Given the success and profitability of its bigger pick-up models, Ford is taking a gamble on a new unibody bakkie called the Maverick, which was revealed earlier this week, but according to the latest hints from North America this isn’t the only compact load-lugger that the Blue Oval is working on.
As spotted by InsideEvs, Ford’s US product communications manager Mike Levine recently Tweeted a picture from a recent presentation, which showed a silhouette rendering of a compact-looking, battery-powered bakkie. His post was in response to a Twitter user who was speculating about a possible electric version of Ford’s new compact bakkie. The vehicle we see in the graphic appears to have different dimensions to the Maverick, and a skateboard-like platform, which means we could be looking at a completely fresh product, possibly slotting between the petrol-powered Maverick and the new battery-powered F-150 Lightning.
That said, it could still wear the Maverick badge, as recently hinted by Ford boss Jim Farley, who told The New York Times that he could envision Ford producing a family of Maverick variants, including an electric model.
Of course such a vehicle would not likely be headed for South Africa any time soon, as the country still has a long way to go in terms of establishing the right environment for electric vehicles. In fact Ford isn’t even bringing the left-hand-drive-only Maverick here, meaning its bakkie focus will be solely on the next-generation Ranger that’s set to be built in Silverton once again for local consumption and export. However, hybrid and electric versions of Ford’s midsize bakkie are certainly a possibility given that the Ranger’s export markets are demanding greener products.
