The Ford Focus could be used as the basis for a compact, unibody pickup that the Blue Oval is looking to offer in the U.S. in the future. The rumored model was first mentioned by Automobile Magazine as a possible addition to Ford’s shifting product lineup in the country. As the company’s car lineup is about the go — the Focus and the Mustang are the only ones being spread — the rush to beef up its crossover, SUV, and pickup offerings begin. One of the reported models is the Focus-based compact, unibody pickup, and as is often the case with ground-breaking model developments like this one, it didn’t take long for renderings of the rumored pickup to surface.

The rendering comes to us by way of designer Kleber Silva, who thought of what a Ford Focus-derived compact pickup would look like if it came to life. With no previous design to compare it to, Silva took the more straightforward approach of literally using the current Focus’ design and wrapping it up in a pickup package. The result might surprise some of you because it actually looks good.

You can tell from the start that it’s a Ford Focus in the (uni)body of a compact pickup. The unmistakable headlamps with the cut-across LEDs are present, as is Ford’s widely used front grille. The profile also fits that of the Focus, though the rendering does come with a little bit of imagination, too. The angular lenses are more prominent in the pickup than in the actual Focus. Even the body-color lower fascia is a nice and different touch. The obviously higher ride height and the presence of a roof rack fit into what a pickup is supposed to have. The rendering retains its four-door configuration, but the rear portion of the roof has been taken out completely in place of a small bed at the back, exactly the kind of element that every self-respecting pickup should have.

Rumors have it that the Focus-based unibody compact pickup will have a tentative arrival schedule of 2022. Once it’s released, it’s been tipped to slot underneath the Ford Ranger, a smart move considering that the latter qualifies more as a mid-size pickup than a compact one.

Don’t expect a world of performance out of the Focus-based pickup. There’s no word on what kind of engine it’s going to carry, but Ford’s 1.5-liter, turbocharged, three-cylinder engine is a likely candidate. It’s capable of producing 148 horsepower or 180 horsepower depending on the state of tune. Those numbers won’t move the needle among pickups, but this proposed model is going to be different in a lot of ways that make it seem like its power and performance figures are irrelevant.

Ok, that’s not really the case, but the point is clear. Ford could have a potential gold mine on its hands with this Focus-based compact unibody pickup. Hopefully, all these rumors don’t end up as lip service because a Focus-based pickup looks and sounds like a great idea.

References

Read our full review on the 2019 Ford Focus.

Read more Ford news.