These days, everything across the automotive industry feels like it revolves solely around the crossover, SUV, and truck segments. Both in the real world and across the virtual realm.
Over in the real world, we have big and brawny heavy-duty pickup trucks, and corner office officials are not even excluding bonkers stuff like a Super Duty Raptor model. Of course, the virtual automotive artists were ahead of them and predicted that might happen from the very inception of the 2023MY fifth generation.
Meanwhile, the light-duty full-size segment is more expensive than ever, now with ICE options, hybrid intermediates, and even fully electric, sustainable variants. Hey, North America even welcomed back with open arms the revival of the compact, pocket-sized pickup truck segment, judging by the success of the unibody Hyundai Santa Cruz, and – above all – the hybridized Ford Maverick.
The rumor mill naturally caught wind of other automakers mulling the idea of joining the latter party (a reinvented Toyota Scout is apparently in the works, and the alternate CGI universe has already gifted us with several informal versions). So, would anyone be surprised if Mazda followed them as well? Well, not in the digital world, at least.
Over there, the virtual artist better known as Theottle on social media has decided to CGI-rework the Huntsville, Alabama-produced compact CX-50 SUV into a cool Ute to present an interesting alternative to the Crew Cab-exclusive Ford Maverick and Hyundai Santa Cruz. The logic behind this particular transformation is not flawed, as the author thinks of the pocket-sized trucks as belonging to a ‘lifestyle’ segment.
Plus, an MTMUS-produced (Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA) Mazda CX-50 Ute variant would have a better chance of survival against the already established Maverick and Santa Cruz, all the while without clashing with the potential reintroduction of the aforementioned Toyota Scout light pickup truck. Sounds intriguing, right?
Aurel has aimed high all his life (literally, at 16 he was flying gliders all by himself) so in 2006 he switched careers and got hired as a writer at his favorite magazine. Since then, his work has been published both by print and online outlets, most recently right here, on autoevolution. Full profile
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