As Ford Authority reported yesterday, the 2022 Ford Maverick is garnering interest from quite a few existing Blue Oval sedan owners, in addition to those seeking a small, affordable pickup. But the Maverick wasn’t just designed to appeal to those types of customers – it will also be targeted toward fleet customers that are in need of a compact, fuel-efficient, and affordable truck, and Ford believes that the Maverick will attract a large number of those commercial customers.
“We think it will be a lot,” Ford Maverick Marketing Manager, Trevor Scott, told Ford Authority Executive Editor, Alex Luft, in a recent interview. “What we’re hearing from our bigger commercial account is that there’s a lot of pent-up demand and I think given the fuel efficiency and the size of this truck, I think there is certainly going to be a lot of opportunity in that space as well.”
Prior to its discontinuation following the 2011 model year, the last-generation Ford Ranger was a popular option among fleet customers as well. In the years since, those customers have been forced to buy larger pickups, as the compact truck market essentially vanished. Now, with the base, hybrid-powered 2022 Ford Maverick launching with a sub-$20k starting price and an estimated 40 city miles-per-gallon rating, those customers will have an undoubtedly appealing new option.
As Ford Authority recently reported, the Maverick is actually cheaper than the last-gen Ranger, when adjusted for inflation, and even compares favorably to economy cars like the brand new 2022 Honda Civic. Considering its low price tag, excellent fuel economy, an abundance of standard features, and the utility of a bed, it’s no surprise the Maverick has drawn considerable interest from customers that may not have considered a pickup before, as well as fleet customers.
We’ll have more on the Maverick soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Maverick news and 24/7 Ford news coverage.
Comments
The reason the old Range pick-up was so popular with fleet owners ( and the general public ) was because it was a 2 door, with a large bed. Fleet owners are not looking for a 4 door sedan replacement as a fleet truck.
Are you sure about that? I can think of plenty of industries where I live in Northern VA that have fleet trucks that could swap out aging Frontiers and/or high mileage Rangers for Mavericks:
– QA/QC inspectors
– VDOT’s site trucks
– pest control companies
– utility locators
– site trucks at DCA and IAD
– inspectors/supervisor trucks for all the mass transit companies
– local, state, and federal park services (this one might be a little of a stretch)
– engineers (people like me)
This isn’t an exhaustive list; probably not even touching the surface. The point is that the Maverick could very well service industries where a cheap vehicle bigger than a sedan is useful. Most companies that need a truck actually NEED a truck (i.e. F-150/250 or Colorado 1500/2500). Those groups never would consider a mid-size. I’d also argue a lot of the mid-size fleets are mid-sized only because that was the smallest you could get here in the US the past several years. But time will tell. I’m confident we will see a lot of fleet Maverick XL’s, especially in suburbia USA.
The Maverick as a hybrid is a perfect fleet truck and having four doors allows for companies to move some precious cargo to inside the cab. That’s a lot of space that can be utilized! It’s the perfect setup and the bed is so customizable.
Imagine a company being able to cut their gas expense in 1/2 immediately. A lot of cannonball delivery drivers can use this too.
Heck, I may end up taking a second job as a courier with this truck. I would be making a lot more money than someone with a Ranger or F-150 that is paying out the nose in gas. They would make a lot more money than me for the heavier loads! That’s okay, most deliveries that are short-run are just a few parts or boxes.
Any fleet that would have a need “to move some precious cargo to inside the cab” would already have a fleet of commercial bed inserts with locking storage.
There is no company anywhere in the world that would consider downgrading an existing truck fleet to a Maverick fleet. There may be some companies with a car fleet that may move to the Maverick, since it’s effectively a dirt cheap truck shaped sedan, but that’s best case scenario for fleet sales.
The Maverick is a car replacement, not a truck replacement. If a fleet needs to be trucks, the Maverick simply cannot fill the requirements, and its because of the bed size and lack of compatibility with commercial bed inserts.
People aren’t going to replace F-150s with it. But you may see people replace midsize trucks with it, like a Nissan Frontier. Thinking about like the gas meter reader guys, they don’t have that much gear. But some of it’s dirty and they need a little higher ride height than a car, so a Maverick may be perfect.
I agree completely. Make it 2 door with about 1 ft behind the seats. Then add the other 2 ft to the bed.
Lol. People on here arguing whether or not the Maverick will be a fleet vehicle success….
Who cares?! Either it is or isn’t….and either way, the Maverick will likely sell well for a few years regardless.
A saloon with an open boot/trunk is not a truck.
Doubt [X]
The lidless trunk is far too small for commercial bed inserts. Were fleets interested in the SportTrac? No. They aren’t going to be interested in this Bronco SportTrac 2.0, either. This is a sedan replacement, not a truck replacement. This thing cannot do the job that older Rangers are currently doing now. Fleets that have already replaced their Rangers for full sized trucks, are not going to ditch their full sized bed inserts just so they can have 3 extra seats they don’t need.
This is absolute delusion. No competent business that has already switched over to full sized trucks and full sized bed inserts is going to downside to this. The bed can’t even be replaced since it’s unibody.
I don’t know why this thing was even made. Fails on every level at being a competent truck.
Your delusional if you think the maverick sale won’t be huge and yes they will have alot of fleet sales too! (gas mileage)
Fellow namesake, he’s just a troll. Pretending that everyone is suggesting that somehow these are replacing F-250s with utility boxes on the back, conveniently ignoring businesses like auto parts stores and other companies with generally small items, but some of which would be convenient to be stored in an open cargo deck.
It just pisses him off that nobody is right but him, that’s all. Who could possibly make use of something his superior intellect has already written off? No one could, or should, have different needs or opinions or uses for it. Its over. Just as soon as Ford reads his profound logic and indisputable facts, they’re going to tell the 10s of thousands of people already interested in buying one that it was all a huge mistake.
Also what’s this “abundance of standard features” nonsense? The base model is absolutely spartan barebones. It doesn’t even come with cruise control lol
Want to know if ford will bring the ford Maverick to South Africa.
We recently retired and moved from California to Az and a lot of road trips will be coming to go back to California to see family and what better way than having a vehicle that gets 40 mpg. We can’t wait for our new Maverick to come in.
Ford’s biggest problem will be keeping up with demand. I think expecting most will go for the Ecoboost ICE configuration is wrong. Most will want the hybrid, that’s what is the biggest differentiation from the rest of the market. If you were a fleet manager and the Maverick could accommodate your needs the chance to get over twice the gas mileage would be a great way to fatten your bottom line.
Agreed with Rick. Having the hybrid makes it very feasible to have compact pickup truck as a commuter vehicle. No other pickup I know of gets 40/mpg
I ordered an XLT with the hybrid. 40 mpgs is a major selling point
I was also interested in the maverick, but I don’t like the idea of not having an AWD option with the hybrid engine. So Subaru is waiting for me.
Which AWD Hybrid Subaru pickup are you buying?
A cheap Ford ( Fix Or Repair Daily) will be a reliability/repair nightmare. It’s why I own Toyotas.
🤦🏼
And why you spend time on Ford forums.
P.s., the Corolla your mom’s boss leased for her isnt really yours.
If Ford really wants the fleet market to come to the Maverick, they need to offer a REAR SEAT DELETE option that provides a rear cab wall cover, flat platform and no rear seatbelts. This would allow for secure storage of tools and equipment while maintaining an open and usable cargo bed.
Not a bad idea, could also have an organizer of some sort available for those who could use it.