(Ford)
The new Ford Ranger will soon have a sidekick.
Ford is planning to build a compact pickup, Executive Vice President Jim Farley has confirmed. In fact, there could be more than one on the way.
Farley revealed at the Deutsche Bank Global Auto Industry Conference last week that the automaker is "investing in more affordable versions of our truck business" and that "you can expect new nameplates below where we compete today," Automotive News reported.
JIM FARLEY TALKS TO FOX NEWS AUTOS ABOUT FORD'S FUTURE PERFORMANCE CARS:
The company has not offered any further details on Farley’s comment, but sources told Automobile Magazine last year that a Focus-based compact pickup was in the works.
Ford used to sell just such a vehicle called the Courier in other countries as recently as 2013. It’s not yet clear where the new one would be built, or if it would be offered in the United States.
General Motors and Fiat Chrysler currently sell similar unibody pickups in several foreign markets, but have not indicated any plans to add them to their U.S. lineups. Meanwhile, Hyundai has promised to have a production version of its Santa Cruz concept in showrooms soon.
(Hyundai)
At the same event where he discussed the small pickup, Farley also confirmed that Ford has an all-electric F-150 in development. No timeframe on its introduction was released, but the F-150 is due for a redesign in 2021.
FULLY ELECTRIC FORD F-150 PICKUP IN THE WORKS, FOX NEWS AUTOS CONFIRMS