China’s latest electric pickup is not just another quirky overseas model that American drivers will never see. By landing in showrooms at roughly $18,000 to $18,300, it undercuts even the most aggressive U.S. budget EV truck projects and exposes how far Detroit still has to go on cost, efficiency, and speed. I see it as a blunt benchmark that forces Ford, General Motors, Stellantis, and a wave of American startups to justify why their “affordable” electric pickups cost thousands more.
The question is no longer whether Chinese automakers can build credible trucks, but whether U.S. policy and industry strategy can keep them from redefining what value looks like in the segment that has long bankrolled Detroit’s profits. The answer will shape not only who sells the most pickups, but who controls the next generation of truck technology.
China’s $18K pickup and the new price benchmark
China has quietly reset expectations for what an electric work truck should cost. A new battery powered pickup, described in detail by Jan and other analysts, arrives at roughly $18,000 for a base model and about $18,300 for better equipped versions, a figure that would have sounded impossible in the U.S. market even a year ago. Reporting on how China “just raised the benchmark” makes clear that this is not a stripped novelty, but a truck with a usable bed, modern cabin, and a powertrain that can be configured up to roughly 300 kW. In other words, it is aimed at the same buyers who, in the U.S., are being asked to pay luxury-car money for electric pickups.
The company behind the truck, Chery, is not a fringe player. Coverage of how China Just Got an $18,300 electric pickup that puts the U.S. Market to Shame notes that Chery is launching its first battery electric pickup with a lineup that includes multiple battery sizes and configurations. The truck’s design and specs are tuned to mainstream expectations, not niche enthusiasts, which is exactly why it stings for U.S. incumbents. If a mass market Chinese brand can profitably sell a truck at this price, it undercuts the narrative that electric pickups must start north of $50,000 to be viable.
Design, capability, and the Toyota Hilux comparison
Price alone would be disruptive, but the styling and positioning of the new Chinese EV pickup show how directly it targets global truck tastes. Jan and Peter Johnson have highlighted that this Chinese EV looks a lot like a Toyota Hilux, the no nonsense workhorse that dominates markets from Australia to Southeast Asia. The resemblance is not accidental. By echoing a familiar silhouette and proportions, the truck signals that it is built for the same jobs and roads as the Hilux, only with a battery pack instead of a diesel. Reporting on how the Chinese EV pickup is “only $18,000” and has already drawn 70 Commen online underscores how quickly it has captured attention.
Under the skin, the truck is not a toy. Analyses of the Electric Pickup Raises Awkward Question for the Truck Market point to a powertrain setup with roughly 300 kW in higher trims, which puts it in the same performance neighborhood as some U.S. midsize and full size EV trucks. The truck’s range figures, measured on local test cycles, may not translate directly to EPA numbers, but they are competitive enough for daily work and commuting. When a vehicle that looks like a Toyota Hilux, drives like a modern EV, and costs $18,000 shows up, it becomes harder for American brands to argue that their far more expensive offerings are the only way to electrify trucks.
Detroit’s vulnerability and the North American opening
The real shock for U.S. automakers is not that this truck exists in China, but that similar vehicles are already edging closer to North American driveways. Analysts tracking Chinese EVs in Canada warn that If Ford, General Motors and Stellantis “sit back and relax and keep cranking out Rams, F-150s and other trucks, they won’t have a product that the rest of the world can’t compete against.” That blunt assessment, tied to the arrival of Chinese EVs in Canada, captures the strategic risk: once buyers see a credible $18,000 to $25,000 electric pickup up close, the psychological floor under U.S. truck pricing starts to crack.
Policymakers and industry groups are already voicing Concerns as Chinese brands test the waters in the North American market. One detailed assessment of how Concerns grow as Chinese vehicles move into North American showrooms notes that officials are watching both the competitive impact on domestic automakers and the potential security implications of connected cars built in China. For Detroit, the threat is twofold. There is the immediate risk of losing price sensitive buyers to cheaper imports, and the longer term danger that Chinese companies will set the standard for software, connectivity, and over the air services in trucks, just as they have in some segments of the smartphone market.
Security fears and the ‘give them an inch’ warning
Economic pressure is only part of the story. I also see a growing unease in Washington and across the U.S. tech sector about how deeply Chinese hardware and software could penetrate American roads. Experts have started to frame the issue in stark terms, warning that if regulators “Give them an inch, they’re going to take a mile.” That phrase, highlighted in coverage of how Experts sound alarm about Chinese technology, reflects a belief that once Chinese EVs gain a foothold, they will rapidly scale and be difficult to dislodge.
Security specialists like Simon Sa, cited in that same reporting, argue that the other issue is technology, not just price. Modern EVs are rolling computers, packed with sensors, cameras, and always connected control units. If those systems are designed and updated by companies subject to Chinese law, critics worry about data flows, remote access, and the possibility of hidden vulnerabilities. The Give them an inch warning is really about this deeper layer. Cheap trucks are the visible tip, but the contest is over who controls the software stack that will eventually manage fleets, charging, and even autonomous features.
America’s counterplay: Slate Auto and the race to a $20K truck
U.S. entrepreneurs are not blind to the threat, and some are trying to beat China at its own game on price. In Long Beach, a startup called Slate Auto is working on what it bills as America’s cheapest electric truck, designed in a modest studio rather than a gleaming tech campus. Reporting from that studio describes how Slate Auto is targeting roughly $25,000 for its base truck, about half the price of many current competitors, by stripping out nonessential features and focusing on a simple, durable platform.
The company’s first model, The Slate Truck, is described as a barebones EV that is expected to cost a little under $27,500, or less than $20,000 with the federal EV tax credit. That pricing, detailed in coverage of The Slate Truck, shows how federal incentives can narrow the gap with Chinese offerings, at least for buyers who qualify. Another report notes that Slate Auto, backed by Jeff Bezos, plans to sell its pickup for as low as $20,000, positioning it as a mass market EV available to American drivers rather than a luxury toy. A separate analysis of $27,500 and $20,000 price points for The Slate Truck reinforces how aggressive that target is in the current U.S. landscape.
Even with that ambition, the Chinese benchmark still bites. The Long Beach studio’s roughly $25,000 goal, described in detail in coverage of America‘s cheapest EV truck, remains several thousand dollars above the $18,000 Chinese pickup before incentives. And while federal credits can close that gap on paper, they depend on political support and complex eligibility rules. By contrast, the Chinese truck’s price is what it is on the window sticker. That is the brutal question for U.S. truck giants and startups alike: if Chery can build and sell a usable electric pickup for $18,300, why can’t the companies that turned the pickup into America’s best selling vehicle do the same?
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