Welcome to Little Car in the Big City, where I highlight fascinating cars I found walking around a town that is known for being bigger than everything else, but where every car is fighting to stand out: New York, New York.
When we featured a Volkswagen Rabbit on Nice Price or Crack Pipe just this past Friday, I like to imagine a little scenario went down. The Ford or the GM or the Chrysler or the Toyota or the Nissan or really any big automotive product development chief, doesn't matter which, was enjoying their coffee like they do every Friday morning. They see their daily NPOCP post, which is the only one they read since everything else is about brown diesel wagons, and they find a nice little pickup truck. It's small, it's economical, it's got the potential to be a true workhorse.
"Ha," says this strawman that I just set up. "Look at the silly things Americans used to have, like small, economical pickups with the potential to be a true workhorse! Good thing no one would ever in a million years use something like that again. Welp, back to the office, to cancel any further dreams of anything like a new Ranger in the United States."
And then everyone else is all sad, because this strangely callous product development chief has managed to strategically ignore the overwhelming 64% victory that a $5,000 Volkswagen Rabbit could achieve.
But here, in the flesh, is proof that people are still using them for their intended purpose.
Yep, that's what we in the business call "stuff," in the back. How about that? And on historic plates, too.
This small Volkswagen Caddy is ideal for a lot of people who have to do physical labors in tight spaces. As urbanization increases, we Americans are going to need increasingly more innovative solutions in small packages. And what better proof do we have, than how well this little pickup fits on an urban street?
And what better mark of innovation is there, than copying something from the past?
Plus, it says SPORTRUCK on the side in enormous letters, which is just the best thing ever.
Every big auto manufacturer, get on this one. You'll thank me later.
Photo credit: Michael Ballaban/Jalopnik