Despite appearing production ready, the Mahindra Pik-Up is still very much a concept. Picture: Charl Bosch
The Mahindra Pik-Up has showed steady growth in South Africa over the last few years. An all-new version of the bakkie, dubbed the Global Pik-Up for now, is set to raise the bar even further for the Indian carmaker.
The Global Pik-Up was revealed in Cape Town in August and became one of The Citizen Motoring’s most-read stories of the year.
As Mzansi is undoubtedly bakkie country, it is no surprise that this segment got the most attention on our website this year. No less than five out of our top 10 most-read stories were about bakkies.
Bakkie news spanned from Renault’s Oroch making a public local appearance to the red-hot Ford Ranger Raptor raising the bar as the fastest bakkie.
During the last 10 days of December, we look back at these five along with the rest of the top 10 Motoring Newsmakers of 2023.
ALSO READ: Mahindra Global Pik Up details emerge but reveal still a ways to go
The next generation Mahindra bakkie borrows heavily from the Scorpio-N, which was launched in February. It sports a very similar front design which includes the carmaker’s new Twin Peaks logo.
The new bakkie is likely to be powered by Mahindra’s 2.2-litre mHawk turbodiesel engine. The mill also serves on the Mahindra Pik-Up and the Scorpio-N. On these two models it is mated to either six-speed manual or six-speed automatic transmission.
The new bakkie won’t be replacing the current Mahindra Pik-Up. It will form part of a three-tier line-up which also includes the Bolero and Pik-Up.
The Global Pik Up will reportedly also feature significant upgrades in technology over the current Mahindra Pik-Up inside.
ALSO READ: WATCH: Concept Mahindra Global Pik Up makes dramatic reveal
The new bakkie is said to be revealed next year. However, first export models are only expected to arrive in 2026.
By outselling the Nissan Navara, VW Amarok and GWM P-Series, the Mahindra Pik-Up has consolidated its position of fourth-best selling bakkie in Mzansi. The top three are the Toyota Hilux, Ford Ranger and Isuzu D-Max.
No 10 – Facelift Isuzu D-Max unveiled
No 9 – Mercedes-AMG GT63 breaks cover
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