You have probably not heard of the new Toyota HiLux Champ pickup. Probably because they don’t want you to know about it. “They” being the people who control the federal regulatory apparat, who don’t want you to know that people in other countries can buy a brand-new pick-up for $13,000 or so to start – something no American has been allowed to do (in America, at any rate) for more than 20 years.
And it’s more than just that. The ’24 HiLux Champ is a mid-sized pickup – not a compact. The latter was the last kind of truck you could buy here for around $13k or so brand-new, about 20 years ago.
You can guess why not – and it has nothing to do with “emissions.”
But hang on for just a second while we take a look at the truck you won’t be allowed to buy, if you’re stuck living in America.
The HiLux Champ is everything a truck used to be, beginning with affordable. It costs about half what you’d spend to buy the least-expensive new truck you’re allowed to buy in America – the Ford Maverick – which stickers for $23,920 to start. And unlike the Maverick – which looks like a truck – the Champ is a truck. Put another way, it isn’t based on a FWD/AWD layout (as the Maverick is) and it features body-on-frame construction rather than unibody construction, which is how almost all new cars are put together.
That means it’s tougher and simpler. Easier to fix – and less likely to break.
…
It is unimaginable in America – what has become of America – because the American government is not interested in enhancing the quality of life of Americans – much less providing them with new economic opportunities made possible by their being able to afford a truck like the HiLux Champ.
https://www.ericpetersautos.com/2024/06/30/the-13k-toyota-pickup-you-cant-buy/
h/t Vicious Deplorable dollop