According to Reuters, automakers Ford and General Motors are aiming the pick-up truck, an iconic staple in the United States, at upmarket buyers in China, where most associate trucks with farmers and construction workers. “The Chinese call it pika, pika – a very low-end worker’s (vehicle). But the (Ford F-150) Raptor is totally different,” said Wesley Liu, Ford’s Asia-Pacific sales director, ahead of this month’s Guangzhou autoshow. Trucks are largely restricted to overnight driving in most Chinese cities, but four provinces – Yunnan, Liaoning, Hebei and Henan – have this year launched trial programs allowing them into urban zones in an attempt to stimulate production as economic growth, and car sales, slow. With those looser restrictions, US pick-up makers aim to distance their trucks from local models and appeal to Chinese premium buyers.