There will never be another American made Ranger following 2011 The light pickup by Ford has barely received more than a little cosmetic upgrade for over a decade. The pickup used to be one of the best selling light pickups on the market. Ford did not want to mess with a great thing. That said, the Ranger has had its day. After 2011, it definitely won’t be made anymore. The Ecoboost turbo V6 within the new F150 is what Ford is going to try and emphasize.
The Ford Ranger was king of its class
Throughout North America, the Ford Ranger was the best selling light pickup for practically all of the 1990s. The truck was just about everything a person could ask for, and so its success was deserved. 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. However, once comparable pickups by Toyota Motors and Nissan were redesigned to have greater seating within the cab, sales began to slip. The peak came in 1999, according to Wikipedia. That year, Ford sold over 348,000 Rangers. Sales were only 55,000 only 10 years later.
It had a good run
Ford had to come up with something else, or redesign the Ranger. But Ford went with another choice. There can be a redesigned model, according to USA Today. That said, it’s not going to be produced or sold in the U.S. Ford is pushing the new F150 instead. The new model will consist of an Ecoboost V-6, which will get better mileage than the stock V-8. Thinking about that the F150 is more expensive than the Ranger, and the Ecoboost turbo V-6 comes with an additional premium. Fleet sales have been the bulk of Ranger sales for the last few years running.
Plant shutting down too
A formerly well-liked truck is no longer getting made. The facility it has been produced at is getting shut down too. The truck is within the firing line, and the facility 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.
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
