REO has brought in renowned automotive designer Frank Stephenson to help design its new models, including the designer’s work on the modern Fiat 500, BMW X5, and McLaren P1. The Texas-based company plans three models on a shared platform, with body panels designed to be swapped using common hand tools.
Three REO Runabout Models Are Planned
REO is an upstart using the Ransom E. Olds brand, which traces back to the original REO and inspired the band REO Speedwagon. The company is developing a sub-$22,000 pickup with four-wheel drive and the ability to tow as much as any midsize truck.
REO has partnered with Frank Stephenson and his company, Frankstephenson design. Stephenson has designed supercars and luxury vehicles during his career, as well as affordable models including the Fiat 500 and the modern Mini.
“We’re proud to be working with REO, a brand with more than a century of American history behind it. It isn’t often you get the chance to help bring a name like this back, and the team of visionaries behind REO has a very clear idea of what these trucks need to be: simple, honest and built to last. That’s a brilliant brief for any designer. Our team is really enjoying shaping all three Runabout models, and we can’t wait to start showing people the work.”
— Frank Stephenson, Founder, Frankstephenson design
The first three models planned by the company are a regular cab pickup, a crew cab model, and an SUV. Each vehicle is expected to be recognizable as part of the same family while having “a character that suits the job it is built to do.”
REO Focuses on Affordable, Easy-to-Repair Design
Designing vehicles that are stylish, inexpensive to build, and easy to repair presents a challenge, but those are central elements of REO’s approach. The vehicles will feature physical switches, analog gauges, and crotch-vents for the driver.
The trucks are designed so owners can make repairs themselves when needed. That includes replacing body panels “quickly with common tools.”
REO Reveals a Second Runabout Teaser
When REO first announced the new truck in June, the company released a teaser image showing the front. With Frankstephenson design now involved, REO has revealed a second image featuring four simple round taillights.
The latest teaser shows a stylish design, while questions remain about how well the wide format will work on either a pickup truck or a cargo-focused SUV.
Founder and CEO Zach De Bernardi said, “[Frank] and his team are well into the detail phase of shaping all three variants of the Runabout. We couldn’t have chosen a better partner to help us honor Ransom Eli Olds’ legacy.”
REO says work is now progressing on all three Runabout variants as the company continues developing its new lineup.
