60 single-row pickup chassis. The biggest selling points of Jisu T60 RV chassis are four-wheel drive, Zeev 6-speed automatic transmission, comfort and high configuration. Advantages in configuration: driving air conditioner, parking air conditioner, parking heating system, floor heating combination, etc.; the entertainment system adopts internal multi-channel high-end audio, external multimedia yacht-specific outdoor audio, and 19-inch LCD satellite TV combination scheme; the kitchen system adopts Indoor kitchen: multifunctional cooking table, integrated stove with gas basin, range hood, combined with the pull-out kitchen of the body.

Dream Journey underworld single-row RV

Dream Journey underworld single-row RV adopts the suspension structure of Huanghai N2 fifth-generation four-wheel drive pickup truck. The advantage is that the longitudinal beam is wider than the chassis of the same type of pickup truck, which can effectively bear the load of the living area and make the driving more stable. The 70L fuel tank can provide more logistical support for the journey, and at the same time, it has better exhaust gas filtration, more torque-resistant drive shafts and four-door anti-collision beams. The body size (length, width and height) is 5995mm×2080mm×3035mm. It is equipped with ABS+EBD and dual airbags as standard, which is worthy of praise in terms of safety. The multi-function steering wheel and 7-inch touch screen are equipped with MP5 player, GPS navigation, Bluetooth phone and reversing camera functions, which can be equated with mainstream SUVs.

review

The Chinese caravan industry, which is in its infancy, needs a Chinese caravan refitting culture. It is difficult to copy the caravan refitting models of European and American countries. It is not easy to survive in the cracks in the existing light bus chassis, pickup chassis, bus chassis and more Among all modified chassis, the technological progress of pickup trucks far exceeds the upgrading of light passenger vehicles. If the sales volume of pickup truck RVs exceeds 2,000 units in 2018, the Chinese RV industry will usher in a blowout development.