No more Ford Rangers could be produced following 2011, at least in America There has barely been a major change made to the Ranger in a long time. There was a reason for that, as the Ranger was generally the best selling light pickup on the market. Next year, the Ranger as it is known will have its swan song and won’t be produced anymore. The Ecoboost turbo V6 in the new F150 is what Ford is going to try and emphasize.
The Ranger has had its prime
Throughout the 1990s, the Ford Ranger was the best selling light pickup in North The United States. The truck was just about every little thing a person could ask for, and so its success was deserved. Not only did the Ranger get over 20 mpg, it also cost thousands less than a full size. The Ranger was capable of just about any task on or off road, and it was reliable. However, once comparable pickups by Toyota and Nissan were redesigned to have greater seating in the cab, sales began to slip. Over 348,000 Ford Rangers were sold in 1999, according to Wikipedia. Sales were only 55,000 only 10 years later.
An era comes to an end
Ford had to come up with something else, or redesign the Ranger. But Ford went with another choice. There is a new Ranger like truck, according to USA Today, that could be sold overseas, however not in America. Ford will be trying to push the turbo V-6 F150 instead. However, the F-150 costs several thousand dollars more than the Ranger. Ford has sort of been ignoring the Ranger in the last few years. The majority of the sales were from fleet sales.
Plant where Ranger is made done too
A formerly well-liked truck is no longer being made. The facility it has been made at is being shut down as well. St. Paul, Minn., will lose the Ford plant that used for making the Ranger. Ford did try to give the truck a facelift. The company tried a crew cab Ranger model, however found it would sell better with a different name. That model is nevertheless getting sold. It’s called the Explorer Sport Trac.
Additional reading
Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Ranger#Yearly_American_sales
USA Today
content.usatoday.com/communities/driveon/post/2010/09/ford-ranger-small-pickup-older-than-sand-dead-in-us-redesigned-for-rest-of-planet/1
