Report: Ford F-150 to Fill Ranger's Shoes, But New Global Ranger Still Possible for North America
Production of the Ranger pickup truck will end next year, with Ford hoping buyers will move up to the F-150. If demand is sufficient, however, Ford might also look to introduce its upcoming global midsize truck platform (the new Ranger) to the U.S.
In an interview with PickupTrucks.com, Ford product boss Derrick Kuzak confirmed the Ranger was to be eliminated after an incredibly long production run, which has stretched over a decade. With most owners using their Rangers for commuter duty, Ford thinks the move to an F-150 won’t be difficult. After all, the current 2.3-liter 4-cylinder Ranger gets 19/24 mpg, which is likely worse than what an F-150 equipped with Ford’s new 3.7-liter V6 would get. While the use of the 3.7 in the F-150 is still unconfirmed, in the Mustang it gets an impressive 30 mpg.
According to Kuzak,the biggest issue with bringing over the new Ranger to the U.S. is how it would fit into the North American marketplace. “It’s no secret we have a new Ranger coming globally. We’re working on one for all the other markets in the world,” said Kuzak to PickupTrucks.com. “The difference is that all o those other markets only have a Ranger. They don’t have an F-150 above it.”
In other words, Ford would not want to cannibalize sales of the top-selling F-150.
The Ford Ranger continues to be the second best selling compact pickup in the U.S., with 55,600 units moved last year. The Ranger is, however, a distant second to the Toyota Tacoma at 111,824 units.
[Source: PickupTrucks.com]
With AutoGuide from its launch, Colum previously acted as Editor-in-Chief of Modified Luxury & Exotics magazine where he became a certifiable car snob driving supercars like the Koenigsegg CCX and racing down the autobahn in anything over 500 hp. He has won numerous automotive journalism awards including the Best Video Journalism Award in 2014 and 2015 from the Automotive Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC). Colum founded Geared Content Studios, VerticalScope's in-house branded content division and works to find ways to integrate brands organically into content.
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Yeah the other person's comment is right. They shouldn't get rid of the Ranger. It is a great little truck. The key word there is little. I have owned two of them now and it size makes it a lot easier to use in every day life and driving. Why can't they just put a motor that gets better gas mileage? That would solve that problem. I need to work for Ford so that I could give them a real life point of view on selling cars. It's simple; if you want to sell more cars; lower the prices!
Hand over the Ranger business to Mahindra to protect the F150 managers. Seems like a logical US Auto industry blunder.