Ford Focus-Based Compact Pickup Being Developed in Australia
Photo: Ford Motor Company
Ford confirmed earlier this year that it’s working on a compact pickup truck based on the Ford Focus’ C2 platform, and early spy shots confirm that the mules are already out to play. According to a story from Australia’s Wheels, an uncovered document sheds some light on what the truck might bring to the table.
Documents obtained by Wheels from the You Yangs Proving Ground in Little River, Victoria, point to a Focus-based compact pickup truck internally dubbed the P758. Rumor’s held that the Courier name may make a comeback for the truck when it arrives, but if Ford’s approach to the Mustang-inspired electric performance SUV and “Baby Bronco” are any indication, we may not know an official name until the thing is revealed in full.
The document has the truck leveraging a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine, which Wheels speculates could be the 250-horsepower EcoBoost offered in the Ford Edge and upcoming 2020 Ford Escape. This wouldn’t be terribly unlikely an outcome — for comparison, the new Ford Ranger gets a 2.3-liter EcoBoost with an output of 270 horsepower and 310 lb-ft of torque, which is more than enough to make it off-road capable and deliver best-in-class gas towing and payload.
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Despite its potential role in developing the Ford Focus-based compact pickup, there’s evidence enough to believe that Australia may not receive the final product when it comes to market. Australia was integral in developing and testing the as-yet-unrevealed Ford Bronco, but Ford Australia and New Zealand President and CEO Kay Hart told a website earlier this year that there are as yet no plans to bring to Bronco to market there. A Ford product roadmap revealed in its second-quarter earnings call confirmed as much.
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News Source: Wheels
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