The big-selling Ford Ranger is reportedly about to get a little brother, with the Blue Oval to launch a Focus-based ute as early as 2021.
Reports out the of the USA today suggest American dealers have been shown the ute, and all were reportedly happy with the finished product, which is said to look like a smaller version of an earlier-generation Ranger.
The news, first published in US outlet Automotive News, suggests Ford's new entry-level pick-up won't just be smaller than the Ranger, but will significantly cheaper, too, and is expected to launch in the USA in 2021.
International reports have the pricing starting at US$20,000, around US$5000 cheaper than the most affordable Ranger. A direct translation to Aussie dollars would see the Focus-based ute starting at round $30,000, but given the higher starting price of the Ranger ute here (around $40k), we'd suspect a bigger number should the new product make it to our shores.
The as-yet-unnamed model, reportedly codenamed P758, is said to built on the same C2 platform as the Ford Focus, and will be a unibody construction, unlike the body-on-frame Ranger. That makes it a genuine car-based ute, and something Ford in Australia has some experience with.
That said, the brand here is yet to confirm the new model for Australia.
Andrew Chesterton
Contributing Journalist
Andrew Chesterton should probably hate cars. From his hail-damaged Camira that looked like it had spent a hard life parked at the end of Tiger Woods' personal driving range, to the Nissan Pulsar Reebok that shook like it was possessed by a particularly mean-spirited demon every time he dared push past 40km/h, his personal car history isn't exactly littered with gold.
But that seemingly endless procession of rust-savaged hate machines taught him something even more important; that cars are more than a collection of nuts, bolts and petrol. They're your ticket to freedom, a way to unlock incredible experiences, rolling invitations to incredible adventures. They have soul.
And so, somehow, the car bug still bit. And it bit hard.
When "Chesto" started his journalism career with News Ltd's Sunday and Daily Telegraph newspapers, he covered just about everything, from business to real estate, courts to crime, before settling into state political reporting at NSW Parliament House.
But the automotive world's siren song soon sounded again, and he begged anyone who would listen for the opportunity to write about cars. Eventually they listened, and his career since has seen him filing car news, reviews and features for TopGear, Wheels, Motor and, of course, CarsGuide, as well as many, many others.
More than a decade later, and the car bug is yet to relinquish its toothy grip. And if you ask Chesto, he thinks it never will.
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