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In the absence of a flair system on lemmy yet, let’s try to make it easier to scan through posts by type in here by using tags:
Honestly this is absurd. These death machines shouldn't be legal in europe. That thing doesn't even fit in the parking space, even though the parking lot has the biggest spaces in the whole city. The ~~Golf~~ Polo is so small in comparison, it could even hide in front of the engine hood of the truck.
EDIT: It's a Polo and not a Golf, I don't know my cars, sorry for that!
The bed in that thing is probably about the same size as the bed of a kei truck. Most pickup trucks in the US typically have beds about that size. If you really need to tow something enormous you're better off getting something designed for the purpose. People everywhere else in the world get around all the time with car-sized pickups like the older Hilux.
Only the US has such big pickups, and it's because the EPA allows less stringent emmissions standards the larger the vehicle is, so I guess it works out cheaper to just make the truck bigger and not bother dealing with tight standards. So ironically the EPA's regulation is creating more emmissions.
I'm afraid it's not because there's a good, rational reason to want a truck like that. It's basically a side effect of lobbying and anticompetitive behaviour.
EDIT: Not Just Bikes has done a pretty good breakdown of the problem with oversized SUVs & pickups here: https://youtu.be/jN7mSXMruEo
Kei trucks can’t go very fast, and their load capacity isn’t nearly as much as a truck like this. They are really awesome though!
The bed in that thing is tiny compared to its size, and they are incredibly unsafe at speed. You don't want them to go fast, especially not in the middle of a city.
The economies between the two regions just aren't fully comparable at the trade and industrial scale. Wholly agree that pollution is a problem. Wholly agree there are idiots with lifted trucks and mall crawlers for no reason. But 8' truck beds are standard for tradespeople in America because they are extremely functional, and versatile. Making 2 specialized vehicles is more costly than making one versatile one.
The thing designed for that purpose is, indeed, a work truck.
Let's keep in mind that the EU's stringent environmental standards didn't stop the disastrous reality of just how bad diesel has been as a pollutant for Europe, leading to worse air quality than most places in America.