Ford Motor has quietly began manufacturing of a brand new pickup in Mexico that is anticipated to be smaller than its present Ranger mannequin, in accordance with knowledge launched by the automaker.

The brand new truck was disclosed to buyers Wednesday within the automaker’s month-to-month manufacturing knowledge as a “C-Decide Up” that is being produced at its Hermosillo plant. Solely 21 automobiles had been assembled in February, seemingly indicating early prototype fashions for testing. A spokesman for Ford declined to remark past what the corporate disclosed in its month-to-month manufacturing report.

The “C-Decide Up” is anticipated to face for compact pickup, which might broaden the corporate’s highly-profitable truck enterprise beneath its present mid-size Ranger pickup. It is unclear if the truck can be offered within the U.S. or solely for international markets, the place smaller pickups have historically been extra widespread.

When Ford CEO Jim Farley was main the automaker’s international markets, he stated Ford was “investing in additional inexpensive variations” of the corporate’s truck enterprise. He stated to “count on new nameplates beneath the place we compete right now.”

“When you concentrate on Ford, now we have a dominant truck franchise globally, that is vans, pickups and now we’ll dramatically improve our utility lineup across the globe,” he stated throughout a Deutsche Bank investor convention in January 2019. “And that is what is going on to drive collectively our international profitability over the following few years.”

The pickup is being produced on the plant alongside the corporate’s new Ford Bronco Sport SUV, which may imply the pickup will share the car’s platform and underpinnings. Auto fanatic and commerce publications have reported a compact pickup – doubtlessly named Maverick – is anticipated from Ford by the top of this 12 months.

Manufacturing starting on the plant is a probable signal the car is forthcoming. It took about 9 months for the Bronco Sport to extend manufacturing from 29 items to greater than 8,000 in November, in accordance with Ford. Factories slowly ramp-up manufacturing forward of the automobiles delivery to sellers.

Jessica Caldwell, Edmunds’ government director of insights, stated the auto trade wants extra inexpensive pickups as some bigger fashions such because the F-Sequence can prime $100,000. However she does not count on the car would do massive volumes if offered within the U.S.

“It is extraordinarily laborious to discover a well-priced truck that’s considerably new,” she stated. “I believe for Ford it undoubtedly is smart, particularly since they’ve removed loads of their passenger vehicles. So, they undoubtedly want one thing that is going to be at a lower cost level for shoppers.”