What is happening? Ford bringing Focus based pickup to the US?

"LJ909" (lj909)
12/14/2018 at 11:27 • Filed to: None

You read that right. !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! that Ford has been caught testing, albeit under heavy camo, a Focus based pickup that’ s going to be built in Mexico and exported to Brazil and the US by ‘21. Its supposed to slot under the Ranger, be front or awd and be powered by 1. 5 and 2.0 engines. They also report that they have been flirting with the Courier nameplate for us, while down in Brazil it would be called the Ranchero. But there you have it. Anyone wanting an actual small work truck, this might be it.

DISCUSSION (37)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 11:40

YES. I just hope its a 2-3 seater with a 5-6 foot bed , and comes in a very basic Fleet spec. Not a 4 door 5 seater with a 3 foot bed.

vondon302 > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 11:41

How long until we see a El Camino rebirth.

Forrest > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 11:41

I want one!

Where have all the lightweights gone? > vondon302
12/14/2018 at 11:43

GM blew that chance when they didn’t import the Commodore Ute .

Kinja'd!!!

LJ909 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/14/2018 at 11:51

Yea I could see a stripper steel wheeled version working for a lot of people.

Urambo Tauro > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 11:52

The only acceptable FWD truck:

Kinja'd!!!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 11:54

replacing all those tired 2x4 fleet Rangers.

It could have the advantage of being the ONLY small truck on the market. That’s a big deal.

I personally think VW should do the same with the Gold Sportwagon/alltrack.

LJ909 > Where have all the lightweights gone?
12/14/2018 at 11:55

Never forget, we ALMOST go it.

Kinja'd!!!

LJ909 > vondon302
12/14/2018 at 11:55

Im not sure I would want to drive a Cruze based small pickup. With it being GM, something wouldnt be right.

LJ909 > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/14/2018 at 11:58

Yea its a huge deal really. There’ s tons of people out there that want an actual work truck. And with the Colorado/Canyon and Ranger being almost as big as the full size trucks were years ago, people want something smaller. Hopefully this starts a trend.

Wacko > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 12:10

late response to this

Kinja'd!!!

Lets see who delivers them first.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 12:22

How i feel about about the GM Exec s who decided America didn’t want this enough.

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wacko
12/14/2018 at 12:24

god that looks horrible.

“how m uch space should the wheels take up?”

“about 40%”

Hyundai design team, probably

Wacko > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/14/2018 at 12:34

it’s a prototype, so the production version will ride on 15-16 wheels from the acc ent :)

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > Wacko
12/14/2018 at 12:40

we hope.

LJ909 > Wacko
12/14/2018 at 12:43

Hyundai will I guarantee it. But I have no hopes for this because I feel like it’s just going to be some Hyundai version of a Ridgeline: car or crossover based and end up looking like a Santa Fe with a bed. Not that that’s a bad thing considering how handsome the recent redesign was. It’s just that if it’s what I just described, it’s not a real pickup.

boxrocket > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 12:44

An Escape-based Ranchero/Courier? I’m for it! Heck, being Focus-based means it’s also part Transit Connect, so a TC pickup would be neat as well.

Dooooo iiiiiiit Ford!

mr2gud2u > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 12:45

I remember 4 or 5 years ago the big three told us they would not do a small truck because consumers didnt want one.

boxrocket > vondon302
12/14/2018 at 12:45

Ranchero came first, and I’d expect Ford to debut such a thing first (again) before GM, at least in the U.S.

ranwhenparked > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 13:06

I could see it selling well to fleets - pest control companies, home inspection services, local governments, etc.

Everyone is running from fleet buyers these days, too many trucks are getting too big, too fancy, and too expensive.

LJ909 > mr2gud2u
12/14/2018 at 13:43

Right? I remember Ford adamantly saying they weren’t bringing us the Ranger that the rest of the world got.

Maxima Speed > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 13:57

Now I really want a 350 HP, 6-Speed Manual, AWD Courier RS pickup truck.

OPPOsaurus WRX > HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles
12/14/2018 at 15:23

I’m going to completely disagree with you. I want something that I can get the kids in the back but also put a few bags of trash or my mountain bike in the bed. AWD, a turbo, and a couple inches extra ground clearance for the snow.

Kinja'd!!!

HFV has no HFV. But somehow has 2 motorcycles > OPPOsaurus WRX
12/14/2018 at 15:25

I don’ t think a Baja- ish thing would be bad, but I hope it is also available in a 2 door with a legit bed.

if they make a turbo model it’ ll be a Focus Active Utility ST

Monkey B > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 18:12

it’s a fantastic idea that is many many years too late. Look at the price of Subaru Baja’s now...still high. People have wanted super light duty trucks for a long time. I had a Dodge Rampage, one of the vast amount of cars I’ve owned, and it’s one of the few I wish I still had.

Monkey B > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 18:15

didn’t GM toy with this idea in the 90's as well? I liked it.

Kinja'd!!!

Monkey B > boxrocket
12/14/2018 at 18:20

and having a Transit connect I can say with certainty they are plenty capable of light duty truck work. I still say my Transit (before I loaded it) was a better handling car than my Focus. When I had my Rampage I was shocked at how well it did thin gs it shouldn’t have been doing

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 19:00

Hmmm. The thing is that Ford and VW have signed a co- development agreement for commercial vehicles. And VW already have the MQB based Tarok small ute ready to go for South America...

So why would Ford use the Focus platform (is it related to Transit Connect?) to do the same thing? I can’t help wondering if this isn’t some next gen Transit Connect EV or people carrier instead...

LJ909 > Monkey B
12/14/2018 at 20:15

Right? We could use a new Commanche from Jeep too.

LJ909 > Monkey B
12/14/2018 at 20:16

What is that?

Monkey B > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 20:48

Lumina based ElCamino they showed in the 90's. But I don’t recall if GM did this or a specialty company for SEMA or something. I just remembering wanting them to make it.

Carbon Fiber Sasquatch > LJ909
12/14/2018 at 21:00

Is it more Focus or more Escape? I’m kinda glad about it either way. Small pickups are still everywhere around here even through the last one was made years ago and I'd gladly get one too

LJ909 > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
12/15/2018 at 00:43

You know I thought the same thing too. But the flip side of that is that the Transit could be moving to a new Focus based platform.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > LJ909
12/15/2018 at 01:59

That’s unlikely. Half the reason that Ford and VW have h ooked up on commercial vehicles is electrification and VW is further down the road on that. So the Transit Connect may be on a shared platform. The next Transit certainly will be...

Chinny Raccoon > SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
12/15/2018 at 04:12

The VW Caddy is ancient, originally coming out in 2003. A tie up there may make some sense, though the transit connect is still fairly new.

ranwhenparked > mr2gud2u
12/15/2018 at 11:32

I remember about 8-9 years ago, the Big Three retooling plants for small cars and talking a lot about how they no longer wanted to rely so heavily on big trucks and SUVs.

SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media > Chinny Raccoon
12/15/2018 at 20:24

I thought the Caddy was on the MQB?