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

The corporate unveiled the compact pickup Tuesday because the smallest car in its extremely worthwhile truck lineup, slotting under the full-size Ford F-150 and midsize Ranger pickups. The Maverick is about three ft shorter in size and 7 inches decrease than an F-150, Ford mentioned.

Compact pickups are an untapped and unproven market within the U.S. Ford’s enlargement into the section comes as gross sales of vans have skyrocketed in recent times, with buy consideration surpassing that of vehicles final yr, in keeping with Cox Automotive.

Increasing Ford’s truck enterprise has been a goal under CEO Jim Farley, who’s restructuring the automaker’s operations to deal with its strengths akin to pickups.

The identify Maverick is not new to Ford. It produced a two-door sedan with that identify from 1969 to 1979. The corporate additionally used the identify Maverick in Australia, China and Europe for a number of automobiles.

Ford expects the Maverick to draw new consumers to the model in addition to the extraordinarily loyal pickup truck section, in keeping with officers.

“Maverick challenges the established order and the stereotypes of what a pickup truck will be,” Todd Eckert, Ford truck group advertising supervisor, mentioned in an announcement. “We imagine it will likely be compelling to lots of people who by no means earlier than thought-about a truck.”

A number of Ford officers throughout a media briefing referred to as the Maverick a “truck for individuals who by no means knew they needed a truck.”

The car is an ordinary five-passenger, four-door pickup not like different Ford vans such because the F-150 that begin with two doorways and solely seat two or three individuals.

Ford mentioned the Maverick will come customary with a hybrid gas-electric powertrain that’s anticipated to have 500 miles of vary on a single tank of fuel. The hybrid car is anticipated to attain an EPA-estimated 40 mpg gas economic system in metropolis driving, in keeping with Ford. The corporate declined to launch whole and freeway gas economic system estimates.

Chris Mazur, chief engineer of the pickup, mentioned the 40 mpg metropolis was Ford’s “rallying cry” for the car. He mentioned gas economic system is a significant consideration for smaller pickups.

“We’re bringing it to win,” he informed CNBC. “It is a white area car going into a brand new section.”

Cox Automotive reviews cargo area is the highest issue – by a large margin – for customers who would take into account a compact truck over a extra conventional SUV, adopted by gas effectivity and worth.

Analysts have mentioned the Maverick would have to be priced nicely under the Ford Ranger and different midsize pickups to be aggressive within the U.S. market. A two-door model of the Ranger begins at about $25,000. A four-door mannequin begins at about $27,000, in keeping with Ford’s web site.

The Maverick will begin at $19,995, in keeping with Ford.

In contrast to Ford’s different pickups, the Maverick will probably be assembled by means of a course of the auto trade calls “unibody” development. The method, which is how vehicles are produced, is the place the body/physique of the car are one. That compares to “body-on-frame” development for many pickups and a few vans and SUVs, which mixes the physique and body of the automobiles towards the tip of manufacturing.

Essentially the most notable unibody pickup at present available on the market is the midsize Honda Ridgeline. Such development usually permits for a smoother journey, nonetheless much less functionality than a conventional truck.

The smaller dimension of the Maverick will permit for simpler entry to the car’s mattress and cabin in contrast with bigger pickup vans, Ford mentioned.

The car’s customary 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid powertrain is rated at 191 horsepower and 155 pound ft of torque. A 2.0-liter fuel engine rated at 250 horsepower and 277 pound ft of torque additionally will probably be obtainable.

The pickup is being produced at Ford’s Hermosillo plant in Mexico alongside its new Ford Bronco Sport SUV. The automobiles share the identical base, often known as a platform.

Compact automobiles with pickup beds have come and gone a number of occasions all through the American auto trade.

Most notably, the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino beginning within the Nineteen Fifties and Nineteen Sixties, and, extra not too long ago, the Subaru Baja from the 2000s. Hyundai is getting into the small U.S. pickup market with the Santa Cruz, a small SUV-like car that is scheduled to go on sale this summer time.

Ford expects to distinguish the Maverick from earlier automobiles in addition to the Santa Cruz by making it a extra conventional truck. It is a plan just like its recently unveiled electric F-150 pickup truck.

“It is unmistakably a Ford truck,” mentioned Heath Hilliard, Maverick inventive exterior designer.