While there are no specific dates for the launch of this new compact pickup, with the planned imminent disappearance of Ford’s most affordable products, we don’t think it’ll take too long to arrive.
There was a time, in the not so distant past, that the Ranger was one of Ford’s most affordable vehicles. And by affordable, we mean priced somewhere around the Escort and Tempo of the day. One of the main reasons why the Ranger was so popular in its heyday was that many consumers simply opted for the Ranger over a car for the same money.
The F-150 is Ford’s cash-cow. The new 2019 Ranger will certainly do well but a smaller and attainable pickup could reach serious volumes. Ford has confirmed that they will build such a vehicle without specifying a timeline, or a name.
Thing is, Ford’s done this in the past with sub- and compact-car-based pickups elsewhere in the world. At one point, they revived the Courier name for certain markets. Ford also has a history of car-based pickups, the most popular in North America being the Ranchero.
We’ll speculate that the new Focus’ chassis could easily serve as the base for such a vehicle. The Focus Active, a faux-crossover, was to come to market but that decision was reversed thanks to You-Know-Who… And let’s be clear, the new small pickup won’t need to be rugged or even offer a standard 4×4 system.
As soon as we find out more, we’ll let you know.
