The Foton Thunder has been a part of the brand’s lineup for the past couple of years. Following in the steps of the now-unavailable Blizzard, Foton’s pick-up truck has been staying quite comfortably in the wings. At least until now.
Foton has just lifted the covers off of the 2022 Thunder at the Manila International Auto Show (MIAS 2022) and wow does it look good (and very familiar) if we do say so ourselves. How? If the grill doesn’t scream Ford to you, then maybe the headlight units might be calling out “Hilux” to you. No? We know you see it.
But more than being a “similarly-designed” truck, the Thunder has a lot of good things going for it. It’s finally getting a new set of alloy wheels, grab bars on the bed, side mirror-integrated taillights, daytime running lights, and if we’re going to go with what the stickers say, 4×4 capability.
It’s always pleasant seeing classy bits in what’s otherwise supposed to be a rugged vehicle, and Foton is fitting some of those into the new Thunder. Leather seats with red accent stitching, clean buttons, toggles, and switches, and brushed (faux) aluminum adorn the cabin. Now we just have to get our hands on a unit and see if they’re more than their looks, right? (Hi, Foton Philippines!)
As for the engine, it’s been confirmed that the PH-spec Thunder gets a 2.0-Liter turbodiesel mill that churns out 161 HP and 390 Nm of torque that starts at just 1,800 RPM. At to day’s show, there was only a 4×2 manual transmission variant of the unit on display. We were told that there will eventually be a 4×2 automatic and a 4×4 variant, though. Apparently, they’re still finalizing its price, too, so no information on that as of yet.
There are a lot of more familiar brands in the country, and we’re actually very spoiled for choice. With more and more people choosing the diesel-powered route, maybe this truck is what Foton needs to steal everyone’s Thunder with their own.
