Africans frequently choose the pick-up because of its dependability when traveling long distances with no AA in sight. You can see why African drivers need to be certain their automobiles won't break down by looking at the photographs up above.
This explains the reason Toyota Hilux has dominated the local environment. You may read about how the recently updated Hilux functions on UK roads and dirt on Tuesday. It will be a crucial test to see if it can compete with modern pickup trucks like the Ford Ranger and Mitsubishi Mitsubishi L200. However, in the more natural areas of the planet, people use various standards.
According to someone who has spent a significant amount of time working in Southern Africa, it doesn't take long to comprehend these many yardsticks. I met a man in Namibia who had once broken down on the road near Swakopmund. I hasten to emphasize, not in a Toyota.
He had to think quickly and laterally because there was no chance of being rescued by passing vehicles (Namibia is nearly the size of Spain and Germany combined, but just 2.5 million people call it home). Daytime highs of at least 40 degrees Celsius are possible. He tossed pebbles, branches, and even his shoes at a telegraph wire he saw overhead to bring it down. He knew that if he cut the cable, someone in Swakopmund would be alerted and come outside to investigate what was wrong. My acquaintance was saved by an engineer once, and she is still alive now.
Africans continue to purchase the Hilux in large numbers because Toyota has established a reputation for hardly being the reason for those life-or-death circumstances. It sells a quarter more than the Ranger, its closest competitor, and is the best-selling pick-up and automobile in South Africa. Even the Volkswagen Polo Vivo outsells it in sales. Here, picture a pick-up surpassing a compact hatchback. Despite all of the competitors currently for sale, the market share remains above 40%. In reality, if anything, it is increasing.
My encounter with the automobile there was just as jarring. I once found myself in the heart of Damaraland, a region that would make the moon seem hospitable and where the distance to the next water source was four hours. We had 2 Hiluxes to transport us all, but we never even batted an eye when something broke on them. We honestly never considered it. We only had a small amount of extra petrol and a spare tire.
