The Ford Ranger's ready to slip this mortal coil and it's because automakers think you don't want compact trucks. Really? Seriously? Come on. If you could buy a 35+ MPG two-seater small pickup for $15,000, would you buy one?
We just can't believe there's not a market for compact trucks in the United States. What with today's desires for fuel economy, style and utility we've got to believe there's an opportunity here in the United States for both an El Camino "Ute" type of vehicle and something even smaller — like GM's awesome, but sadly discarded, GMC Granite CPU concept.
Think of the possibilities of a real compact pickup — and not a three-inches-smaller-than-an-F-150 — a two-door vehicle with high fuel economy and an expandable bed for carrying things back from Best Buy, Home Depot or IKEA. Hell, you could sell them to ZipCar or other car-sharing services to replace the ever-larger Toyota Tacoma that won't even fit in parking spots at IKEA in Brooklyn anymore. Think something like the Datsun 520 — or even the 720 pictured above.
Because, as Jalopnik commenter B-sel said about the GMC concept we saw this week out in LA:
"I'd like to see the expected fuel economy for this thing, because if it's any less than 30 in the city it's only other advantage over an actual compact pickup is that this might be a little easier to park."
So that means the key for a compact pickup truck is it's got to get 10+ MPG more than the smallest mid-size pickup truck and cost at least $5,000 less. Thus, why we're asking — would you buy something like that — a real compact truck? Even better question — tell us why.
Photo Credit: Wikipedia