Ford’s brand-new Maverick hybrid pickup begins at $19,995 and gets 40 mpg

DETROIT – Ford Motor’s brand-new Maverick truck will be the very first pickup in America with a basic gas-electric hybrid engine when it goes on sale this fall beginning at about $20,000.

The business revealed the compact pickup Tuesday as the tiniest automobile in its extremely lucrative truck lineup, slotting listed below the full-size F-150 and midsize Ranger pickups. The Maverick has to do with 3 feet much shorter in length and 7 inches lower than an F-150, Ford stated.

Compact pickups are an untapped and unverified market in the U.S. Ford’s growth into the sector comes as sales of trucks have actually escalated in the last few years, with purchase factor to consider going beyond that of automobiles in 2015, according to Cox Automotive.

Expanding Ford’s truck organization has actually been an objective under CEO Jim Farley, who is reorganizing the car manufacturer’s operations to concentrate on its strengths such as pickups.

The name Maverick is not brand-new to Ford. It produced a two-door sedan with that name from 1969 to 1979. The business likewise utilized the name Maverick in Australia, China and Europe for numerous automobiles.

Ford anticipates the brand-new Maverick to bring in brand-new purchasers to the brand name along with the very faithful pickup sector, according to authorities.

“Maverick challenges the status quo and the stereotypes of what a pickup truck can be,” Todd Eckert, Ford truck group marketing supervisor, stated in a declaration. “We believe it will be compelling to a lot of people who never before considered a truck.”

Several Ford authorities throughout a media instruction called the Maverick a “truck for people who never knew they wanted a truck.”

The automobile is a basic five-passenger, four-door pickup unlike other Ford trucks such as the F-150 that begin with 2 doors and seat just 2 or 3 individuals.

Ford stated the Maverick will come basic with a hybrid gas-electric powertrain that is anticipated to have 500 miles of variety on a single tank of gas. The hybrid automobile is anticipated to accomplish an EPA-estimated 40 mpg fuel economy in city driving, according to Ford. The business decreased to launch overall and highway fuel economy price quotes.

Chris Mazur, primary engineer of the pickup, stated the 40 mpg city was Ford’s “rallying cry” for the automobile. He stated fuel economy is a significant factor to consider for smaller sized pickups.

“We’re bringing it to win,” he informed CNBC. “It’s a white-space vehicle going into a new segment.”

Cox Automotive states freight area is the leading aspect — by a broad margin — for customers who would think about a compact truck over a more conventional SUV, followed by fuel effectiveness and rate.

Analysts have stated the Maverick would require to be priced well listed below the Ford Ranger and other midsize pickups to be competitive in the U.S. market. A two-door variation of the Ranger begins at about $25,000. A four-door design begins at about $27,000, according to Ford’s site.

The Maverick will begin at $19,995, according to Ford.

Unlike Ford’s other pickups, the Maverick will be put together through a procedure the automobile market calls “unibody” building. The procedure, which is how automobiles are produced, is where the frame/body of the automobile are one. That compares to “body-on-frame” building for a lot of pickups and some vans and SUVs, which integrates the body and frame of the automobiles towards completion of production.

The most noteworthy unibody pickup presently on the marketplace is the midsize Honda Ridgeline. Such building normally enables a smoother flight however has less ability than a standard truck.

The smaller sized size of the Maverick will enable simpler access to the automobile’s bed and cabin compared to bigger pickup, Ford stated.

The automobile’s basic 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain is ranked at 191 horse power and 155 foot-pounds torque. A 2.0-liter gas engine ranked at 250 horse power and 277 foot-pounds of torque likewise will be offered.

The pickup is being produced at Ford’s Hermosillo plant in Mexico along with its brand-new Ford Bronco Sport SUV. The automobiles share the very same base, likewise referred to as a platform.

Compact automobiles with pickup beds have actually reoccured numerous times throughout the American automobile market.

Most especially, the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino beginning in the 1950s and 1960s, and more just recently, the Subaru Baja from the 2000s. Hyundai is going into the little U.S. pickup market with the Santa Cruz, an SUV-like automobile that’s set up to go on sale this summer season.

Ford anticipates to separate the Maverick from previous automobiles along with the Santa Cruz by making it a more conventional truck. It’s a strategy comparable to its just recently revealed electrical F-150 pickup.

“It’s unmistakably a Ford truck,” stated Heath Hilliard, Maverick imaginative outside designer.