Ford is ready to jump in the fray with a small-pickup revival on the horizon.
For a long time, America has loved pickup trucks. The Ford Ranchero, and the Chevrolet El Camino were small car-based pickups that used to be found in America’s suburbs. They were similar to mailboxes or decorative shrubbery.
Light-duty front-wheel-drive pickups such as the Volkswagen Caddy and Plymouth Scamp were popular in the 1980s. The all-wheel drive Subaru Brat also played that role during the fuel-conscious 1980s. The era’s second decade saw the introduction of half-ton compact pickups made by both American and Japanese companies. This was a great recipe for success.
Unfortunately, the age of small and cheap pickups is over. Ford’s Ranger has a size similar to a 1990s F150. It starts at less than $25,000 but the current regulations mean that there are a lot of high-tech safety equipment and conspicuously missing features inside the cab. This is still the closest thing to a cheap, small pickup that was just off the showroom floor.
However, we may be on the verge of a small-pickup revival. The Hyundai Santa Cruz seems promising. There is also a small chance that we may be getting a small pickup truck from Volkswagen in the US. These spy photos of a heavily camouflaged Ford pickup suggest that Ford might be trying to get an even larger slice of the pie. Focus-based pickup.
Ford is busy replacing all cars in its fleet with crossovers, but it seems they are also working on a smaller, car-based pickup. This is a compromise we can accept, especially if it is practical, affordable, and less than $25,000. Pickups come in all sizes and colors. What about a Focus-based pickup, will the same be true? We’ll find out in time. Before we make our judgment, we’ll wait until it isn’t camouflaged – and then drive it.