Electric trucks and off-roaders are about to storm the new car market. Last year, Tesla debuted its avant-garde Cybertruck; Rivian is set to start producing its R1T and R1S in the later months of 2020; GMC will soon revive the Hummer as an electric super-truck; and Ford will forge ahead with an electric F-150.
One company doing things a bit differently — and almost entirely in black and white — is Bollinger Motors. Bollinger plans to push its B1 SUV and B2 pickup truck into production later this year.
A little while ago, we spoke to company founder and CEO Robert Bollinger about what you can expect when his rigs hit the road. But in case you need a quick refresher course, here’s what you can expect.
Bollinger trucks look boxy and distinctive
Other manufacturers target a market and build a vehicle toward it. Robert Bollinger, however, is building the truck he — and hopefully, enough other people — want. The B1 and B2 are stripped-down, boxy off-roaders — and they take “boxy” quite literally. The B1 and B2 bear a strong resemblance to a classic Land Rover Defender, even more than the new version does. Bollinger believes the appearance will give the brand a unique appeal.
“Even though it harkens back to classic design, we’re bringing that back knowing that no one else will probably do that,” Bollinger said. “We are comfortable being the opposite of what other people are doing, and that’s kind of our thing.”
Designing a truck that’s so boxy was also a product of the hand-building process. “We wanted to make it ourselves by hand and not stamp pieces,” Bollinger said. “So, once you have flat sheets that you’re bending, you’re in that camp. It limits you, but in a good way, I think.”
