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Ford Focus-based pickup in the works?

Ford Focus-based pickup in the works?

The trucklet could resurrect the Courier nameplate.

The rumors of a Ford Focus-based pickup truck are intensifying.

Ford has started developing the model, according to anonymous insiders who spoke to website Ford Authority. Engineering and design work began several months ago, and Ford will begin testing the first prototypes in real-world conditions in the near future. We'll know more about the truck when the project enters this phase, because looking at the test mules -- even though they will undoubtedly be hiding under several layers of camouflage -- will give us a decent idea of what to expect.

In the meantime, the pickup is expected to ride on a modified version of the platform that underpins the brand-new Focus we're not getting in America. That means it will be a unibody model with a transversally-mounted engine spinning the front wheels; think of it as a Honda Ridgeline that shrunk in the wash. All-wheel drive could be offered at an extra cost, but the pickup won't be marketed as a true off-roader.

Ford might resurrect the Courier nameplate. In America, the Courier name was last used on a truck positioned below the F-100. It was essentially a re-skinned Mazda B-Series, and it was replaced by the original Ranger for the 1983 model year. Elsewhere in the world, the Courier nameplate lived on until 2013 on a small, efficient Fiesta-based pickup (pictured above) similar to the one Ford is allegedly developing on the Focus platform.

Ford Authority adds the Ford Courier will make its debut in 2021. We don't know where it will be built, and there's no guarantee it will be sold in the United States, where smaller isn't necessarily better when it comes to pickup trucks.