SPY PICS: Ford Maverick ute

Don’t be fooled by the spotty camouflage – the vehicle you see here is the all-new Ford Maverick small pick-up truck.

The development vehicle might look like a stretched version of the all-new, light-duty Ford Bronco Sport SUV, but there are clues here that this is the hotly-anticipated Ford Maverick ‘lifestyle’ ute that will be built off the same platform and rival vehicles like the RAM 700 and related Fiat Strada.

One of the photos, for example, shows a small rear window at the end of the prototype’s cab – a feature generally associated with pick-ups – while the jacked-up rear end and stretched rear overhang look ready for load-lugging.

The Blue Oval’s modern-day take on the Subaru Brumby and Proton Jumbuck is set to be unveiled in 2021 and is destined for markets across the Americas.

It is understood to be based on the same C2 platform architecture as the Ford Bronco Sport, Ford Escape mid-size SUV and the Ford Focus small car.

The Bronco Sport and Ford Escape SUVs are offered with potent 2.0-litre turbo-petrol engines punching out around 180kW of power and 373Nm of torque.

The stretched C2 platform underneath the Maverick can also tolerate the 2.3-litre turbo-petrol engine from the Ford Focus ST and Mustang, which can generate up to 236kW and 448Nm.

The small ute is expected to deploy a toughened version of the Ford Bronco Sport’s suspension, while engine types could also mirror the baby Bronco.

That means a 1.5-litre three-cylinder turbo-petrol (134kW/258Nm) and 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol engines (182kW/373Nm).

While the Ford Maverick ute won’t have a 3500kg tow rating like its bigger brother, the Australian-developed frame-based T6 Ford Ranger, it could offer a payload of around 700-800kg depending on the powertrain.

Ford is yet to officially confirm the Maverick exists, so its potential for right-hand drive production and sales in Australia remain the subject of speculation.

However, these spy pics and a recent document released by Ford showing a ‘Whitespace’ vehicle for 2021 all but confirm the vehicle’s development is well underway.

In 2019, Ford’s then global marketing and sales boss (and now chief operating officer) Jim Farley told US industry journal Automotive News: “You can expect new nameplates below where we compete today” – which would see the company invest “…in more affordable versions of our truck business”.

The compact Ford pick-up truck is expected to be offered with manual and automatic transmissions that pump through front- and all-wheel drive systems.

Loads of interior niceties will be offered on up-spec models, such as Ford’s latest ‘SYNC 4’ touch-screen infotainment system with over-the-air system updates, plus potentially a few surprises in the tray to make life easier, such as novel storage solutions.

Expect the Ford Maverick to be unveiled in 2021, with sales to commence in 2022.