Americans and Canadians love big pickups. Given the Dutch tax climate and our tight residential areas, you would think that those mastodons only feel at home here in Dino Experience Park Gouda. Yet every year there are about 2000 Dutch people who buy a new pick-up.
‘Real people don’t eat sushi.‘ With this slogan – anything but woke – the Swedish (!) Chevrolet importer tried to persuade potential pick-up customers about thirty years ago not to buy a Japanese model, but a ‘real’ Chevrolet truck. Supporting it was a commercial in which a thick black Chevy pushed a somewhat flimsy-looking Nissan pick-up off the road – bullbar against bullbar. Apparently, Dutch pick-up buyers are unconsciously still sensitive to this macho advertising, because almost 74 percent of the pick-ups sold here are of American origin.
Ram dominates the Dutch pick-up market
Funnily enough, a brand without an official Dutch importer dominates the market. We are talking about Ram, which was officially sold as Dodge Ram before 2009. Apparently they find this difficult at the RDW, because the government still registers a lot of cars as Dodge Ram. The bestseller is the Ram 1500, a beast with a length of at least 5.82 meters and a 5.7-liter V8 petrol engine behind the coarse-mesh fencing in the nose. You can get in from just under 40,000 euros – without taxes, of course.
Many Ram’s are fitted with an LPG installation on Dutch soil, with which the owners hope to keep fuel costs under control. In addition to about 800 Ram’s 1500, the Dutch also buy about twenty Ram’s 2500 every year. This is a real heavy-duty truck, which is built with a six-cylinder 6.7-liter diesel as well as a 6.4-liter V8 petrol engine.
Ford Ranger popular in the Netherlands, Ford F-150 not so
The second pick-up brand on the Dutch market is Ford, which especially scores with the Ranger. About 400 of these passed through the dealerships last year. Within the Ranger range, the Wildtrak is by far the most popular version, but the wild Raptor also has the necessary fans. Ford’s larger, hugely popular F-series (F-150 and F-250) in the US is estimated to be good for just under 70 cars throughout the year.
General Motors is represented with the Chevrolet Silverado and the GMC Sierra. Over the whole of 2021, they managed to attract about 40 Dutch entrepreneurs with their macho charms.
The indestructible Toyota Hilux occupies third place
Despite the claims about sushi and real men, about 400 entrepreneurs opted for a new Toyota Hilux last year. He is allowed, according to former TopGear presenter Jeremy Clarkson indestructible are, in the Dutch sales statistics he is nicely trumped by the Americans.
Besides the Hilux, Toyota dealers also sold a few handfuls of Tundras. This big brother of the Hilux is the main non-American competitors of the RAM 1500 in the US, but it plays a modest role on the Dutch market.
Apparently real men don’t eat schnitzel either
The same is now true for the Nissan Navara. Apparently Rijkswaterstaat’s favorite car has passed its peak, because last year the Nissan importer was already exhausted after about 50 copies.
Mitsubishi is also there, although with a good 20 pieces of the L200 it is a bit for bacon and beans. Volkswagen is on the same modest level with the Amarok. Apparently real men don’t eat schnitzel either…
Top 11 pick-ups in the Netherlands
- RAM 1500 – 794
- Ford Ranger – 399
- Toyota Hilux – 366
- Ford F-150 – 57
- Nissan Navara – 48
- GMC Sierra – 23
- RAM 2500 – 20
- Mitsubishi L200 – 20
- Volkswagen Amarok – 20
- Chevrolet Silverado – 12
- Toyota Tundra – 10