I believe you’re right about the small ford truck with no frills being brought back. It would be affordable and economical with todays engine technology. I and my son both had small trucks years ago and had them many years, they were handy.
The problem is that the small truck cuts large truck sales on a 1/1 basis. The profit margin on large trucks is much larger than can be pushed on the public with a smaller truck. I once heard it was around $6,000 net to the manufacturer for a full size and around $800 for a small size. That was from a relative who owns a Chrysler dealership.