Is This Ram's Upcoming Small Truck?

Unibody pickup trucks aren't a common sight in the US, where traditionally, the word "truck" has implied old-school body-on-frame construction. Even vehicles like the Ford Ranchero and Chevrolet El Camino were never really regarded as trucks, per-se, but something else altogether.

But now, in 2020, the time might be ripe for more automakers to follow in the footsteps of Honda andits mid-size Ridgeline, bringing car-based unibody trucks to the US market. There have been murmurings in recent years that Ford might offer a Courier small pickup here, and rumors of a similar offering from GM. Now, new design registration images from Brazil depict what could become FCA's US-market unibody small truck offering: the Fiat Strada.

The Fiat Strada is not new, having been introduced some twenty odd years ago by Fiat's Brazilian unit. It's already available globally, with the notable exceptions of the US and Canada, and has been sold as the"Ram 700"in Mexico.

Most crucially, the Fiat Strada is slated for a full redesign, and an all-new version of the tiny "coupe utility" had been planned for sale starting this month until the global novel coronavirus outbreak put most of FCA's planson ice temporarily. The design registration images of the next-generation truck show a sleek, lifted four-door with an open bed, which looks decidedly less car-like - and more "trucky" - than its immediate predecessor.