What Comes Next For The Ford Maverick?

Photo: Ford

The Ford Maverick is just fucking killing it. There’s no doubt Ford made a good call by making the Maverick, and the many models preordered and sold are proof. But, lately, I can’t shake the question of where we go from here, of just where the Ford Maverick is leading us. To put it simply: What comes next?

Look, I know the easy answer is the second-generation Ford Maverick. But we’re not talking about that! Right now, let’s talk about what happens in ten years when the thousands of people that bought a Maverick want to trade in for something that’s pretty much the same. What new car will Ford sell them?

Photo: Ford

Maybe it’s not a Ford at all. The Maverick could be the first of many small — not midsize — trucks coming back to the U.S. market. We could see something like the Chevy S-10 or Dodge Dakota again. Of course, these would have new model names to make it clear they’re no longer competing with the Ford Ranger. Since that would defeat the point.

Unless the Maverick itself is competing with the Ranger, which is mostly the crux of my question. Is the Ford Maverick around for good, or is it a model that Ford wants to leverage to convince buyers to go up the range? It’s pretty easy to imagine Ford having a (common) truck lineup of Maverick, Ranger, and F-150.

But what if Ford regrets making less money on the Maverick, and despite strong sales, slows down production. Or even worse, retool the Maverick to be bigger and “nicer,” and ultimately more expensive. Because if that happens, then the Maverick as we know it (and bought it) will essentially be gone.

Photo: Ford

People want the Maverick because it’s small, cheap and gets good gas mileage. Something bigger isn’t really a Maverick. I guess we have to trust and hope the Maverick keeps selling and that Ford doesn’t change the formula. The closest thing to the Maverick right now is arguably the Hyundai Santa Cruz. I love that Hyundai took that swing, but it’s not a home run.

I just don’t want the Ford Maverick to die the same death as the Subaru Baja, Toyota Matrix or Honda Element. I know those cars weren’t nearly as popular as the Maverick, but I bring them up only because when they were gone, they left a very specific hole in the market that no one bothered to fill. And I worry that ten years from now, there will be another hole shaped like the Maverick.

Photo: Ford