Ford plans to debut small, light pickups

Ford Motor Co. is planning a major revamping of its truck lineup in the United States in response to rising fuel prices and a consumer shift toward more fuel-efficient vehicles.

The Dearborn automaker is developing a smaller, lighter version of its bread-and-butter F-150 pickup. The company also is designing a new global compact pickup in Australia that it plans to manufacture in South Africa and Thailand that could be imported to the United States.

Ford would not comment on either program, but sources told The Detroit News that the vehicles are part of a sweeping revision of the company's product plan that is aimed at chasing consumers who are abandoning full-sized pickups in favor of smaller, more efficient models. Record oil prices have made big trucks a luxury that few Americans can afford if they don't need one for work. As a result, full-sized pickup sales have fallen nearly 23 percent during the past three years.

That hurts Ford the most, because its top-selling vehicle is the full-size F-series pickup. The F-series remains the best-selling vehicle in the United States, but demand already is down 15.5 percent this year.