The highly competitive South African bakkie market will welcome yet another newcomer when Chinese brand Foton will unveil its one-ton Tunland pickup at the Johannesburg Motor Show, in October.

The Tunland double-cab is designed “to take on the leaders in the high-end of this increasingly competitive segment of the market”, says Amalgamated Automobile Distributors (AAD), the joint venture between the Imperial and Bidvest groups, which manages the Foton brand in South Africa.
 
Production of the left-hand drive Tunland will start in Beijing in December, with right-hand drive export models scheduled to come off-line in February.

The Tunland will reach South Africa in the first half of 2012.
 
The Tunland, code-named P201, claims to be the largest one-ton pick-up on the market.

Power comes from a 2.8-litre turbo-diesel engine developed in conjunction with Cummins, of the US. It develops 120 kW of power and 360 Nm of torque.
 
A four-wheel drive transmission system, with rear differential lock, is optional, while a six-speed ZF automatic will be offered in the future.
 
The Tunland has an approach angle of 300, departure angle of 240 and ramp angle of 250, maximum gradeability of 60% and minimum ground clearance of 230 mm.

The new pick-up is built at a new multiplatform factory that has an annual capacity of 360 000 units.
 
AAD says an international team of experts contributed to the design and development of the Tunland, including around 50 people from Europe, the US and China, with input from 30 international suppliers, including Cummins, Bosch, Continental, ZF and Dana.

A total of 120 prototypes were used in the development phase, which lasted 36 months.
 
AAD says the the large pick-up is one of the key projects in Foton’s five-year plan, compiled as the manufacturer bids to become more of a global player, with the objective of producing four-million vehicles a year by 2020.
 
Established in 1996, Foton Motor is the largest commercial vehicle manufacturer in China, producing more than 680 000 vehicles in 2010.

It has 2 700 dealerships and 4 000 service outlets in China, and also sells its products in 100 countries worldwide.