If you're tired of waiting for Ford to launch a right-hand-drive version of the iconic F-150 in Australia, there might be a solution a little closer to home, with Chinese brand Foton launching its own jumbo truck that, if we're honest, looks more than a little bit familiar.
While it's actually roughly the size of a Ford Ranger or Toyota HiLux, its styling is obviously borrowed from the bigger American truck, with the Foton Big General, or Da Jiang Jun, a dead-ringer for the US icon.
It will debut in full at the Beijing Auto Show later this month, but details have begun to emerge about just what to expect from the Big General.
For a start, Foton will serve up a trio of engines, including a 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol, a 2.0-litre diesel and a 2.5-litre diesel. You'll also get a ZF eight-speed automatic and an expected four-wheel-drive setup.
The Big General is next to no chance of ever making it to Australia, but it does show the art of imitation is alive in well with some Chinese manufacturers.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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