Ford Focus-based ute could be called Maverick
Blue Oval reportedly considering bringing back the Maverick name for sub-Ranger pick-upFresh details have surfaced suggest that Ford plans to call its upcoming Focus car-based ute the Maverick, reviving a named used by Ford Australia for a rebadged Y60 Nissan Patrol it sold between 1988 and 1994.
According to
, an insider has suggested that Ford execs are favouring the Maverick name over other badges, such as Courier or Ranchero, resurrecting the name last used by the Blue Oval for the rebadged Nissan Terrano II (1993-1999).Adding credibility to the choice of the Maverick name is the appearance of the name in an internal Ford parts catalogue, and the commercial vehicle blog also leaked what it claims is a CAD drawing of the rear tailgate for the Focus-based ute.
Ford's all-new compact ute is expected on sale in North America sometime in 2021 and tipped to be priced under $US20,000 ($A30,000) in the US market, making it roughly 20 per cent cheaper than the Ford Ranger.
The new model will be based on the same platform as the Ford Focus small car. Alas, at this time, its tray size, engine options and other details – such as the availability of single- or dual-cab body types – are not yet known.
Ford's new small pick-up truck, which is rumoured to borrow styling cues from the original Ranger, will be built in Mexico with annual production expected to top 100,000 units.
Expect some crossover parts from the regular Focus, such as its front- and all-wheel-drive layouts and potentially three-cylinder turbo engines.
Whether the little Blue Oval ute will make it Down Under remains unclear. Car-based utes have precedence in Australia, where the Proton Jumbuck, Subaru Brumby and of course the Ford Falcon and Holden Commodore-based utes found favour with buyers in the past.
But at this stage Ford Australia says that the Focus-based ute is not on the radar for launch in the local market.
Computer rendering: Kleber Silva
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