Affordable U.S.-Based Truck Start-Up REO Hires Designer Frank Stephenson, Who Penned Ferrari’s F430Road & TrackFred SmithTue, September 22, 2026 at 3:34 PM UTCAdd us on GoogleREO Trucks Hires Designer Frank Stephenson's FirmFRANKSTEPHENSON DESIGN / REOFrank Stephenson is a long-established car designer with more than a few hits to his name, from retro revivals like the first BMW-era Mini and 2010s-era Fiat 500 to supercars like the Ferrari F430 and Maserati MC12. REO Trucks, on the other hand, is a still-exists-pretty-much-just-on-paper automaker with big plans for a $21,500 internal combustion truck that reads like a dream come true for buyers frustrated by modern overstuffed half-ton rigs. And as of Monday, Stephenson's studio has been tasked with designing the final form of REO's entire family of what it calls "the Runabout."While the announcement may only be coming now, the company's release says that Stephenson's team is the previously-unannounced industrial design firm that had been working with REO since at least CEO Zach De Bernardi's conversations with Road & Track back in June. The firm will work on three planned REO models: the T4X, T4C, and S4C. The first model is a work truck seemingly focused on commercial clients, while the second and third are a consumer-focused truck and SUV, respectively. All three are planned around the basic tenets set out by De Bernardi back in June, including focuses on durability, ease of repair, and physical controls.REO IndustriesHistoric revivals of "people's cars" are a long-standing tradition for Stephenson, who worked on the revivals of both the Mini brand and the Fiat 500. REO may be more famous these days for its place in a band name than it is for its actual products largely produced before World War II, but De Bernardi's stated ambitions for the revived company certainly suggest that this is something analogous to a distinctly American take on those two retro hatchbacks.AdvertisementAdvertisementWe should see the studio's work for the first time in the form of a rendering reveal this year, before a physical reveal in 2027. REO says that the final product is targeted for a market introduction in "late 2028 or 2029."You Might Also LikeIf You Can Only Own One Car, Make It One of TheseThese Are the Most Popular Cars by State