Canoo Takes a Page From Jeep's Book, Launches the Civilian-Oriented American Bulldog

First things first, you cannot get a Canoo American Bulldog because the EV isn't being made yet. The California-based publicly traded company delivered the military version of it to the US military and three other vehicles to NASA. That's it.

It may sound bad at first, but Canoo is also working with the US Department of Defense to advance battery technology and has its eyes set on international markets like Saudi Arabia.

Furthermore, in August, it also claimed to have signed a purchase agreement with a "Fortune 100 customer." Some LDV 130 and LDV 190 units reached the US Postal Service (USPS), but that's not a member of that prestigious corporate ranking. It might be Walmart again, though!

In April, the young brand announced a long-term lease agreement with a company that secured 500,000 square feet of plant space in Oklahoma to start making its EVs. It also said it will employ around 500 people or more at the site. That number should go up because there's an agreement with the Sooner State to create 1,360 manufacturing jobs.

Canoo has put its hands on a facility with everything needed to kickstart production. That place even includes a training center and a test track.

The only thing Canoo hasn't done yet is put at least one of its vehicles into a retail customer's hands. But, fingers crossed, maybe that will happen soon. The newcomer announced a new member of its family, and that's the American Bulldog. The name is very suggestive, but it tries to underline that the all-electric mini pickup truck is a US product, not something imported from overseas. We'll see just how American it is after the Monroney label gets put on one of the windows.

In a certain way, the American Bulldog might be just what we needed. Pickup trucks are in high demand, and a slightly smaller one wouldn't hurt, especially since it's battery-electric.

The Canoo Screaming Eagle

Sadly, we aren't being told much about it. The company used all sorts of powerful and exciting adjectives to hype it up but forgot or avoided revealing the specifics. We do know, however, that it has an all-wheel-drive layout with two motors that give it a claimed output of 600 hp.

The American Bulldog might be similar to the entry-level Chevy Silverado EV WT or Ford F-150 Pro in the sense that it gives the owner the essentials without any fancy add-ons. The military likes dependable vehicles that can withstand tough conditions. Contrary to popular belief, "military grade" doesn't mean cheap.

The vehicle does seem to borrow Jeep's strategy. The young company is trying to borrow some military prestige to market a new vehicle. But Jeep's major advantage is that it had one of its vehicles tested during live combat. Its performance was also cataloged as "America's greatest contribution to warfare" by WWII US Army Chief of Staff George C. Marshall. Canoo, sadly, doesn't have this kind of historical pedigree. But maybe it'll get it at some point. Who knows what the military will have to do and where!

The American Bulldog should have a payload capacity of 1,800 lb and go about 200 miles on a single charge. But do remember that these are preliminary specs borrowed from the normal pickup truck and are not definitive. We don't have any official details yet, other than the fact that this cute thing can be specced with one or two motors. We don't even know what the starting price is.

As such, at the end of the day, Canoo brought forward yet another concept that may or may not get to exist in physical form. It certainly feels like the Californian startup is attempting to become a design studio rather than a full-on manufacturer. But I would love to be proven wrong, especially as that Oklahoma facility might come online soon.