It is possible, however, that Cadillac will do something with its Escalade sport-ute to compete with Blackwood, but nothing is official there, either.
Ford says the Explorer Sport Trac starts with a regular 4-door Explorer and adds a 4-foot-long cargo area made of sheet molding composite. The cargo area includes an optional "cargo keeper" device that extends the length of the cargo area and an optional lockable hard tonneau cover, both of which are meant to allow it to convert easily to accommodate a wide variety of cargo.
The front part of the Sport Trac is largely standard issue Explorer, but there are now rubber mats under the carpet to better accommodate muddy boots and Ford has come up with a power window between the cabin and the pickup bed.
Jim O'Connor, former boss of Ford of Canada and now the president of the Ford Division, says, "There's a demand for a vehicle like this, and we intend to lead the industry by responding to the market needs with more and more of what customers want sooner and certainly before anyone else."
From the C-pillar forward, O'Connor explains, Explorer Sport Trac is a 5-passenger SUV. Behind the rear passenger compartment, however, it "breaks the mold, featuring one of the industry's first one-piece, all-composite cargo areas. Made of durable sheet molding composite (SMC), it has molded-in texture, a mar-resistant low-gloss coating, and is virtually maintenance-free, requiring no liner." This, he says, allows it to carry clean or dirty cargo.