Reports of a Focus based ute being developed

[jpd80]

[CyberWasp]

I wonder if the people in Ford Oz had done any of the work on this?
If so what parts?

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by CyberWasp

I wonder if the people in Ford Oz had done any of the work on this?
If so what parts?

Nope.

[simon varley]

pick above - very much so. it's the new ranger

search 'maverick spy shots' for the focus ute

[Crazy Dazz]

Saw a weird Ford Ute the other day...
(Was driving so I couldn't snap any pics)

Saw it in my mirror, and first thought was it was a lowered 00's F150.
Then it passed me, and I realised it was much smaller, closer in size to the mid-sized SUV I was driving, probably not even as big as a Ranger.

And the view from the rear was curious. It was a well-body (aka styleside, not a tray) with curious little taillights. (Reminded me most of the modern Mini in shape)

It was in pristine condition, so either newish or rebuilt.

If I had to guess, I would say it was a heavily customised Courier or OG Ranger, with a custom body.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Saw a weird Ford Ute the other day...
(Was driving so I couldn't snap any pics)

Saw it in my mirror, and first thought was it was a lowered 00's F150.
Then it passed me, and I realised it was much smaller, closer in size to the mid-sized SUV I was driving, probably not even as big as a Ranger.

And the view from the rear was curious. It was a well-body (aka styleside, not a tray) with curious little taillights. (Reminded me most of the modern Mini in shape)

It was in pristine condition, so either newish or rebuilt.

If I had to guess, I would say it was a heavily customised Courier or OG Ranger, with a custom body.

If it looked like this, it was probably a Maverick getting some field evaluation testing, maybe for China

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by jpd80

I’d also make next gen Ranger and Everest with
an extra 60-70 mm width on the body to increase
that all important hip and shoulder room. If we’re
not getting F-150, then maybe growing Ranger a
little bit in the right places would reap dividends.

^^^^^A post from two years ago, a little bit out on the width but
I’m still pleased with what Ford has achieved with next Gen Ranger
and Everest

[Eurotrash]

Originally Posted by jpd80

If it looked like this, it was probably a Maverick getting some field evaluation testing, maybe for China


image

If I was ever in the market to buy a Ute, this would be it! I'd buy one of these in a heart beat!

I don't want anything big like a Ranger, but something like this would be great!

I don't understand why Ford won't build these in Thailand? Make Thailand the export hub for global Maverick production and produce it in RHD and LHD. With the amount of 'low rider' utes that get sold in Thailand, you'd think this would've been a no brainer for Ford?

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by jpd80

If it looked like this, it was probably a Maverick getting some field evaluation testing, maybe for China


image

No Mavericks here. So couldn't have been that.

There's inspiration from Falcon ute underneath the Maverick though. 3 Falcon utes got shipped over to dearborn a few years ago, so they could look at how we used to make a monocoque ute.

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Saw a weird Ford Ute the other day...
(Was driving so I couldn't snap any pics)

Saw it in my mirror, and first thought was it was a lowered 00's F150.
Then it passed me, and I realised it was much smaller, closer in size to the mid-sized SUV I was driving, probably not even as big as a Ranger.

And the view from the rear was curious. It was a well-body (aka styleside, not a tray) with curious little taillights. (Reminded me most of the modern Mini in shape)

It was in pristine condition, so either newish or rebuilt.

If I had to guess, I would say it was a heavily customised Courier or OG Ranger, with a custom body.

2 door? you might have seen a 2001-2003 Ford Lightning, they still look pretty modern today and in good nick worth over 100K here

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

No Mavericks here. So couldn't have been that.

There's inspiration from Falcon ute underneath the Maverick though. 3 Falcon utes got shipped over to dearborn a few years ago, so they could look at how we used to make a monocoque ute.

Yeah but Falcon Ute was a half chassis, not monocoque or unitary/integral frame construction,
that’s completely different to what was done changing a Transit Connect into a crew cab Ute.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by jpd80

Yeah but Falcon Ute was a half chassis, not monocoque or unitary/integral frame construction,
that’s completely different to what was done changing a Transit Connect into a crew cab Ute.

They still borrowed ideas from Falcon ute. It's the closest thing they had to what the Maverick was going to be. Every other ute is seperate chassis.

[Crazy Dazz]

Originally Posted by Vesper Martini

2 door? you might have seen a 2001-2003 Ford Lightning, they still look pretty modern today and in good nick worth over 100K here

Could have been
Taillights were very different, but overall look was similar

[Vesper Martini]

Originally Posted by Crazy Dazz

Could have been
Taillights were very different, but overall look was similar

You should have heard it if it was.. they used the supercharged 5.4.
best sounding low RPM V8 ever!

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

They still borrowed ideas from Falcon ute. It's the closest thing they had to what the Maverick was going to be. Every other ute is seperate chassis.

They also had this one based on the fiesta

[Tonz]

is that one of the Thailand jobs. I likey velly much. But then I know iam weird.

[Ben73]

Sounds cool, but I don't think it would be a bigger seller.
In a world obsessed with huge cars, a small ute would appeal to a small market.

[jpd80]

I like the Maverick because it has similar hip, shoulder and leg room as the Ranger but it’s
optimised for a completely different buyer, someone who wants something other than an SUV.

https://pictures.dealer.com/c/cerrit...28915afe3x.jpg

[Tassie f100]

Originally Posted by Ben73

Sounds cool, but I don't think it would be a bigger seller.
In a world obsessed with huge cars, a small ute would appeal to a small market.

Dunno,could sell ok.I think. There are a lot of people who want a ute but don’t need something the size and price of a small truck.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Tonz

is that one of the Thailand jobs. I likey velly much. But then I know iam weird.

Pretty sure that's a Brazilian market vehicle. And i'm also pretty sure that Ford killed any unique vehicles made for the Brazilians a year or 2 ago, so we won't see anymore of these kinds of vehicles from South America.

Originally Posted by Ben73

Sounds cool, but I don't think it would be a bigger seller.
In a world obsessed with huge cars, a small ute would appeal to a small market.

It's actually outselling the Ranger in the US now. Selling like absolute hotcakes. They have done really well bringing in the hybrid version for US$19,995. That's an absolute bargain. Amazingly they found that they were getting heaps of conquest sales from Honda Civic owners.



https://fordauthority.com/2022/04/20...-last-quarter/

Ford sold a total of 8,695 Mavericks last month – the pickup’s best one-month sales performance since its launch and a number that handily beat out the Ranger, which posted a sales decrease of 43.51 percent to 6,276 units. Maverick sales in Q1 totaled 19,245 units compared to the Ranger’s 17,639, too. It isn’t an entirely surprising result given the Maverick’s many positive attributes, coupled with the fact that the Ranger is set to be replaced by an all-new model that was just revealed in international form a few months ago.

Regardless, the 2022 Ford Maverick remains red-hot among retail and business customers alike as one of the top 20 fastest-selling new vehicles on the market, while the hybrid model is also among the most considered electrified vehicles. With demand easily outstripping supply, the Maverick is also one of the most commonly marked-up new vehicles on sale today, while Ford isn’t currently offering any lease deals on the popular pickup either.



This instant hit status has had a major impact on the market, making the Maverick an instant “Icon” in Ford’s eyes and attracting a large number of Honda Civic owners to the equally efficient and cost-effective pickup. However, it’s getting more difficult to purchase a new Maverick as Ford recently admitted that it may be forced to push some 2022 model year orders to 2023.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

Pretty sure that's a Brazilian market vehicle. And i'm also pretty sure that Ford killed any unique vehicles made for the Brazilians a year or 2 ago, so we won't see anymore of these kinds of vehicles from South America.



It's actually outselling the Ranger in the US now. Selling like absolute hotcakes. They have done really well bringing in the hybrid version for US$19,995. That's an absolute bargain. Amazingly they found that they were getting heaps of conquest sales from Honda Civic owners.



https://fordauthority.com/2022/04/20...-last-quarter/

Ford sold a total of 8,695 Mavericks last month – the pickup’s best one-month sales performance since its launch and a number that handily beat out the Ranger, which posted a sales decrease of 43.51 percent to 6,276 units. Maverick sales in Q1 totaled 19,245 units compared to the Ranger’s 17,639, too. It isn’t an entirely surprising result given the Maverick’s many positive attributes, coupled with the fact that the Ranger is set to be replaced by an all-new model that was just revealed in international form a few months ago.

Regardless, the 2022 Ford Maverick remains red-hot among retail and business customers alike as one of the top 20 fastest-selling new vehicles on the market, while the hybrid model is also among the most considered electrified vehicles. With demand easily outstripping supply, the Maverick is also one of the most commonly marked-up new vehicles on sale today, while Ford isn’t currently offering any lease deals on the popular pickup either.



This instant hit status has had a major impact on the market, making the Maverick an instant “Icon” in Ford’s eyes and attracting a large number of Honda Civic owners to the equally efficient and cost-effective pickup. However, it’s getting more difficult to purchase a new Maverick as Ford recently admitted that it may be forced to push some 2022 model year orders to 2023.

I thought this thread was about a Focus based Ute. The Maverick is 5.1 metres long and 1.8 metres wide. Not exactly a compact Ute.

I’d say there’s no surprise the Maverick outsells the Ranger in the USA. The Ranger is in the awkward middle position. Full-size truck buyers go f150, compact buyers Maverick. That makes sense.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I thought this thread was about a Focus based Ute. The Maverick is 5.1 metres long and 1.8 metres wide. Not exactly a compact Ute.

When the original rumour broke, Focus based Ute was a short handed way of saying C2 platform,
the Maverick is actually based on the compact van version of C2 and that’s how it gets its track and wheelbase.
I’m actually surprised that Ford USA took so long getting this smaller Ute to market, it’s a standout bang for bucks.

I’d say there’s no surprise the Maverick outsells the Ranger in the USA. The Ranger is in the awkward middle position. Full-size truck buyers go f150, compact buyers Maverick. That makes sense.

Currently, Ranger is giving up production space and chips for Bronco…..
Don’t forget that the current Ranger was never originally designed with American preferences in mind,
the Ford brass finally decided they wanted a Ranger in the US and so PX3 variant acts as a placeholder,
Next Gen Ranger has the styling and proportions to take Ranger sales to another level


Good Maverick vs Ranger review:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tx-hlO4Z5AY&t=480s

[Top_Ghia]

I’d love to see the Maverick here, particularly if they brought US style aggressive pricing with it.
The base model is a hybrid and it’s cheaper than a Corolla in the states.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Ben73

I thought this thread was about a Focus based Ute. The Maverick is 5.1 metres long and 1.8 metres wide. Not exactly a compact Ute.

I’d say there’s no surprise the Maverick outsells the Ranger in the USA. The Ranger is in the awkward middle position. Full-size truck buyers go f150, compact buyers Maverick. That makes sense.

The Maverick is the Focus based ute, or at least shares it's platform. Not directly, but a variation of. The Focus isn't exactly a small car, it's only 30cm smaller in length than a VB Commodore, but 20cm wider.

[Franco Cozzo]

I look forward to the day when a 5.1M+ car like a BMW 7 series LWB is considered a 'small car' in the future

[Top_Ghia]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

The Maverick is the Focus based ute, or at least shares it's platform. Not directly, but a variation of. The Focus isn't exactly a small car, it's only 30cm smaller in length than a VB Commodore, but 20cm wider.

The VB is 44 years old. I think it’s time you got a new yard stick.

[Bossxr8]

Originally Posted by Top_Ghia

The VB is 44 years old. I think it’s time you got a new yard stick.

It was also a large car in the day. Is the VL a better choice?

Shows how much the market has changed over the years in terms of size.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Franco Cozzo

I look forward to the day when a 5.1M+ car like a BMW 7 series LWB is considered a 'small car' in the future

Remember that “vehicle size” is determined by cabin space, not vehicle length/width.
Maverick is a Ute with a relatively small cabin, the LWB 7 series is forever a large car.

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by Bossxr8

The Maverick is the Focus based ute, or at least shares it's platform. Not directly, but a variation of. The Focus isn't exactly a small car, it's only 30cm smaller in length than a VB Commodore, but 20cm wider.

The Maverick is based on engineering of LWB Transit Connect dual cab van
some here have no idea just how big that is….

[jpd80]

Spied a Maverick ST under development


https://fordauthority.com/2022/04/fo...otted-testing/