SPIED: Ford compact pick-up spotted – new Courier?

The Ford Ranger has been a strong seller for the Blue Oval in the pick-up truck segment, and it appears that the American automaker is looking to bolster its line-up with a smaller model to slot in beneath the Ranger. Our spy photographer source says that this will be a pick-up truck, despite the exterior bodywork which appears to be van-like.

This has been tipped to be based on Ford’s new scalable front-wheel-drive platform for the latest Focus, meaning it will be underpinned by that car’s transverse-engine layout chassis (instead of a ladder frame like with the Ranger). Two bodystyles are slated for this model; a two-door and a four-door cabin, according to our sources.

Powertrain is expected to come courtesy of a four-cylinder turbocharged petrol engine driving the front wheels, likely via an automatic gearbox. Given that the Focus also includes diesel powerplants in its line-up, those will be a likely addition to the forthcoming compact pick-up as well.

For reference, the fourth-generation Ford Focus employs two EcoBoost petrol and two EcoBlue diesel engines, paired with either a six-speed manual or eight-speed automatic gearboxes. Two rear suspension layouts are used in the Focus; a double-wishbone and a torsion-beam setup, respectively, though it remains to be seen which will be used for the pick-up model seen here.

Currently, the most rugged Focus offering is the Active variant, and a Focus-based SUV offshoot is planned as well. That model underlines the company’s direction in North America, which has seen it discontinue sedans dues to falling demand for the conventional three-box shape.

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