10 PICKUP TRUCKS BASED ON CARS AND SUVS

While, in today’s car world, we tend to think of pickup trucks and SUVs as entirely separate segments, for a large part of automotive history it wasn’t unheard of for cars and trucks to share a platform and even a name. Before body-on-frame (or “ladder-frame”) trucks gained their current level of popularity and became the favored option with buyers, unibody pickup trucks were a more common sight; today, there are only a few left on the market - the Honda Ridgeline being one of those that occupy a small niche in the market by blurring the line between SUV and truck.

Some car-based trucks, such as the Chevrolet El Camino, have enjoyed a good level of popularity with consumers and become a pop-culture icon of sorts; others, like the Volkswagen Rabbit, were consigned to a small chapter of automotive history. Here are ten examples of pickup trucks based on cars and SUVs.

Vehicles are listed in chronological order according to the year they were introduced, from the oldest to the newest. This list is not limited to trucks sold in the USA and includes global models.

Studebaker Coupe Express

Year Introduced: 1937

The history of the car-based pickup truck is a very long one; in fact, before modern body-on-frame trucks became the norm, most pickups were derived from a car. The Studebaker Coupe Express is one such example, being based on the curiously-named Studebaker Dictator. Studebaker’s reasoning behind the name was that it “dictated the standard” for other carmakers to follow, although it was part of a lineup that included the Commander and President.

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The Coupe Express pickup was sold as a complete vehicle equipped with a bed, or as a “rolling chassis” the customer could install a bed on. It was a short-lived model, only remaining on the market for a further two years after its introduction.

Hudson Super Six Pickup

Year Introduced: 1941

The Hudson Super Six truck, also known as the “Big Boy”, was based on a car of the same name; although the Super Six had been on the market since 1916, the pickup version did not arrive until 1946. The Big Boy name, on the other hand, had been used for other Hudson trucks since the late 1930s, but was eventually applied to the Super Six once it was released.

Hudson was one of the earliest brands to build a pickup that had the same comfort level as a passenger car, including features (such as a more advanced suspension) that were not purely utilitarian but aimed at creating a pleasant passenger experience. The Super Six is also notable for having been brought to life by one of America’s first female automotive designers, Elizabeth “Betty” Thatcher.

Chevrolet El Camino

Year Introduced: 1959

The Chevrolet El Camino is one of the most famous examples of car-based pickup truck, with a visual appearance that resembled a car except for the truck bed at the back. It was built as Chevrolet’s answer to the Ford Ranchero, another car-based pickup which came out two years earlier.

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The El Camino was based on Chevrolet’s station wagon platform of the time; throughout the model’s lifetime, which comprised five generations, it was based on cars such as the Biscayne and the Chevelle. The fifth and last generation was built on the GM G-body platform, which it shared with vehicles such as the Buick Regal and the Pontiac Grand Prix.

Mercedes-Benz W115 Pickup

Year Introduced: 1972

This curious Mercedes truck is not very well known outside of Argentina, the only country where it was produced and sold for a brief period of time. Based on the W115 body, which was used in models such as the 200D and 220D, the pickup was offered in either a single-cab or double-cab layout.

At the time, Argentina had strict laws making it illegal to import cars from abroad, however vehicles could be assembled locally with imported parts: the W115 was produced this way, at a Daimler plant near Buenos Aires. While most trucks remained in Argentina, a few eventually made their way to Europe and the US: a rare sight from a little-known chapter of Mercedes history.

Volkswagen Rabbit/Caddy Pickup

Year Introduced: 1979

Most people have heard of the Volkswagen Golf, but fewer have heard of the Rabbit, the name given to the Mk1 Golf in the United States. Fewer still will remember there was a pickup truck version of the Rabbit, known as the Caddy outside the US; when subsequent generations of the Golf rolled around, the Caddy name stuck around for the pickup (and, later, van) version outside the States.

Several Volkswagen vehicles have used the Caddy nameplate over the years. As well as the iconic first-gen Golf pickup, the second generation of the Caddy also included a pickup in the lineup: this vehicle was based on the Skoda Felicia, and dubbed the Caddy Typ 9U.

Chevrolet Lumina Ute

Year Introduced: 1998

While the first two generations of the Chevrolet Lumina were based on American GM platforms, the model’s third and fourth generations were rebadged models originally from Holden, GM’s now-defunct Australian subsidiary. The lineup for this version of the Lumina also included a ute (a term used primarily in Australia and New Zealand, originally to refer to car-based trucks but later extended to all pickups).

The Ute version was based on the Lumina’s highest trim level, the SS. With an aggressive, car-like character and a thundering V8, the Lumina Ute set itself apart from any other truck on the market. It was never sold in the States; a truck version of the Lumina’s US counterpart, the Pontiac G8, was exhibited at the New York International Auto Show in 2008, but never went into production due to the global financial crisis that struck shortly afterwards.

Subaru Baja

Year Introduced: 2003

Subaru was not new to the world of car-based pickups when the Baja came out: it had a precedent with the BRAT (Bi-drive Recreational All-terrain Transporter), produced between 1978 and 1994. Six years later, a concept truck called the ST-X (Sport Truck X-perimental) was presented at the Los Angeles Auto Show; this would lay the foundations for what would become the production Baja.

The Baja was based on the Legacy sedan and its station wagon sibling, the Outback; Subaru’s goal was to build a car-truck hybrid unlike anything else on the market. Both the Baja’s design and its name are a homage to the world of racing trucks and the iconic Baja 1000 race.

Honda Ridgeline

Year Introduced: 2006

Moving onto the most recent section of the list, the Ridgeline is one of a handful of unibody pickups still around on the market, and the only pickup currently built by Honda. The first generation of the model went out of production in 2014, with the Ridgeline nameplate entering a three-year hiatus before the second generation was released for the 2017 model year.

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A blend of truck and SUV, the Ridgeline is based on the Honda Pilot, a mid-size crossover and the largest SUV produced by Honda. The Pilot slightly predates the Ridgeline, having first been launched on the market for the 2003 model year; the earliest version of the Ridgeline, a concept called the “Honda Sport Utility Truck”, was introduced to the world at the 2004 North American International Auto Show in Detroit.

Ford Maverick

Year Introduced: 2022

Another car-based pickup that you can still find on the market today is the Ford Maverick, a relatively recent arrival on the market with only three model years behind it. Although the Maverick shares its name with an earlier Ford model, a compact car from the 1970s, the two vehicles have nothing in common, and the name was purely chosen to project a fun, dynamic image that would appeal to young customers.

The Maverick is Ford’s smallest truck, and shares its platform with two of the Blue Oval’s SUVs: the Escape and the Bronco Sport. Offered with a choice of solely gas-powered or hybrid powertrain, the Maverick proved to be a very popular model, with Ford struggling to keep up with the high number of orders.

Hyundai Santa Cruz

Year Introduced: 2022

Like the Maverick, the Hyundai Santa Cruz is a very recent model; it is based on the Tucson crossover, and originally introduced as a concept in 2015 at the North American International Auto Show in Detroit. When it eventually went into production six years later, it was marketed as a “Sport Adventure Vehicle”, aimed at people who would otherwise buy an SUV or crossover, but wanted some extra practicality without committing to a larger pickup truck.

The Santa Cruz received a facelift for the 2025 model year, which includes a new front fascia and grille, redesigned headlights, a new infotainment screen, and new alloy wheel design options.

Sources: Ford, Hyundai, Honda, Subaru, Volkswagen, Chevrolet, Mercedes-Benz, The JBS Collection, Car Talk, MotorCities

2025-01-18T13:15:53Z