Ford teases small sub-Ranger pick-up

Weekend gardeners rejoice. Ford Motor Co has confirmed it is developing a prototype small pick-up truck which would be dimensionally smaller (and cheaper) than the popular Ranger.

The vehicle would be a small, unibody truck, possibly built on the Ford Focus platform, making it a more compact wellside option than the big Ranger (big being a relative term, given that in the US market the Ranger is the manufacturer’s smallest pick-up truck option).

The news will be welcomed by those looking for a handy truck to have for DIY duties, but who find the sheer size of the modern Ranger and its ilk intimidating (especially when encountering congested city car parks, as many owners would).

The idea isn’t new, of course. Subaru’s small late-1980s Brumby ute remains a fan favourite, while Nissan — or Datsun at the time — sold its tiny 1200 utes by the boatload in the 1970s. These, too, are now sought after by collectors.

A teeny sibling for the Ranger wouldn’t even be a new idea for Ford. A few years back, the American carmaker offered a diminutive truck in South American markets that was based on a Fiesta platform. The badge on that model is a familiar one, too, Courier.

Could the prototype small truck end up being badged as such? It’s too early to tell, as first Ford has to find an audience for the compact ute . . . no easy bet in XXL-lovin’ ’Murica. Mind you, the auto giant wouldn’t be developing a test mule were the appetite for such a thing nonexistent.

For now, Ranger owners will have to keep wincing involuntarily as their ute’s parking sensors scream every time they venture into a supermarket car park.