AUTONEWS

The new Chinese Foton pickup copies the Ford F-250 and the Ram TRX, depending on the equipment

Within the Chinese BAIC group, the Foton brand is responsible for commercial vehicles, whose latest pickup copies two North American models at the same time. The Mars 7 and Mars 9 are technically the same vehicle, the only difference between them is in equipment: the base model Mars 7 copies the Ford F-250, while the richly extraced Mars 9 already features the Ram TRX on the nose – in both cases the Ford F-150 is copied with the design of the lighting on the back wall.

The distribution of the Foton Mars 7 and Mars 9, based on a ladder chassis, starts with a 2.0-liter turbodiesel (163 HP/420 Nm), which is also equipped with a 48-volt mild hybrid drive, with a 6-speed manual transmission or ZF’s 8-speed automatic transmission. 

They use an independent suspension with double wishbones at the front and a rigid axle at the back, the driver support system enables the car to drive at level 2, and the electrical system can be kept up to date by remote updating. 

Next year, a plug-in hybrid drive using a gasoline engine will be offered for the Foton Mars 7 and Mars 9 pickups, and an electric version with a 100 kWh battery will also be launched in 2024.

by Lővei Gergely/Mundoquatrorodas