Texas Real Estate Guy Wants to Make a $21,500 Truck. He Got 5,500 Reservations in Six Days

REO Industries, a Texas-based startup, says it wants to sell a small, gas-powered pickup called the Runabout starting at $21,500, and reported receiving 5,500 reservations in six days. The plan targets buyers who want a simple, mechanical, body-on-frame truck that is easy to repair and engineered to run 500,000 miles. Founder and CEO Zach De Bernardi told The Drive that the company’s internal-combustion emphasis differentiates it from EV-focused rivals, criticizing how most startups have chased a smaller market and accumulated losses, aside from Tesla. He compared the company’s design direction to older Toyota models and described “reliability by design,” including ideas such as making fuel-pump replacement possible without removing the interior. The article contrasts REO with Slate’s supposed near-term effort around a $24,950 electric truck.