it's still amazing to me that more of the small pickup truck market hasn't been dominated by a front engine front drive platform. they exist; in small production numbers, and only for european or japanese markets, but they exist. the benefits are plenty.
- the design allows for an incredibly low bed floor without sacrificing ground clearance, making it easy to load without lifting stuff above your head.
- the assembly is so affordable that if you take into account the lack of back seats, rear/side airbags, etc. it could be cheaper than the hatch/coupe versions of the same model. a honda fit coupe utility could be, with tax/title/docking/undercoating/floormats in LX trim with backup camera and the bluest teeth you ever did see, like $15k.
- a marketing effort would be super fucking easy. a truck that's not for "truck guys." the pitch writes itself.
style: “goofus and gallant” back and forth style between a guy fieri looking douchebag with a lifted crewcab f250 and the cool young professional in the marketed vehicle.
narration: over shot of goofus: "you're not towing a boat. you're not running cows to market." cut to gallant: "you're carrying a bike from your home in suburban hellscape sprawled out neighborhood to the trailhead in the woods, or your in-town apartment to commute during your workweek." shot of goofus's trucks polystyrene nuts hanging at about eye level from the rear bumper: "you do the same stuff all those other tarted up trucks do," cut to shot of modern futuristic dash in gallant's ride" but how about you get 40mpg instead of 8? how about you enjoy your driving experience" cut to a variety of stock films of pickups flipping "instead of slowing to a crawl before every corner to avoid tipping over?”
shot of goofus getting out of his truck, complete with hair gel and flame-print shirt and sunglasses backwards on his neck maybe holding a massive vape thingy: “yes, the rest of us are laughing at your big stupid truck behind your back so we don't hurt your big stupid feelings.”
cut to approaching shot of the little car/truck- on screen branding lettering etc.
narrator final tag: the XYZ small car pickup name. if you aren’t getting a minivan or hatchback, and you’re finished pretending to be a big tough guy, we’re ready.
