Chinese double cab pick-up to make UK debut

Date: Friday, June 15, 2007

Chinese manufacturer Yuejin is to launch a low-cost double cab pick-up in the UK this year. It should be available from August onwards.

 

Powered by a 138 bhp 2.4-litre engine built under licence from Toyota that will run on either petrol or liquefied petroleum gas, the Yuejin XK will go on sale at the knock-down price of £9,995 plus VAT. For that you get air conditioning, leather seats, electric windows, chrome side-steps, a chrome rear bumper, a radio/CD player and power steering.

A five-speed manual gearbox comes as standard. Automatic transmission is available, but will not initially be offered in the UK.

XK is built as a 4x4, but sharp and sometimes unfair criticism of the use of big four-wheel drive vehicles in urban areas — and in London in particular — means that importer Yuejin UK will be offering XK solely as a 4x2.

The vehicle is very much targeted at customers who regularly travel in and out of the centre of the capital, and its dual-fuel status should mean that it is congestion tax exempt, says the company. The dual-fuel conversion work is carried out in the UK.

Top payload is 1,025kg, so business users should be able to claim back the VAT. A diesel engine is in the pipeline and a single-cab XK may be available in the future too.

Yuejin is already selling a dual-fuel light commercial in the UK with a marked resemblance to an old-style Nissan Cabstar. Sales growth is, however, hampered by the lack of a dealer network. The importer has one site in Chertsey, London plus a technical centre in Southampton.

Yuejin builds over 180,000 vehicles annually at its three Chinese plants.

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