Report: Ford May Add Mini Pickup in U.S.

Ford Motor Co. is developing a replacement for its Fiesta-based subcompact Courier pickup truck that could reach the U.S. by 2020, sources tell Automobile magazine.

The new Courier would ride on Ford’s larger next-generation Focus platform and fit into the company’s product lineup below the Ranger midsize truck. A U.S. version of the Ranger is due in 2019.

The unitized-body Courier, coupled with the Ranger, would enable Ford to outsell rival General Motors Co. in total truck sales in the U.S. The Ford F-150 fullsize pickup continues to lead in its market segment. But GM outsells the Ford brand overall because of the contribution of its midsize Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon pickups.

Ford marketed a rebadged Mazda B-Series small pickup truck under the Courier name in the U.S. 40 years ago. That model was replaced by the first-generation Ranger in 1982.

Automobile speculates that the Courier could be produced at Ford’s factory in Cuautitlan, Mexico. But the magazine notes that any plan to introduce a version in the U.S. will be determined mainly by the outcome of trade deals worked out by the Trump administration over the next two years.