Manoli Katakis 
According to a report from Automotive News, a new Ford truck was shown to a small group of dealers that will seek opportunity below the midsize segment. It’s said that the truck will be revealed by 2021, and will take on a unibody architecture.
The report details that Ford’s top 100 dealers were briefed that the new Ford truck will start under $20,000, or around $5,000 less than the base version of the current Ford Ranger midsize pickup truck. The truck program is allegedly codenamed P758, and is expected to be assembled in Hermosillo, Mexico, while suppliers have reportedly been told to anticipate an annual sales volume of more than 100,000 units.
Further stoking the flames is an early report from 2018 from Car & Driver claiming that FoMoCo has been developing a small unibody truck based on the platform of the global Ford Focus currently sold in markets outside the USA and Canada. Additionally, the Ford Courier name has been trademarked with the United States Patent and Trademark Office. This was the name used on a small unibody truck sold in Latin American markets.
Let’s face it, pickup trucks in America have continued to grow bigger, and bigger, and bigger. And larger still. And then more so. At the same time, however, they have also become more capable, luxurious, and technologically sophisticated. It’s no wonder why the new Chevrolet Silverado, Ford F-150, GMC Sierra and Ram 1500 cost so much. To alleviate this growth, automakers have rejuvenated the midsize truck segment with offerings that closely replicate the proportions and capabilities of half-ton trucks from roughly 20 years ago, while at the same time providing more refinement and technology. That also means that these trucks have swollen up in size, and there’s a massive gap in the market left behind in the pursuit of all things gainly.
