After years of neglect, the midsize pickup truck segment is finally taking off again. GM reintroduced the Chevrolet Colorado and the GMC Canyon for 2015, Toyota finally redesigned the Tacoma, and later this year, Ford will bring back the Ranger. For buyers who don’t need a full-size pickup, it’s great to have several midsize options again. But whatever happened to small trucks? If the latest report is accurate, Ford may be about to introduce one of those, as well.
According to our friends at AUTOMOBILE, Ford’s currently developing a compact truck to replace the old Brazilian-built Courier. And while it’s primarily intended for international markets, Ford is also reportedly considering selling it in the U.S. As a unibody vehicle, it probably wouldn’t be as profitable as the F-150 currently is, but a third Ford truck could make it difficult for GM to continue its lead in overall truck sales. The F-Series far outsells the Chevrolet Silverado, but when you include the Chevrolet Colorado, GMC Sierra, and GMC Canyon, Ford slips into second place.
According to one unnamed source, this new truck will be based on the Focus, meaning it won’t be rear-wheel-drive. But since Ford still plans to sell the Focus Active here, it shouldn’t be difficult to add a Focus-based pickup to the lineup. However, AUTOMOBILE points out that the compact truck’s future in the U.S. hinges on the trade deals and tariffs the Trump administration negotiates in the coming years.
As far as names go, expect it to still be called the Courier, at least internationally. If it does come to the U.S., though, we agree with AUTOMOBILE that it should be called the Ranchero. There’s no guarantee that Ford agrees, but hey, we can hope, right?
Source: AUTOMOBILE
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