$31,000 gas truck gets 5,500 reservations before it even exists

Ask people what happened to the little pickup and you’ll usually get the same answer. It became very big. Then it became very expensive.

Then it became a rolling living room with heated seats, huge screens, software subscriptions, and a price tag that made ordinary buyers wonder what trucks even were anymore.

this is the frustration REO is trying to take advantage of this.

A Texas startup is introducing the Runabout, a small gas-powered truck aimed at those who miss pickups while being basic, useful, and easy to understand.

The headline number is US$21,500 (~$31,000 AUD), which seems almost impossible in today’s truck market.

Maybe that’s why it caught people’s attention. The REO says it received 5,500 reservations in six days. This doesn’t prove that the truck will be built, but it does prove that the idea has taken hold.

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America misses the basic truck

The runabout pitch is almost aggressively simple. gas engine. Body-on-frame construction. mechanical parts. Easy repair. Made in Texas. Sold directly.

It sounds less like a modern startup pitch and more like someone describing the truck they want Toyota, Ford or Nissan to still make.

REO founder Zach DeBernardi is not a traditional auto executive. He is a Texas real estate entrepreneur and car enthusiast who says his inspiration comes from old Toyotas, particularly the simple, durable trucks people still remember with unusual affection.

That old Toyota energy is at work here. Runabout is not being sold as a lifestyle accessory. It is being sold as an appliance. Something affordable, repairable, and honest enough to be used properly.

The company’s planned lineup includes a base T4X priced at US$21,500, while the report says the crew-cab T4C could be priced around $25,000 and the S4C SUV could be priced around $28,500.

Those numbers are the hook because modern trucks rarely come close to them.

A new pickup now often becomes a luxury purchase while pretending to be practical. REO is promising the opposite: a practical truck that doesn’t apologize for being basic.

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Exciting buyers is the easy part

The difficult moment comes next. Building a US$21,500 gas-powered truck in America isn’t just posting renders, opening reservations, and saying the right things online.

REO still has to secure suppliers, lock in production, meet regulations and prove it can deliver the truck at anywhere near the promised price. This is a huge challenge for any startup, especially one trying to build something affordable in a market where even established automakers struggle to keep costs down.

There is also a policy problem. A small gas-powered truck sounds simple to buyers, but fuel economy regulations, emissions standards and political changes can quickly make the business case difficult. It seems the REO is aware of that risk, mentioning the possibility of a hybrid option if the rules change.

REO isn’t the only startup pursuing the idea of ​​a cheap truck. Slate is also trying something similar With a small electric pickup, while REO is betting on petrol power.

It’s a simple bet, but not easy. Still, 5,500 reservations in six days says something real.

People are tired of trucks being too expensive, too complicated, and too far removed from their original purpose.

REO may or may not be the company to solve this. But the demand is clearly there. America still wants a basic truck. Someone just has to make one.