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Ford's compact pickup truck begins production in Mexico, report says

This is almost certainly the oft-rumored Maverick compact truck, which will sit under the Ranger.

Sean Szymkowski
It all started with Gran Turismo. From those early PlayStation days, Sean was drawn to anything with four wheels. Prior to joining the Roadshow team, he was a freelance contributor for Motor Authority, The Car Connection and Green Car Reports. As for what's in the garage, Sean owns a 2016 Chevrolet SS, and yes, it has Holden badges.
Sean Szymkowski
2 min read
Ford Maverick leaked photo
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Ford Maverick leaked photo

We saw this back in January, but this is almost certainly the upcoming Maverick.

Maverick Truck Club forum

didn't make any noise about it, but production lines at the automaker's factory in Hermosillo, Mexico, last month roared to life to start building a new compact pickup truck, according to a report from CNBC Thursday. The report cited a production document shown to investors during a conference, explaining Ford assembled 21 of the new trucks last month.

It's not difficult to slot these puzzle pieces together, but this is surely the Ford Maverick compact truck we've been hearing about for awhile. In fact, we received a leaked photo of just such a truck rolling down an assembly line in Hermosillo this past January. Ford at the time declined to comment on the leaked photo. When asked about the production report for investors, a company spokesperson acknowledged the report, but declined to comment on specifics.

We've also seen a couple of other pictures over the past year or so, including one that explicitly shows the name "Maverick" debossed into a tailgate. All information points to the Maverick being built alongside the Bronco Sport in Hermosillo -- the exact plant the January photo surfaced from. Ford reportedly showed the production pickup to dealers back in early 2020 and the reactions were apparently very positive.

This truck sounds like an important vehicle for Ford, too. Now that you won't find any new passenger cars at Ford dealers, the brand's strategy will shift to an affordable crossover to replace the and this new Maverick pickup. How affordable? We've heard prices may start at $20,000 -- seriously cheap for a new vehicle, let alone a pickup. Look for the Maverick to ride on Ford's C2 architecture, which Americans will know from the current Escape and Bronco Sport. The latter gives us an idea of what Ford can do with a unibody-constructed SUV when it comes to off-road credentials, so don't expect the Maverick to be a wimpy thing, even without body-on-frame bones.

With production slowly underway, it signals Ford is close to revealing the truck. We may see an announcement as soon as this spring.

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