Manoli Katakis 
This week has been special. And not just because Ford officially revealed the 2021 Bronco 2-Door, 4-Door and Bronco Sport after months of leaks and revelations. It’s also because it’s been a week full of various future product tips from every Detroit Three automaker. Over at FCA, we’ve got the Jeep Wrangler 392 and 4xe, while General Motors confirmed a Chevrolet Silverado EV in its annual sustainability report. Then, as if Ford didn’t seem busy enough, they tease a “white space” vehicle for 2021 during a fireside chat with Bank of America. “White Space” could mean a lot. But for those paying attention, all signs are pointing to the Ford Maverick small pickup truck.
Here’s why: there are currently zero pickup truck offerings below the midsize pickup segment. Which, by the way, is a relative term. Today’s Ford Ranger and Chevrolet Colorado are proportionally very similar to what America considered to be a full-size truck just 15-20 years ago, and you can just look at their dimensions if you want to investigate on your own time.
Just as well, today’s half-ton trucks like the F-150 and Ram 1500 are proportionate to 3/4-ton and full-ton trucks of the same time period. In short, the pickup truck market has escalated dramatically in terms of both size, and price. There seems to be nothing like the Ranger of yore. Nor an S10 or GMC Sonoma. Nor Dodge Dakota.
What this ultimately means is that there’s a “white space” segment below the midsize market. There’s a vacuum there. And the Ford Maverick, which has been all-but-confirmed at this point thanks to spy photos, patent drawings, and trademark filings, will likely be first to reclaim this vacated territory. A Ram 700 could be next.
Early reports of the 2021 Ford Maverick imply that it will utilize the Ford C2 platform. This flexible architecture is also used in everything from the current Ford Focus sold in Europe, to the all-new Ford Escape, and even the first-ever Bronco Sport. This unibody architecture isn’t exactly the true-truck pedigree that many of us remember. But if this means the return of a little honest truck, it’s going to be hard to deny.
