After 2011, no new Ford Rangers could be made within the U.S. The light pickup made by Ford has remained essentially unchanged for years. The Ranger did not get much of a change in any way, because there was no have to change the best selling light pickup. Ford has decided to let the Ranger go, and the truck will no longer be made after 2011. The company is deciding to focus instead on the Ecoboost equipped F-150 as the option for a fuel efficient pickup.
The Ford Ranger
Throughout the 1990s, the Ranger was incredibly popular. It was actually the best selling light pickup in North America. It was everything a person could want in a compact pickup. The Ranger was priced less than a full size truck and got about 20 miles to the gallon. It was known for reliability. The Ranger was also equal to any task on or off road. That said, the market share went down following awhile. Nissan, Toyota, and other companies figured out that some people wanted crew cab seating in a light truck. The peak came in 1999, according to Wikipedia. That year, Ford sold over 348,000 Rangers. That was the high water mark. By 2009, sales had slipped to 55,000.
It had a good run
Ford had to come up with something else, or redesign the Ranger. Ford decided to come up with something else. The truck is getting redesigned for overseas markets, according to USA Today, however the new version will not be accessible within the United States of America. Ford could be trying to push the turbo V-6 F150 instead. It seems a slightly dubious move. The F150 costs thousands more than the Ranger, and the Ecoboost V-6 has an additional premium attached to it as well. Fleet sales have been the bulk of Ranger sales for the last few years running.
Oh, plus a facility is closing
Adding insult to injury, Ford is also closing the plant that used for making the Ranger. The truck is within the firing line, and the plant goes with it. Ford will shutter the Ford plant in St. Paul, Minn. Ford attempted to revive the model with a crew cab however found it sold better under a different name. That model is still getting sold. It’s called the Explorer Sport Trac.
Further 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
No comments:
Post a Comment