Ford Aims at Import Crowd With Small Pickup Under $20,000
- Maverick compact truck comes standard as gas-electric hybrid
- Automaker hopes to revive a market for tiny trucks in the U.S.
Ford Motor Co. is betting that by going small it can score big with the import crowd, pricing its new Maverick compact pickup truck at less than $20,000 and powering it with a standard gas-electric hybrid propulsion system.
With the average price of a new car now topping $40,000, Ford Chief Executive Officer Jim Farley has long said he wanted vehicles that appeal to younger, entry-level buyers who have been priced out of the market. As part of that effort, this fall Ford will start selling the small, four-door truck.
The Maverick seats five, has an eight-inch touch screen in the dash and gets 40-miles to the gallon in city driving. It will be one of the tiniest trucks in the U.S. At just under 200-inches long -- about 16.6-feet -- the Maverick is only six-inches longer than a Toyota Camry and more than four-feet shorter than Ford’s F-250 Super Duty truck.