Three heavyweight champs of the US pickup scene are in the news. But only one has immediate relevance to Kiwis.

Spot the new Ford F-150 Lightning. If you’re troubled … it’s the silver one.

DON’T get too excited … it’s not for us.

That’s the clarification from Ford New Zealand in respect to the F-150 Lightning, the Blue Oval’s breakthrough electric pick-up, whose global debut tomorrow has already been gazumped by an event involving America’s president.

Ford NZ today sent out a media advisory about tomorrow’s early AM (NZ time) event, saying it would follow up with full details about the vehicle.

Local communications manager Tom Clancy also said he’d be available for questions.

There seemed just one that cried out to be asked immediately: Namely, what was the relevance of this product to the New Zealand market?

The answer? Well, if you’re a fan of heavy-duty American load-alls with a hope that this brand was about to unleash a rival for the Chevrolet Silverado and RAM 1500 ….

Clancy says sorry for getting those hopes up. There’s no news of a right hand drive programme for F-150 in any guise.

“(It’s) just an FYI for us. No overseas info is being announced.”

It’s almost certainly coincidence that the Ford reveal occurs just as New Zealand’s RAM dealer network, in the hands of Ateco Group, is taking delivery of the long-awaited 1500 DT series, in two variants, the Laramie and the Limited. A high performance TRX is also coming later in the year.

The flagship grunter has yet to be priced, but the DT Laramie starts at $137,990 while the Limited kicks in at $159,990. The DS series that has served the market for years continues in the portfolio, in quad and crew cab Laramie trim, identified from now on as the 'Classic’, prices toppping at $119,900.

Like the DS, the new DT runs a 5.7-litre Hemi petrol V8 but here it is coupled with a mild-hybrid system that employs a 48-volt battery pack. This recuperates energy during braking, using it to stop and start the engine when the vehicle is stationary, and provides "short-term torque assist" under acceleration. Output is quoted as 291kW and 556Nm.

The Melbourne facility where factory-fresh product is converted into right-hand-drive format for New Zealand and Australia began re-jigging for the new model some months ago.

The TRX (above) will be a bigger step up, still, as it is powered by a supercharged 6.2-litre Hemi V8 – shared with the Dodge Challenger Hellcat and Jeep Grand Cherokee Trackhawk – creating an astonishing output of 523kW and 881Nm.

Even though the TRX is bluff, massive and weighs 2.7 tonnes, Ram claims it’ll still hammer out the 0-100kmh dash in 4.5 seconds and the quarter mile (400m) run in 12.9 seconds at 174kmh. Top speed is rated at 189kmh. That makes it one of the world’s fastest production pick-ups.

Meantime, the Lightning ….

The electric version of the F-150 appeared ahead of its official debut through having featured during US President Joe Biden’s visit to the Ford Rouge electric-vehicle plant in Michigan.

The new variant featured in a group of F-150s strategically parked in the background when Biden gave a speech. He later took one for a drive – this also being videoed.

The Lightning appears to have the same body as a standard F-150 crew cab but its headlights and wheels are different.

Finally, in other heavyweight EV news from Stateside, a US website has shared that the upcoming all-electric 2022 GMC Hummer EV Edition 1 pick will tip the scales at a whopping 4130kg.

That’s the equivalent of two Ford Ranger doublecabs and also about 2000kg more than the only Hummer ever officially sold here, the H3.

It’s expected the bulk of the electric vehicle's mass will come from its mammoth 200kWh lithium-ion battery pack, which is four times the size of that in the standard Tesla Model 3.

However, despite this huge power supply, the Hummer's size and aerodynamic inefficiency means it will only get a slightly longer range than the Tesla.

Why mention the Hummer EV? Because GM has suggested this monster machine might be among the electric models that are ultimately intended for global availability.

And since General Motors’ Special Vehicles is already set up in NZ, selling the Silverado and, from year-end, the C8 Corvette …