The Ranger is dead by 2009

[Roadrunner]

The Ranger is dead when TCAP is shut down, reports Automotive News. It's an explanation why the car was set to rot. (source)

 

But at a time when gas prices are increasing demand for smaller vehicles, and at a time when Ford is one of the automakers most affected by new fuel efficiency regulations -- why oh why would they kill their compact truck?

 

Comments?

[BlackHorse]

The Ranger is dead when TCAP is shut down, reports Automotive News. It's an explanation why the car was set to rot. (source)

 

But at a time when gas prices are increasing demand for smaller vehicles, and at a time when Ford is one of the automakers most affected by new fuel efficiency regulations -- why oh why would they kill their compact truck?

 

Comments?

 

I agree, it's a bad move to kill of your only compact truck, they are making something of a come back with gas prices what they are. Around here Rangers are actually holding their resale value quite well just because you can get a 4 cylinder model to get pretty good mileage and they are durable as hell. Bad move on Fords part, I hope they don't do it.

[jpd80]

The Ranger is dead when TCAP is shut down, reports Automotive News. It's an explanation why the car was set to rot. (source)

 

But at a time when gas prices are increasing demand for smaller vehicles, and at a time when Ford is one of the automakers most affected by new fuel efficiency regulations -- why oh why would they kill their compact truck?

 

Comments?

 

Importing T6 from a country with a FTA?

(South America?)

Edited August 28, 2007 by jpd80

[NLPRacing]

Importing T6 from a country with a FTA?

(South America?)

 

Hopefully not...

 

Or building it in a FLEX plant, and calling it something other than "Ranger". :shades:

 

Hopefully so...

[OAC_Sparky]

This is coming from someone who might be pulling the trigger on getting a new one soon.

 

I've owned two already and was happy with them; but that said, with the 4.0L the gas mileage is only marginally better than an F150. Its styling is old. Really old. I mean, I can trace the lineage from the '92 and '94 Rangers I've owned.

 

What the Ranger needs is a refresh appearance-wise and a major update drivetrain-wise. A small diesel or even the 3.5L would make a good start.

[Ford Jellymoulds]

We have no sports car in Europe, now it looks like that will be the end of the pick-up truck as well, as Ford only sell the Ranger in Europe. Toyota Hilux will come in and mop up the Ford sales. Farmers, landscape gardeners & builders will not use Ford Connect vans off road on farms, carry grass, and tree cuttings. I had a holiday in Cyprus this year, every man and his dog drive pick-ups there, and so what is the only vehicle Ford does not sell in Cyprus? The Ranger. Marketing are not doing any market research here why?

[FordBuyer]

We have no sports car in Europe, now it looks like that will be the end of the pick-up truck as well, as Ford only sell the Ranger in Europe. Toyota Hilux will come in and mop up the Ford sales. Farmers, landscape gardeners & builders will not use Ford Connect vans off road on farms, carry grass, and tree cuttings. I had a holiday in Cyprus this year, every man and his dog drive pick-ups there, and so what is the only vehicle Ford does not sell in Cyprus? The Ranger. Marketing are not doing any market research here why?

 

Any chance Ford could bring the new European Ranger to the States? After all, Mulally mantra is global, global, global. Also, if Ford does end the Ranger (100,000 sales), Crown Vic, Town Car, Grand Marquis (150,000 sales), Taurus X (75,000 sales), and Sport Trac (50,000 sales), how on earth is Ford going to pick up market share this way with no replacements. That is almost 400,000 sales/year gone. Sorry, but Flex and MKS is not going to make up those sales. I sure hope Ford has other vehicles in planning stage that we don't know anything about.

[atomcat68]

I agree, it's a bad move to kill of your only compact truck, they are making something of a come back with gas prices what they are. Around here Rangers are actually holding their resale value quite well just because you can get a 4 cylinder model to get pretty good mileage and they are durable as hell. Bad move on Fords part, I hope they don't do it.

Holy Shit! That's a picture of my old car in your post! Both my Mustang and my Sable ended up in other people's posts from this computer glitch!

[Explorer4X4]

Ford won't kill it, and if they do, they'll replace it. Ford has basically owned the compact market since the Ranger's introduction. Its too big of a segment to ignore.

 

But then again, they did exit the minivan segment, so I suppose anything is possible.

[BlackHorse]

Holy Shit! That's a picture of my old car in your post! Both my Mustang and my Sable ended up in other people's posts from this computer glitch!

 

I was wondering what the hell was going on.

[waymondospiff]

I think the (current) Ranger has to die sometime. Not just because "that's the way things work" but because of pending regulation - doesn't a car/truck side-impact law go into effect in 2009/2010? Would the Ranger, with it's mid-80s structure, meet the standards?

 

I would be surprised if Ford simply abandonned the compact pickup market. Stranger things have happened, obviously, but when Ford has a perfectly fine vehicle that meets US standards and is already "paid for" development wise, why not add it to the US and pick up "margin" sales? I'm speaking, of course, of the Thai Ranger.

 

We'll see.

 

Scott

[RichardJensen]

Well, it's like this.

 

If you want anything like fullsize truck capability, you will get fullsize truck fuel efficiency.

 

If you want decent passenger space, you will either have a microscopic cargo bed, or you will have fullsize truck fuel economy.

 

If you want a little runabout that can haul about a thousand pounds of whatnot every now and again, and you don't mind only being able to haul one other person comfortably, the Ranger is the pickup for you.

 

The problem is, the whole compact market is shrinking. There is less and less need for a true compact pickup and everything else may as well be fullsize.

[JW]

The current structure is not "mid-80's" - guard beams were added to the doors for MY1994 to meet side-impact requirements that went into effect at that time. No reason to believe it wouldn't be updated again. Well, no reason except for the fact that it's been rotting on the vine for the last six years. Personally I'm sick of the whole damn thing. If they'd build what I have in my signature, I'd buy an extended cab 4x4 version of it immediately, but it looks like I'll be able to hang on to my money.

[jpd80]

Any chance Ford could bring the new European Ranger to the States? After all, Mulally mantra is global, global, global. Also, if Ford does end the Ranger (100,000 sales), Crown Vic, Town Car, Grand Marquis (150,000 sales), Taurus X (75,000 sales), and Sport Trac (50,000 sales), how on earth is Ford going to pick up market share this way with no replacements. That is almost 400,000 sales/year gone. Sorry, but Flex and MKS is not going to make up those sales. I sure hope Ford has other vehicles in planning stage that we don't know anything about.

European Ranger is sourced from Asia/South America and is to be replaced by T6.

[jpd80]

Well, it's like this.

 

If you want anything like fullsize truck capability, you will get fullsize truck fuel efficiency.

 

If you want decent passenger space, you will either have a microscopic cargo bed, or you will have fullsize truck fuel economy.

 

If you want a little runabout that can haul about a thousand pounds of whatnot every now and again, and you don't mind only being able to haul one other person comfortably, the Ranger is the pickup for you.

 

The problem is, the whole compact market is shrinking. There is less and less need for a true compact pickup and everything else may as well be fullsize.

 

Plus both the Asian and North American Ranger platforms are a proper 1-Tonne Truck.

The only way you get half decent gas mileage is using either a Duratorq 25 or 35 diesel.

Forget fuel economy if you want a gasoline engine.

That's probably why the F150 is that size, no mileage penalty for gasoline engines.

Edited August 28, 2007 by jpd80

[pffan1990]

I'm pretty sure Ford is working on a Ranger redesign by 2009. In fact, I'm also sure they'll rename it the Courier, based on Ford's recent renaming schemes.

[Roadrunner]

Once again, opinion is being mistaken for fact. :rolleyes:

 

Combine the report in Automotive News with other reports on the Ranger (a dangerous thing to do, I'll admit), and it's dead.

Or at least it sounds like nothing is locally being developed.

 

We at Blue Oval Forums usually know almost well in advance when something is coming at Ford -- the MKS, the Transit van, what have you. I'm not seeing anything that says new Ranger will be coming, or that the tooling will move elsewhere.

Edited August 28, 2007 by Roadrunner

[JW]

I'm also sure they'll rename it the Courier

 

Sure! While they're at it, they can slap on some external tie-downs and tailgate latches.

 

Hmm...we're gonna redesign our compact truck. Do we use the name we've had for 25 years, or the one we put on someone else's truck for 10 years, that was a raging pile of shit??

[ANTAUS]

I understand the compact market is shrinking, but doesn't shouldn't be an excuse to not offer a vehicle. Even if you sell a paltry 50K units, as long as it's profittable, thats what matters. Some people have taken a lead and place competitive compact trucks such as the Tacoma and Frontier. If anything, it allows someone to have a positive experience with that vehiclein the hopes of them buying the larger model later on. If done properly, it can be a viable option..specially since the market is being fragmented.

[Blueblood]

The Ranger is dead when TCAP is shut down, reports Automotive News. It's an explanation why the car was set to rot. (source)

 

But at a time when gas prices are increasing demand for smaller vehicles, and at a time when Ford is one of the automakers most affected by new fuel efficiency regulations -- why oh why would they kill their compact truck?

 

Comments?

 

Why?

 

The question asked by Ford fanatics for years, nobody really knows why some companies choose to self destruct..

[FordBuyer]

Why?

 

The question asked by Ford fanatics for years, nobody really knows why some companies choose to self destruct..

 

 

It will be sad to see it go as I still think its best looking small pickup on road if optioned out right. When I saw the new EPA ratings on 2008 Ranger and saw with 4wd and 4.0 V6 of 13 and 17 that tells me this truck is history. Sad to see you go. I'm sure Ford tried to make business case for it, and maybe it still will as auto show season is coming up quickly, but if there is no mention of new one, then I would say it's history. I notice dealers don't keep many in stock and ones there have been ordered. If the dealers don't buy them, then Ford is not going to build them.

[twintornados]

The Ranger in its current form is very much dead indeed...will Ford let the name die as well, or apply it to a new replacement truck is the question that remains. Ford could and should re-introduce the Ranger either on the Taurus X body style or upcoming Flex body style. They could do a bold move and make a truck version of both body styles with the Flex version called the Ranger, and the Taurus X version called the Ranchero X. That would definately send shock waves throughout the industry. The vehicles would complement each other just as Taurus X and Flex will.

 

 

Then, bring the EU Ranger to the US and dub it the new F100 since F150 will be getting larger in the re-design.

[Deanh]

Well, it's like this.

 

If you want anything like fullsize truck capability, you will get fullsize truck fuel efficiency.

 

If you want decent passenger space, you will either have a microscopic cargo bed, or you will have fullsize truck fuel economy.

 

If you want a little runabout that can haul about a thousand pounds of whatnot every now and again, and you don't mind only being able to haul one other person comfortably, the Ranger is the pickup for you.

 

The problem is, the whole compact market is shrinking. There is less and less need for a true compact pickup and everything else may as well be fullsize.

I don't know rich, a pseudo retro mid-size f-100 ala 1956 would have us beating the customers back.....AND the younger market.....

[FordBuyer]

The Ranger in its current form is very much dead indeed...will Ford let the name die as well, or apply it to a new replacement truck is the question that remains. Ford could and should re-introduce the Ranger either on the Taurus X body style or upcoming Flex body style. They could do a bold move and make a truck version of both body styles with the Flex version called the Ranger, and the Taurus X version called the Ranchero X. That would definately send shock waves throughout the industry. The vehicles would complement each other just as Taurus X and Flex will.

Then, bring the EU Ranger to the US and dub it the new F100 since F150 will be getting larger in the re-design.

 

 

I like that idea a lot. Too bad you are not product planner and have the clout to sell this idea and get Ford to fund it.

[danglin]

 

Sad to see what has happened to the Ranger. I bought a 1991 Ranger Ext. Cab 4cyl 5 spd, brand new, back then, and really enjoyed that truck. I had also owned a 1993 V6 Auto Ext. Cab, and leased a 1997 regular cab 4cyl 5 spd, brand new. They were all nice little trucks. I still wish I had kept one of them.