Ford considering Focus-based tiny pickup for US, report says
It would slot beneath the Ranger and might be based on the new Focus platform.
The Ford Ranger is finally coming back to the US, but if one report is to be believed, it won't be Ford's smallest pickup in this market for long.
Ford is considering bringing a subcompact pickup truck to the US, Automobile Magazine reports, citing "sources familiar with Ford's future product plan."
The last Brazilian-market Courier was... not exactly fetching. Thankfully, the new Focus is a pretty attractive car off which to build something truckier.
In an emailed statement, Ford didn't shoot down the idea, but it didn't confirm anything just yet. "While we don't comment on speculation about future products, we are significantly expanding our North America lineup with all-new vehicles and entering new segments with fresh designs and white space silhouettes that will position us for even more growth," said Mike Levine, a Ford spokesman.
While the forthcoming Ranger will rock a traditional ladder frame, it's believed that Ford's new tiny truck will instead rely on a unibody chassis -- specifically, the same unibody that will be used on the next-generation Ford Focus. Ford already confirmed that the new Focus will only come to the US in one flavor -- the lifted-hatchback Focus Active, which will compete with the likes of the Subaru Crosstrek and Volkswagen Golf Alltrack .
This new subcompact pickup isn't exclusively for the US. It's actually a replacement for the Brazilian-market Courier, which was based on a 1998 Fiesta platform. It's a tiny little thing, with a regular cab design and a modest box out back. Its load capacity is a smidge over 1,500 pounds, which isn't too bad. It hasn't been built since 2013.
Ford has not been shy about its aspiration to stop furnishing the US with new sedans and hatchbacks . The automaker previously announced that after the current generations of Fiesta, Focus and Fusion run their course in the US, they won't be replaced. Instead, the company will focus on fleshing out its truck and crossover portfolios, since that's what US consumers are buying. Don't worry, though, the Mustang isn't going anywhere.
