Here, they're everywhere, especially in farm country...in France I saw not a one, not even in rural areas in Provence and the Dordogne. Lots of those little enclosed Renault vans, but nary a pickup truck as an American would recognize one.

Has anyone any idea of why they're rare or nonexistant there?

I think it might have something to do with the mpg of a tiny van vs a huge pick up = and the cost of gas in France

"a tiny van vs a huge pick up"

OK, then, how about small pickups, those produced by Nissan or Toyota, for example? They're very economical and very popular in the US and elsewhere. I didn't see pickups of any size or manufacture. Could Citroen, Renault and Peugot be missing the proverbial boat?

I don't think there's a market for American-style pick-ups in France. I don't recall ever seeing one in the country. The closest I've seen is small Japanese or French utility vehicles.

It isn't just France - in three weeks in rural UK you will see maybe one or two pick ups the whole time.

On my last trip I was surprised to see a pick up at one of the farmhouse B&Bs.

And the market is artificially skewed in the States because pick ups are classified/taxed at cheaper rates than passenger cars. So all those pick ups doing the school run or commuting to downtown offices or at the mall -- are "really" just farm/general transport vehicles.

'And the market is artificially skewed in the States because pick ups are classified/taxed at cheaper rates than passenger cars'

Not here in Arizona, they're not, unless they qualify for the special 'farm vehicle' plate. Otherwise they're licensed and taxed just the same as passenger cars.

My sister has very close friends who live in the UK and visit France often. When they visited her in Texas they were in awe at the number of pickup trucks on the road on a daily basis. They apparently just couldn't get over it and were snapping photos left and right.

I'm not surprised. European farms are so small that you simply don't need to carry that much stuff around. My dad ranches/farms in West Texas, and his pickup bed (during plowing season) would contain:

1. 50 gallon diesel tank

2. "Old" toolbox (WWI surplus)

3. "New" toolbox (WWII surplus)

4. Barbed wire, bailing wire, stretchers, and other fencing tools for needed repairs

5. Shovels

6. Jack and block to set same on (for use on tractor)

7. Saddles and tack

On a European farm, you keep all that stuff in the barn, and go the 500 meters or so to pick it up when you need it. Not the same as having to cover several thousand acres, located 10 miles from your home.

In 2005 we traveled for three weeks in Germany, Austria & Switzerland. We never saw a pick-up truck during our entire trip.

I recall a piece in the Toronto Star where an automotive writer said that North America is missing out on some practical working trucks from Europe because the pick up truck is so dominant here.

JefferyJ: I wasn't talking about state/local taxes etc. Different states handle trucks differently, but by Federal regs, a pick up is not a passenger vehicle so they are taxed differently (and also don't have to meet the same emissions/mileage rules)

Maybe it's a cultural thing and the product of marketing. One of my favorite "damn Yankee" anecdotes happened a few years ago after I had moved back to South Texas. A transplant from New England whom I met at a party confided that he could not wait to get out of here. When I inquired if it was the summer heat and humidity that was the problem, he replied "No - it's just all this competition to see who can drive the biggest vehicle - where I come from one apologizes for driving a truck"

I took nine Spanish visitors on business to California. They were amazed with the pick-up trucks. Those that are tricked-out, they wanted to ask what they're for used. The bed was never used and it was really useless space to haul around.

There are some pick-ups in Spain, France, and England. Mostly are Land Rovers. The same vehicles are spotted all of Africa too.

I do see a few pick-ups from Citroen lately. Mostly, the owners need the place to put their equipment which can be stored overnight without growing legs. The white small vans throughout Europe take the place of the pick-ups.

Blackduff

pwk may have a point about distances.

Pickups, konwn as "utes" here, are very common in Australia, especially in the country - qwhere they are used a lot for farm work, or just hooning around.

But the Australian "ute" (utility truck) is a more modest, low-profile (in both senses) beast than the American pickup - imagine a standard sedan with the rear half turned into a truck bed.

you're right, Neil. I'd forgotten that!

The Australian UTE is also different as each one comes with its own dog.

An American colleague who sits next to me, had a pickup in the US because it was cheaper than a normal car to buy.

I just find them ugly and impractical, you wouldn't want to leave anything in the open back due to the threat of stealing and what happens when it rains.

I can understand farmers using them, but in Europe most farmers use tractors or Land Rovers to move things.

For the first time in the UK, I've noticed TV adverts for Dodge but not for pickups, for saloons, their main selling point is that while they may not look very stylish they are cheap

Don't know if it'll work.

Geordie

Well spotted, Geordie. But a cattle dog is offered as an option only in the bush. Urban ute drivers opt for a big sound system.

Dodges in the UK? Well, there you go - I haven't seem one in the Land of Oz for donkeys' years.

Janisj, in our suburban UK neighborhood, there are more than half a dozen pickups--including Mitsubishis, Toyotas and Ford Rangers. Plus a good number of SUVs. There's a Ford pickup parked out on the street right now. The Mitsubishi pickup down the street is one of the uglier vehicles we've seen. And yes, we've seen pick-ups in France, but only a couple.

"...imagine a standard sedan with the rear half turned into a truck bed."

Sounds eerily like the old Ford Ranchero to me.

Since Renault owns 44% of Nissan I suspect they have missed few boats of late.