Where are the minis?

Lets take a trip down memory lane.
Remember… The Chevy Luv, Chevy S10, Ford Currier, Ford Ranger, Nissan Hardbody, Nissan Frontier, Isuzu Pup, Mitsubishi Mighty Max. These were small trucks that had adequate beds for haulin, and small four banger engines that were decent on gas. Heck, the minis helped make the imports what they are today. The only mini left is the Ford Ranger, which hasnt had a facelift in a decade.

I think we need the minis back again. Gas is at about $3.00 a gallon and is on the rise. Most of us live in cities where parking and traffic favor smaller cars. But just getting the minis back isnt enough! We need minis that give us 50 mpg. Impossible? Heck no.

Clean Diesel technology is here and people are talking about it. Major automakers like VW and Mercedes Benz are embracing the technology for their cars. California is going to let them sell the diesels too. Problem is, when most companies think about putting a diesel in a truck its in the huge “light trucks”. They just dont get it. Maybe they should go back to the past to see that they used to be able to make trucks that werent pigs.

Its not much of a stretch that someone would put a diesel engine in a mini. Nissan and Mitsubishi did it in the 80’s, and those trucks are still loved and on the road. Think about it a torquey little gas sipper wrapped in a utilitarian body? Would you consider a mini truck if it got 50 mpg? What if I told you its better for the environment than your current car? In fact, clean diesel technology could be just what an Indian truck company needs to break into the US market. I would consider driving it, its just retro and funky enough.

Whoever gets there first could sell a lot of trucks. Heck just bringing back a mini truck with a little 4 banger engine would be enough to be a big hit.Who knows, maybe Scion will get there first. But I doubt anyone would buy Scions version of the Ranchero. It will undoubtedly be good on gas, but not as good as we need right now.

Bring back the mini truck and MAKE MINE A DIESEL.