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Ford Truck on Display at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show

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Have you noticed that as China has grown in size and wealth, trucks seem to becoming more and more popular in this country of 1 billion+ people? This video highlights the Nitto truck booth at the 2013 Shanghai Auto Show. As you would expect, it features underdressed girls and lowered cars, but surprisingly, there’s a pretty sick Ford Raptor on display. We would never think of a Ford Raptor being the vehicle of choice in China, but as the country has grown more wealthy, it appears that the truck market is poised for growth. Whatever happens, it’s great to see Nitto representing trucks in emergin markets and we hope they keep it up.

Do you think China will ever be a major market for lifted trucks?

Dodge Ram Spotted in China

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How do the Chinese feel about trucks? Well, you won’t spot many in Beijing or Shanghai and even less in Hong Kong, a small island with more than 7,000,000 people. With as much land as China has, you think it would be a mecca for trucks. Obviously the lack of income in the rural areas inhibit truck ownership, but as the country has prospered, this could change in the future.

According to CarNewsChina.com, a Dodge Ram SRT-10 was recently spotted in a used car dealership in Beijing. Since Dodge never launched the SRT-10 in China, there are questions around how it ended up here. According to the site, this truck may fetch up to $80,000. That price tag is a reminder that powerful, flashy trucks are still premium products in China. We think this market is ripe for a big truck manufacturer and suspension lift company to innovate. The Chinese love their bling watches and Mercedes Benz, but those are becoming a dime a dozen over there. Imagine if you were a Chinese elite and rolled up to an event in an 8″ lifted F150 with 20’s and 37’s. We’d guarantee people would stop and stare.

For now, the Chinese locals will have to rely on Dodges like this one and other U.S. trucks that get imported in ways that are likely questionable. To read the entire article, click here.

Toyo May Scale Back China Operations

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According to Bloomberg, Toyo Tire may slow or stop making investment in China due to anti-Japan sentiment coming from the country. This could lead them to invest in other Southeast Asian countries instead of Big Red. All this comes after Japan bought islands claimed by both countries. We’re not sure what the big deal is, but I guess the U.S. would get pissed if China bought Hawaii.

For now, this shouldn’t have an impact on the U.S. operations of Toyo, but you never know. Who knows how this will impact the company, especially if China stops buying Japanese products or a conflict occurs in the region. As the Bloomberg article points out, China is Toyo’s second largest manufacturing region next to Malaysia. This issue could lead to higher prices if Toyo cannot expand fast enough outside of the region. Keep your fingers crossed. Click here to read the entire Bloomberg article.

Toyo Expanding the Nitto Brand in China

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The headline isn’t exactly what you think. First things first, in case you weren’t aware, Nitto is owned by Toyo Tires. Not surprising since they are both top quality brands. The story above is true, but it relates mainly to a partnership on passenger car tires in China. Toyo is going to partner with a truck and bus tire manufacturer in China, so this could be a sign of more trucks to come in China. And if China gets more trucks, it’s only a matter of time before they get lifted trucks 🙂

SoCal SAYS: As China gets more wealthy, they are going to want trucks. Why? Because more stuff requires vehicles to move that stuff, which means trucks will be more and more necessary. We can’t wait until we see pics of the first lifted truck in China. One day my friends…one day.