If today’s automotive market proves one thing, it’s that nostalgia is a heck of a drug. Folks love to fawn over reborn favorites from their younger years, with models like the Bronco serving as proof. That fact, along with a new opening in the compact truck space, might be enough to force a cult classic’s return. According to an executive from Subaru Australia, the automaker is in talks of reviving the Baja pickup to compete with the Ford Maverick.
Scott Lawrence, general manager at Subaru Australia, let the information slip during an interview with Carsales. “There have been discussions of a ute,” he admitted. “Ute is a conversation and I can’t share much now, but it’s never a no.”
To me, that’s like the suit way of saying, “Everything is for sale.”
It’s interesting to hear this about Subaru, especially since Toyota—its close partner on several key projects—seems to doubt the segment’s potential. You might have seen last week that Toyota Motor North America COO Mark Templin poured cold water on rumors of a tiny truck from the manufacturer. He told ‘Yota hopefuls to “be patient,” adding that, “When the market’s right, we may have something.”
Obviously, the North American and Australian markets are not two apples you can easily compare. While Templin feels one way about a compact pickup’s prospects in the U.S., Lawrence confessed to Carsales, “I think there is space for a monocoque style ute.” Subaru could build a new Baja and keep it stashed several continents away; lots of manufacturers sell trucks elsewhere in the world, but not here. We have the Chicken Tax to thank for that.
It would be tough for Subaru to avoid the 25% tariff on imported trucks if the ute were based on anything other than the Forester. That’s because the Outback, arguably the most logical starting point for such a pickup, is assembled in Japan. Meanwhile, Subaru builds the Forester in Indiana alongside the Ascent (which might be too big as a three-row SUV) and the gas-engined Crosstrek (which might be too small). Subaru’s SGP platform, which underpins the Forester and Outback alike, could help make an American-built Outback pickup possible… but it seems like a stretch.
One way or another, it’s too soon to tell what might happen. What we do know is that the Ford Maverick will soon play all alone in the compact truck segment, at least here in the States. Hyundai is killing off the Santa Cruz, and at this point, no other manufacturer has officially decided to fill that void. If Subaru, Toyota, or anyone else contests the Maverick, they’ll be fighting a model that dominated with 155,051 sales in the U.S. alone last year. (For context, Hyundai sold just 25,499 Santa Cruzes in the same span.)
I’d be stoked to see a new Subaru ute on our shores, and chances are, so would you, since you clicked on this story. But my guess is if it happens—and that’s a big “if”—it’s still several years out. A lot can happen between now and then.
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