<P> A pickup truck is a light - duty truck having an enclosed cab and an open cargo area with low sides and tailgate . Once a work tool with few creature comforts, in the 1950s, consumers began purchasing pickups for lifestyle reasons, and by the 1990s, less than 15% of owners reported use in work as the pickup truck's primary purpose . Today in North America, the pickup is mostly used like a passenger car and accounts for about 18% of total vehicles sold in the US . </P> <P> The term pickup is of unknown origin . It was used by Studebaker in 1913 and by the 1930s, "pick - up" (hyphenated) had become the standard term . In Australia and New Zealand, "ute", short for utility vehicle, is used for both pickups and coupé utilities . In South Africa, people of all language groups use the term bakkie, a diminutive of bak, Afrikaans for bowl / container, due to the cargo area's similarities with a bowl and container . </P> <P> In the early days of automobile manufacturing, vehicles were sold as a chassis only, and third parties added bodies on top . In 1913, the Galion Allsteel Body Company, an early developer of the pickup and dump truck, built and installed hauling boxes on slightly modified Ford Model T chassis, and from 1917 on the Model TT . Seeking part of this market share, Dodge introduced a 3 / 4 - ton pickup with cab and body constructed entirely of wood in 1924 . In 1925, Ford followed up with a Model T - based, steel - bodied, half - ton with an adjustable tailgate and heavy - duty rear springs . Billed as the "Ford Model T Runabout with Pickup Body", it sold for US $281; 34,000 were built . In 1928, it was replaced by the Model A which had a closed - cab, safety - glass windshield, roll - up side windows and three - speed transmission . In 1931, Chevrolet produced its first factory - assembled pickup . Ford Australia produced the first Australian "ute" in 1932 . During the Second World War, the United States government halted the production of privately owned pickup trucks . </P>

Where did the term pickup truck come from
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