Pickup Truck - Definition

Definition

Several North American vehicles, the Chevrolet El Camino, Ford Ranchero, Dodge Rampage, Honda Ridgeline and Subaru Baja have beds, but they are not usually referred to as pickups in North America, because their design and construction does not conform to normal expectations of "trucks". Although the El Camino and the Ranchero were built with body-on-frame architectures, they were based on existing station wagon platforms, while the Ridgeline uses a spot welded sheet steel monocoque (unibody) chassis in the same style as modern passenger cars. Trucks typically have either a tubular or channel rail chassis with a fully floating cab and separate cargo section to allow for chassis flex and prevent warping of the sheetmetal. The sheet steel in both of these sections is not a stressed member.

A combination of the two styles, monocoque cab and engine bay welded to a 'C' section chassis rear is commonly used for trucks (such as the Mercedes-Benz Sprinter chassis cab), but has not been common in North America. For instance, when offered in Australia it is known as the 'one tonner' because it is rated to carry some 250 kg (551 lb) more than the all monocoque style.

In Australia and New Zealand vehicles like the Holden Ute, Ford Falcon Ute and trayback vehicles which might be known as "pickups" elsewhere (such as the Toyota Hilux) are colloquially called utes.

In Romania they're known as a "slipper", in Egypt a "half truck" and in Israel a tender.

Panel vans, popular in Australia during the 1970s were based on a ute chassis; known in Egypt as a "box". Coupé utilities and panel vans usually have an integral cargo bed behind the cabin with unibody or monocoque construction like automobiles.

The design details of such vehicles vary significantly, and different nationalities seem to specialize in different styles and sizes of vehicles.