American buyers love full-size trucks, which is why the mid-size segment has been lacking competition until very recently. The United States is also a very difficult place to sell trucks because of the chicken tax, which impacts all trucks manufactured outside of the country. This is why there are so many European trucks like the Mercedes-Benz X-Class and Volkswagen Amarok that are not sold here in the US.

We've always felt there were several trucks from Europe that would sell well if they were offered in the US because the current crop of mid-size trucks is simply too large and thirsty for certain buyers. The Fiat Fullback was one of our favorite candidates to come to the US but our dreams of driving it have just been crushed.

Speaking to Auto Express, the head of Fiat Professional, Richard Chamberlain, said the Fullback has been discontinued due to slow sales. "A combination of factors has led to the Fullback no longer being on sale," he said. "Low sales volumes and the forthcoming Euro 6 diesel emissions legislation meant it was no longer viable for Fiat Professional to offer the Fullback." The Fullback was basically a rebadged version of the Mitsubishi L200, which is also not sold in the US. Mitsubishi will update its truck later this year and is even considering offering one for the US in the distant future.

We believe Fiat needs to start selling larger models that will appeal to US consumers more than its current lineup. A compact pickup truck like the Fullback would have been a prime candidate but now that the truck is being discontinued, there's no chance we'll see it in the US. Fiat could build an all-new truck on its own platform but we think the more likely scenario is the Fullback will go without a successor. That's too bad because, with a name like Fullback, Fiat's truck may have stood a chance in the competitive US truck market.