Ford Ranger Might Return to U.S.
A lot has changed in the last 12 months. Not only have the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon been well received — winning several prestigious awards (namely the PickupTrucks.com Best Pickup of 2014 and Motor Trend's Truck of the Year) — but combined sales of the new midsize pickup trucks are on target to break the 100,000 unit mark by the end of the year, beating just about all the industry predictions. Add to that the fact that the perennial favorite in the segment, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma, has just come to market as an all-new, significantly advanced pickup, and it's no wonder this segment is attracting more interest.
For those reasons alone it should come as no surprise that The Detroit News is reporting that Ford is likely to bring the Ranger midsize pickup back to the U.S. by 2018, and it most likely will be produced in Wayne, Mich., just north of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
The Ford Ranger was last sold in the states in 2012; it suffered from poor performance and construction. With the exception of a few styling and interior upgrades, the Ranger that abandoned the U.S. compact/midsize pickup segment hadn't really been improved since it came to market in 1993. Since then the segment and industry have gone through several significant changes, not the least of which was four-door models becoming the norm and half-ton pricing dropping significantly. As to the global Ranger — which enjoys considerable popularity in other parts of the world like Australia, South America and Africa — it's not clear what changes might be made to make it a more competitive player in the U.S., especially given the fact that the four-door model is not much smaller than some F-150 models.
Other automakers seem to be eyeing the midsize segment, suggesting that the small truck market could grow, making more options available to buyers. Hyundai has been playing with the Santa Cruz concept; many reports state it will be available in just a few years. Likewise, speculation about Jeep shopping a new pickup truck concept to its dealership network has some predicting another new midsize pickup (and we're guessing a very off-road capable one) is on the way; that assumes parent company Fiat Chrysler Automobiles can figure out where to make it.
Whether this speculation is real or imagined, it could mean entry-level pickup truck buyers will be the ones who benefit the most as more truckmakers get competitive with existing pickup pricing. From where we sit, having a "Jeep capable" midsize pickup could work for buyers looking for a work-duty family addition. For those who don't need all the "truckiness" of a traditional pickup, something like a sport-utility truck, lifestyle player could be appealing. And we absolutely think there's still plenty of room for a capability-first, downsized F-150 if Ford wants to re-enter the midsize market.
Given how conservative this segment has been during the last 10 years (the Honda Ridgeline excluded), getting a few more options will be a good thing for a truck sector that desperately needs to be shaken up.
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Comments
As long as it doesn't have the full size truck price and offers a 6 ft bed option, they may be on to something.
Latest News:
Ford plans to build Ranger at Michigan Assembly
http://www.detroitnews.com/story/business/autos/ford/2015/08/25/ford-ranger/32373741/
Great just what we need more car/truck crossovers, might as well bring the el camino back, same thing
If you look at the numbers, even with the new models in the market the percent of mid sized trucks overall is below what it was when Ford stopped building the Ranger.
Plans for the Bronco might come to fruition
http://www.autoblog.com/2015/08/26/ford-ranger-bronco-production-michigan-report/
Entry level my arse, the big problem with these mid-sizers is the y cost nearly what a full size costs. New trucks in general are too expensive.
I like the idea of it, but ultimately I know it won't deliver.
Entry level my arse, the big problem with these mid-sizers is the y cost nearly what a full size costs. New trucks in general are too expensive.
I like the idea of it, but ultimately I know it won't deliver.
The problem isn't building a "better" truck than Toyota, the problem is selling more. GM has made a very good, better in many ways than the Tacoma, mid size trucks, but the inflated resale values of Toyota's (in general) keep the Tacoma selling way more trucks. I just don't think we'll see this happen. I wish it would, that 2.7 EcoBeast in a smaller and lighter truck would completely embarrass the other mid size rigs. I would like to see a true compact truck with a 4 door and super cab option as well as a regular cab long bed, something similar in size to the original Sport Trac. Ford could get GM diesel mpg out of the 2.7 but crush everything in performance and capability.
Nitro, the Ford Ranger is not a crossover, it is a body on frame. It is a truck and I hope all this information about the truck being built here is true !
Ranger HiRider
welcome
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btxTKGughuY&feature=share
If they want the Ranger to succeed they should move completely away from the body style of the global Ranger for it to sell well. Tundra and Tacoma are on the top of my list right now. If Ford came out with the new Ranger that was competitive in looks and capabilities to the Tacoma I would seriously consider. However... I don't plan to wait until 2018 to purchase my first truck...
A new ranger isn't going to happen. The article I read say that ford would they could consider it if they could get the vehicle to get 6-8 mpg better then the f150 costed 5-6k less then it as well.
Considering most of ford passenger cars don't get 6-8 better then the current F150 epa estimates. For ford to make a truck with that mpg (34mpg hwy) it wouldn't be strong enough for any real capabilities (9000 ish lbs. payload).
I do wonder if Ram rebranded/engineered the FIAT Strada and brought it over how that would sell? With a 9 speed and a 2.4 tigershark I could see that hitting 31mpg highway and have 900lbs payload.
^ ^ What year and publication is that article from? I've yet to see such a claim by Ford regarding Ranger sales in the US
First up, Hmmm.......
How many of the full size freaks slammed me when I stated Ford needs the Ranger in the US and it will come back.
One of the reasons is the lacklustre sales of the new aluminium F-150.
I wonder if Ford has had another lousy month selling the new aluminium wonder truck? Ford seems to release pickup truck information just prior to the release of the monthly figures when it has had a terrible month selling it's pickups.
It won't be returning to counter the sales of the F-150, the only reason it would be returning is to take sales away from the Colorado/Canyon, Tacoma, and Frontier
Alex,
Yup, like usual, very subjective and ill researched logic..........and from a shrink (or supposed shrink).
"It won't be returning to counter the sales of the F-150, the only reason it would be returning is to take sales away from the Colorado/Canyon, Tacoma, and Frontier"
Which combined are increasing the midsize segment, even though fuel prices are falling.
Do it FORD!! Call it the F100 Ranger and sell em like hotcakes.
lube bc,
The Ranger in single cab in Australia is selling for $17 000USD.
That is quite a bit cheaper than the new aluminium F-150.
It is also getting 29mpg AVERAGE from the 2.2 Duratorq diesel.
People who say that ford won't bring the ranger back i feel are wrong!! They first said that it must get alot more mpg's than the f-150. But now that sales are strong for gm, they more than likely won't let their "arch enemy" take sales away without competition. The focus might not be as close for mpg's as it will keeping ford die-hards happy. The new tacoma v6 doesn't get amazing mileage and it sells so..... They really need a small diesel option, like gm in 2016, frontier w/cummins in future. NO way it wouldn't sell. My only complaint is they wont offer a single cab 4x4 with a 7 foot bed. True lil' workhorse !!!
@Big Al, everyone here will keep correcting you, despite you getting so defensive. You really need to grow up.
Mark Williams story follows the typical "unwritten" rules of automotive journalism which to ignore or gloss over weak/bad points of new vehicles and only slag dead or outgoing models.
Case in point:
"The Ford Ranger was last sold in the states in 2012; it suffered from poor performance and construction."
Poor construction - it had a reputation for being durable. Performance wasn't that far off the perennially unchanged Tacoma.
"add to that the fact that the perennial favorite in the segment, the 2016 Toyota Tacoma, has just come to market as an all-new, significantly advanced pickup"
The 2016 Tacoma is far from "all new". That is the most abused term in automotive journalism.
Significantly advanced?????? Not really. The engine is different but mpg is on par with the competition.
Back on topic - Ford must be upset at the gains the Colorado/Canyon twins have made. They were going on the premise of expensive fuel and CAFE favouring large footprints.
This is Big Al's wet dream come true.
Excuse me. It won't be T6 Ranger or a mid-size - read the quotes from Ford marketing. That boat has sailed.
It will be a compact truck, like they had before. It will have a 8-9 mpg improvement over the F-150 and be $5-6k cheaper.
On the employee forum on BOF it was said today that the box line is going in in North Body body shop. I trust him. So it is not just speculation anymore. It is happening. Whether it will be called the Ranger or F-100 is not known.
The only Ford I would buy, the Ranger, The F150 is a big POS.
Just what we need another boring Ford POS that will look the same 15 years from now. Yawn Ford must be really scared Chevy is going to out sell them, so they call this f100 to claim F Series best selling junk.
@Lou_BC, The expectation is Ford may bring back the F-100 and the Bronco, too as a replacement for the Sport Trac and Ranger. Just what we need. More Ford junk! I'll keep my 1992 GM truck and just run it into the ground. Thank you very very much.
Ford WILL call it F100 so they can TAKE BACK the light duty truck sales crown from GM. This is a moral and accountability issue! I am sorry that Ford IS GOING TO LOSE THE crown but this is BS. Ford knows that GM has an all new Silverado coming in fall 2018 that will blow the doors off Ford. So Ford is pulling a fast one and coming out with a F-100 at the same time to steal GM's thunder. This is complete BS and Ford knows it!
@Lou_BC
I doubt you are going to get any "We were wrong "statement from Ford,but the growth of a " dead" segment,even when fuel prices are as low as as they might possibly go, heavily suggests this segment is far from dead.
My BVonscott has some semi-confirmed details on the 2018 GM trucks
Here's some tid bits for ya, mostly good news. (I won't reveal my source or any specific info that would damage GM's competetive stance):
2018 trucks
New turbo V6 across the board
10 speed auto across the board, inc reg cabs, V6, etc
This will give class leading MPG..... (30+mpg??? Hint Hint)
5.3 liter a goner
Optional High Output Turbo, 450hp
*Aluminum is coming to trucks*
The best part: the Sierra looks PHENOMINAL and will blow people away, and doesnt look like a crappy chevy, which will be the more "work truck" kinda feel and more "vanilla". Sorry Chevy guys. GM is aiming to increase GMC sales ALOT. Yukon/Tahoe is said to look several generations ahead of the current ones. Will also blow away competition.
Only thing I'm dissapointed with about the news is the low HP figure for the 5.3 liter. It needs to match the Ford 5.0.
Robert Ryan - I have always been a supporter of this segment. I am not a supporter of Big Al's debate style when someone happens to disagree with his opinions.
@Lou_BC
I know you have
Saying a mistake was made is distorting the situation and assumes they are going the obvious route in bringing over the global mid-size Ranger. I would be awfully disappointed if Ford had a product that would work all along and sat on their hands for years and decided last minute to push the button.
I'd prefer to believe that they a little bit smarter and have a long-term strategy and this will be a non-trivial and far more interesting/clever solution that doesn't clash with F-150. A BOF mid-size truck at this size has very cramped interior dimensions relative to its weight and exterior dimensions; something like the current global Ranger as is seems like a long-term failure.
A return to the small truck segment with a F-100 based on the Transit might be a good example of where to go here.
http://news.pickuptrucks.com/2014/10/ford-eyes-return-to-small-pickup-segment.html
Saying a mistake was made is distorting the situation and assumes they are going the obvious route in bringing over the global mid-size Ranger. I would be awfully disappointed if Ford had a product that would work all along and sat on their hands for years and decided last minute to push the button.
I'd prefer to believe that they a little bit smarter and have a long-term strategy and this will be a non-trivial and far more interesting/clever solution that doesn't clash with F-150. A BOF mid-size truck at this size has very cramped interior dimensions relative to its weight and exterior dimensions; something like the current global Ranger as is seems like a long-term failure.
A return to the small truck segment with a F-100 based on the Transit might be a good example of where to go here.
@Lou, I can see why the midsizers grew a little for the global market, but I suspect many US buyers prefer the smaller size of the previous generation. This is where VW might steal some market share. Despite the fact that VW has a terrible reputation for reliability.
On another note, I wonder how Hemi V8 is going to criticize turbo V6s after FCA's recent announcement.
Alex - I think that there is room for small trucks in the NA market. The typical price of the Colorado/Canyon puts them close to fullsizers indicating that price isn't a consideration but size is.
I looked at several Colorado's and I wouldn't buy one because the back of the crewcab isn't roomy enough. My 13 year old son who has hit 5'8" found it cramped. He isn't shrinking. The Tacoma was a better fit. I'd be curious to see the Ranger.
Ultimately I will go with what fits me and my family best. I've been happy with my F150 so far.
@Alex - I'm sure he will say that they are vastly superior despite current evidence:
American Consumer Satisfaction Index.
“While it is true that all cars are now much better than they were 10 to 20 years ago, it is alarming that so many of them have quality problems,” Claes Fornell, ACSI Chairman and founder, said in a statement. “The number of recalls is at an all-time high. This should not happen with modern manufacturing technology and has negative consequences for driver safety, costs and customer satisfaction.”
"Domestic automakers such as Ford (81) and General Motors (79) did well, however Fiat Chrysler (75) had four of its brands — Dodge (76), Jeep (75), Chrysler (74) and Fiat (73) — at the bottom of its list."
Posted by: Lou_BC
@Alex, I think that there is room for more RAM trucks in the NA market. The typical price of the Colorado/Canyon puts them close to RAMS WITH DISCOUNTS indicating that price isn't a consideration but the RAM brand is which is selling like hotcakes.
I looked at several Colorado's and I wouldn't buy one because the back of the crewcab isn't roomy enough. My family and I found it cramped. I am not shrinking. The RAM was a better fit. I'd be curious to see the RAM UPDATE IN 2017.
http://blog.caranddriver.com/ram-ramming-ram-1500-update-through-for-2015-full-probably-not-aluminumredesign-for-2017/
Ultimately I will go with what fits me and my family best. I've been happy with my RAM so far.
G
UTS
G
LORY
R
AM
This truck will blow the gm twins out of the water. Ford needs to bring it on and let it happen.
I will believe this when i see it. Ford is so invested in the new F-150 that I find this hard to believe. I think the global Ranger would do better than Ford or many Ford F-150 fan boys believe. It is interesting about the timing of this article but Ford might be trying to gauge interest in a new Ranger without committing to it. Many F-150 fan boys would be very disappointed and embarrassed if Ford did pull the trigger and bring this global Ranger over to America.
Ford told us in 2011 that most of us Ranger fans should be driving a Focus and that there was no market in the U.S. for a Ranger. Screw 'em.
Ford is going to have to do this right for the North America market. Bring global powertrains into the US doesn't work. Look at the Ram ecodiesel. It doesn't provide the performance people desire an its reflected in the take rate of these trucks. Which after the initial order by dealers it was believed to be a hot seller. So what does Ram do announce that 1 in 5 1500 diesels on there production or 20%. Reality of the fact is data proves it is 12% take rate for the diesel 1500. I think the take rate would be even less on a midsize to small size pickup do to the extra cost and the reason people buy them is for cost compared to a full size. No way ford can make a global ranger with a diesel cost competitive when compared to a 1/2 ton. As well as the performance for the majority of americans taste isn't filled by diesel vehicles..... I recently bought a Euro/global diesel car 2015 VW golf tdi.... If put that motor in a pickup such as an VW amarok..... 2.0 TDI it won't sell in the US. Yes initially it will as there is slight pent up demand for those that want a small diesel in a pickup but there isn't enough attraction to buy a small diesel pickup. Colorado diesel will sell initially as pent up demand will buy them hand over fist but once that very small demand in that very small segment is filled. You will see GM twins sales fall by the end of next year as that demand is getting filled and GM is doing a great job matching there output to current demand.
What ford will need is ultimate performance and simply but upscale options. Base 3.5 V6 and a 2.7 eco as your top engine. There best option would be put a pickup body on a slightly stretched ford edge chassis. The 2.7 edge is a hot seller and really sporty to boot and that is what the midsize ford pickup needs to be to gain any sales traction numbers.
(If you look at the numbers, even with the new models in the market the percent of mid sized trucks overall is below what it was when Ford stopped building the Ranger.)
Incorrect
in 2011 roughly 300k midsizers where sold
The midsize market is set to do more than that without the Ranger, susuki, and dakota,
'Bout time
As far as midsize diesel pickups go,soon the gm twins will be out with the expensive diesel option,priced in the area I said it would be,and next out will be the frontier with a Cummins diesel option.If Nissan keeps the price of the diesel less the gm charges,they might just take off bigtime.As for ford coming back with the ranger,I believe it will happen.As to whether they offer a diesel option,I don't think they will.I believe they will stay with 4 cly,and 6 cly turbo gassers,but that's just a guess on my part.
"Great just what we need more car/truck crossovers, might as well bring the el camino back, same thing"
--Posted by: nitro | Aug 26, 2015 12:03:27 PM
I wish they would. I'd love to see a throwback to the '59 El Camino especially.
I look forward to checking out the new Ranger. If its a toy truck I won't bother, I would consider it if it was midsized. At least the Colorado Canyon are a usable size but not overly large like F-150 land ark dimensions. I always felt that Ford was making a mistake by cancelling the Ranger..they blamed poor sales but I think lack of investment in the product was the main culprit for poor sales. Glad to see Ford may be coming to its senses. They had a black cladded midsized truck driving around back in 2012-13 that looked pretty sweet and the size was right. It had older F-150 bumper and window parts glued to it here and there for fillers but it was clearly a smaller truck. Possible a Ranger prototype?
"A new ranger isn't going to happen. The article I read say that ford would they could consider it if they could get the vehicle to get 6-8 mpg better then the f150 costed 5-6k less then it as well."
-- Make it as small as the original Ranger and just about as light, then give it better aerodynamics and the same 2.7L EcoBoost engine. Would probably get 30% better fuel mileage than that 2.5Ton hunk of lead they call a full-sized truck. It shouldn't be all that difficult to shed 2,000 pounds off of it.
"Considering most of ford passenger cars don't get 6-8 better then the current F150 epa estimates. For ford to make a truck with that mpg (34mpg hwy) it wouldn't be strong enough for any real capabilities (9000 ish lbs. payload)."
-- Considering I just rented a Ford passenger car for a week and realized nearly 40mpg in it, I think on average Ford's passenger cars do get that 6-8 better mpg than their trucks. They're smaller, lighter and far more aerodynamic.
"I do wonder if Ram rebranded/engineered the FIAT Strada and brought it over how that would sell? With a 9 speed and a 2.4 tigershark I could see that hitting 31mpg highway and have 900lbs payload."
-- They already have a re-branded model in Mexico, called the Ram 700. It also seems to be pretty popular there as well. Give it the Renegade's drivetrain and you've probably got a pretty potent COMPACT pickup truck.
I applaud Ford if they really do bring the Global Ranger to the USA. The one thing I notice with the GM vehicles lately is the lower amount of glass all around, one of the big advantages of the new Taco over the Canyon/Colorado and the full size twins have this issues as well, same goes for the Camaro, why GM doesn't look at the 3rd generation Camaro for guidance in regards to visibility I will never understand.
I like the look of the global ranger, gm water down the canyon/Colorado some for the us market and let us down on the offroad front for sure, why are the lockers, where is the multi terrain modes, my coworkers ancient equator has lockers and dual dana 44's, its a crew cab rubicon basically.
Ram has the powerwagon, lockers, sway bar disconnects, I'm getting sick of GM phoning it in on the offroad offering, they used to lead in the speciality version, remember the Silverado SS, remember the monte carlo ss, the buick grand national, the chevelle ss.
Too many bean counters and women working at gm these days, even though the raptor seems like a joke, at least ford tried, ram has some cool versions of their trucks, mega cabs and special versions I would want.
The new Silverado special editions are a joke, the all terrain is a sweet version of the gmc as well as denali, high country is ok but not as nice as the longhorn ram.
The fullsized 2016's look very nice for GM, they just need to get an offroad package for all four trucks, is that so much to ask??
It's not a body on frame design. Ford says that would be too big. The US Ranger will be a compact size the same as was axed in 2011 and not a 90% sized half-ton like the Canyon/Colorado.
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