Sitting in the almost-dark recesses of the 2009 New York Auto Show was a compact pickup truck from Barkan Design called the Counter Balance. This prototype is unique from any other truck design—and it wasn’t done by a major auto maker.
Elad Barkan is an Italian designer who built the ideal pickup because no car maker would listen. The Counter Balance has a trunk in the front for lockable storage. The bed is expandable from five feet to a full size 7.5 feet. It will run on ethanol or propane.
What's Driving This Trend
- Creative Compact Pickup Truck Designs
- Opportunity for designers to create unique and innovative compact pickup truck designs that cater to specific customer needs and preferences.
- Front-trunk Storage in Pickup Trucks
- Potential for introducing front-trunk storage solutions in pickup truck designs to provide secure and lockable storage space for drivers.
- Flexible Bed Size in Pickup Trucks
- Opportunity to develop pickup trucks with expandable bed sizes, allowing customers to easily adjust the length of the truck bed based on their specific needs.
Who This Affects Most
- Automotive Design
- Automotive designers can capitalize on the demand for unusual and creative compact pickup truck designs to stand out in the market.
- Automotive Manufacturing
- Manufacturers can innovate by incorporating front-trunk storage solutions and flexible bed sizes in their compact pickup truck models to attract customers seeking practicality and versatility.
- Energy Alternatives
- Companies in the energy sector can explore opportunities by developing technologies that enable compact pickup trucks to run on multiple fuel sources like ethanol and propane.
