I mean the small guys, the old Datsun, etc, Pick up, the “utes”. Why doesn’t anyone still make them to sell in the uSA? They were insanely popular back when I was in college, i drove one for decades.
I have been told that the closest are the Toyota Tacoma and Nissan Frontier , which are Class 1, but still quite a bit bigger than that old 1/4 ton.
Well, Ford is bringing back the Ranger, but I’m not sure it meets your requirements. Honda Ridgeline?
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I thought the old Ranger and Chevy S10 were pretty handy too. Were they 1/4 ton? I’ve often wondered why they went out of style, too.
There’s also the “new” Chevy Colorado and GMC Canyon.
Minivans can carry as much cargo if needed and carry more people otherwise. If you consistently need a pickup truck because of tall or odd-sized things, or cargo that you need to toss in over the size, you probably need a bigger, sturdier truck. They only made the tiny trucks to bridge the gap from station wagons to SUV’s, and once people figured out how to make better SUV’s and mini-vans, the small pickup truck went out of style because it can only do the one thing.
There are still plenty of small pickups manufactured outside of the U.S. but most foreign manufacturers don’t bother to import them, in part because of the Chicken Tax
No, I am not making this up.
We intend to keep our 1988 Ranger limping along until we can buy a new small truck at a sane price.
Perhaps because once you add a modern driver, it is only a 1/8th ton pick up? 
Tacoma, Frontier, Colorado, and Canyon are all roughly the same size. Not small. Mid-size is the official designation. 2019 Ranger looks to be similar.
Almost all single row seating pick ups have dropped off the market. The midsize pick-ups sold now are the Tacoma and Colorado/Canyon, they are only offered in extended cab or super cab. When the ranger returns it’ll be a super cab style pick-up, closer to a Honda ridgline.
Even on full size trucks non-commercial sales are primarily super cabs.
People just don’t want vehicles limited to 2 occupants. Any pick up smaller than a midsize is limited to 2 people if it’s to have a usable bed.
People want more versatile vehicles. Being able to move people and stuff is much better than having to chose between one or the other. The market doesn’t have much room left for dedicated stuff movers. The majority can’t afford to have an extra single purpose vehicle.
Tacoma is the #1 selling used truck in the US. Thinking about downsizing my Tundra to one of those. I had a ‘73 hilux back in the day, it was a real brick.
How CAFE killed compact trucks and station wagons.
CAFE is the US government requirement for average fuel efficiency of vehicles sold in the US. The fuel efficiency requirement for small trucks is much stricter than large trucks (F-150 class) - 28 mpg vs. 19 mpg for the current model year. So all manufacturers decided to just sell large trucks.
Mrs. L.A. has a 2000 Tacoma Extended Cab. Not that I’m looking to buy a truck, but there’s no way I’d buy one of the new monstrosities. The Hilux/Tacoma is the perfect size.
Because SUVs & minivans have taken their place – those can do much the same things, and others besides.
Because the vast majority of pickup drivers don’t need (or use) the cargo feature - the vehicle is simply a compensation for male inadequacies elsewhere. Having a small truck would defeat the purpose of driving one.
If you really need a quarter-ton capacity there’s always this. In fact, you can get it with 4-wheel drive and even an extended cab.
The question is, if that’s all you need, why would you bother with a whole truck.
Ah, great cite and my answer. thanks.
Every pickup owner I’ve known has used the cargo feature at least occasionally. They’re too expensive for most people to buy just to show off. The pickup you see driving empty to the office on Monday through Friday is probably full of wood chips for the garden or hauling the boat on the weekend.
A 1/4 ton pickup really isn’t big enough to haul or tow much more than a minivan- would sheets of plywood or drywall even fit? So if that’s all you need you might as well buy a minivan.
But none of those factors changed in the last few decades. Plywood is the same size. We’ve had minivans and SUVs since the 80s. Why did compact trucks sell well back then, but not anymore? The main thing that changed is the government regulations.
Another thing that’s changed is the size of minivans. They’re not even mini any more.
Maybe on the outside. But the 1991-1995 Dodge Grand Caravan had a cargo space of 141 cubic ft, while the current model has 140 cubic ft. Of course the latter is with seats folded, not removed. But still, present day minivans aren’t any more useful as truck substitutes than minivans from 20+ years ago.