Foton to launch one tonne ute in 2012

Chinese-based manufacturer Foton is testing a new ute for the Australian marketplace, which boasts a one tonne payload and a three tonne towing capacity and even a ZF six-speed gearbox

Making use of Getrag and ZF gearboxes, heavy duty Dana axles and equipped with ABS, EBD, and dual front airbags, the new one tonne ute from Chinese manufacturer Foton is bigger and more capable than the Great Wall V240, but is unlikely to be as affordable.

Local importer WMC, based in Sydney, recently signed a deal to distribute the as-yet unnamed Foton ute in Australia, which will be on sale in January 2012 if all the ADR compliance testing goes to plan. It says that prices will be roughly 20 per cent less than comparable Japanese utes, so we could see prices starting in the low to mid $20k region.

The four-door crew cab version of the Foton ute (pictured) measures 5310mm in length and 1880mm high, making it longer and taller than the Nissan Navara crew cab ute. Ground clearance of the Foton ute will be 220mm.

WMC says the Foton ute has been benchmarked against the best Japanese utes, such as HiLux and Triton. The importer has plans to offer a full model line-up comprising half a dozen different models, including petrol and diesel utes in 4x2 and 4x4 layouts with crew cab, extra cab and single cab body styles.

The two engine options will be a Foton-built 2.4-litre petrol engine paired with a five-speed Getrag manual transmission which will be offered first, or the latest 2.8-litre Cummins ISF turbodiesel engine hooked up to a ZF six-speed automatic to come later. The latter engine is good for 120kW/380Nm and has a (braked) towing capacity of 3000kg.

The Managing Director of WMC, Jason Pecotic, revealed that Australia would be a test market for the new ute before it goes on sale in North America in 2013, and is confident the new light commercial vehicle will change the state of play in the LCV segment.

"Foton will be a game shifter in the ute sector delivering a sedan style interior on a wide body configuration boasting a full one tonne pay load and a three tonne towing capacity with power from Cummins, the world's largest and most experienced producer of diesel engines.

"Australia is a very important market with the third highest sales of utes in the world and Foton will be using us as a launch pad ahead of its planned move into North America and Europe over the next two years," noted Pecotic, who said the ute will be the first vehicle to be built at a brand new manufacturing plant near Beijing.

The company says it is "targeting an ANCAP rating of at least four-stars" and says the six-speed automatic ZF transmission will be packaged with an electronic transfer case for on-the-fly 4WD activation. It will also come with heavy duty Dana axles and limited-slip differentials.

Foton already has a joint venture with Daimler AG, which builds commercial trucks for the Chinese market place, and has plans to develop new factories in South America and India to furnish growing demand in those regions.

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