Ford's Ranger may return to Louisville

[lapsergio]

CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE

 

Ford's Ranger may return to Louisville

Falling Explorer sales could open door, analysts say

 

By Robert Schoenberger

rschoenberger@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

 

In 1981, Ford Motor Co.'s Louisville Assembly Plant was in trouble. Sales of the LTD sedan were plummeting as drivers chose more fuel-efficient vehicles.

 

A year later, Ford launched the Ranger compact pickup truck in Louisville. The vehicle quickly became a best seller, and employees at a plant that had been a target for closure were working overtime.

 

 

 

With sales of Explorer sport utility vehicles falling in the face of high gasoline prices, some industry watchers believe history may repeat itself. They predict that Ford will return the Ranger to Louisville in 2008 when it closes its plant in St. Paul, Minn., which now produces the pickup.

 

"The way sales are going now, the Explorer could be a vehicle that sells 150,000 units a year (by 2008), leaving ample room at Louisville Assembly for a light pickup," said Catherine Madden, an analyst with Global Insight in suburban Boston.

 

Ford sold 239,788 Explorers last year, down from 445,147 in 2000.

 

Company officials declined to comment for this story.

 

But during a visit to the Louisville Assembly Plant this month, Dave Szczupak, Ford's vice president of manufacturing, said the automaker has a lot of options at the factory on Fern Valley Road.

 

"The line speeds and flexibility of this plant are incredible," Szczupak said. "It's the way we really need to go with all our plants."

 

Moving the Ranger to Louisville makes a lot of sense from a cost perspective, said George Hoffer, an economics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ford doesn't make much money on small pickups, so it wants to invest as little as possible on new models. Hoffer said Ford has already invested millions of dollars in recent years in the Explorer, a model that can be adapted for pickups.

 

"You've got a relatively new Ford Explorer platform and a four-door pickup platform already in place with the Explorer Sport Trac," Hoffer said.

 

In automotive terms, a platform is a set of parts, including frames and chassis elements that can be shared among different vehicles.

 

Hoffer and Madden said moving the Ranger to an Explorer platform also makes sense from a competitive standpoint.

 

The Ranger is one of the smallest compact pickups on the market. Toyota's Tacoma, Nissan's Frontier and Dodge's Dakota all offer more space, more power and more options, such as four full-sized doors. The Dakota even has a V-8 engine option.

 

"Right now, the only thing Ranger has going for it is price," Madden said. Because Ford has not significantly redesigned the vehicle in about a decade, it's cheaper to produce and sell than the competition. Still, sales have declined steeply. Ford sold 120,958 of the pickups last year, down from 330,125 in 2000.

 

The Louisville Assembly Plant has the capacity to build 250,000 vehicles a year on straight time. Madden said that could be split between 150,000 Explorers and 100,000 Rangers in 2009.

 

Reporter Robert Schoenberger can be reached at (502) 582-4669.

[wildosvt]

Numerous sources I find info from have been saying for a while now that the next Ranger will be on the Explorer chassis.

[lapsergio]

The Sport Trac was supposed to be a mid-sized Ranger in the beginning. I can remember when we were running this mid-size pickup in the body shop at LAP, we were told that it was going to be a larger Ranger. Eventually Ford decided to put the Explorer nameplate on the unit in able to get a higher price tag on the window. And the Sport Trac was born.

I don't believe it was ever meant to be an Explorer Sport Trac. That name resulted in a higher price.

[MrGarabaldi]

The Sport Trac was supposed to be a mid-sized Ranger in the beginning. I can remember when we were running this mid-size pickup in the body shop at LAP, we were told that it was going to be a larger Ranger. Eventually Ford decided to put the Explorer nameplate on the unit in able to get a higher price tag on the window. And the Sport Trac was born.

I don't believe it was ever meant to be an Explorer Sport Trac. That name resulted in a higher price.

 

 

I have no complaints, I own a 2001 Sport Trac and it is the most versatile vehicle I have ever owned.

 

If something ever happened to it, I would buy another to replace it.

 

Y'all have a good one

[launch_salary]

Wrong on all accounts. The new Ranger (F-100) will be built at Dearborn Truck. This was the main driver for a palletized box line....Also, no hard tooling in the bodysides, or underbody lines. Just re-program the robots, and use unique pallets.

[NLPRacing]

Wrong on all accounts. The new Ranger (F-100) will be built at Dearborn Truck. This was the main driver for a palletized box line....Also, no hard tooling in the bodysides, or underbody lines. Just re-program the robots, and use unique pallets.

 

If this is true, when will the new Ranger (F-100) start being built?

[J-150]

In 1981, Ford Motor Co.'s Louisville Assembly Plant was in trouble. Sales of the LTD sedan were plummeting as drivers chose more fuel-efficient vehicles.

 

A year later, Ford launched the Ranger compact pickup truck in Louisville. The vehicle quickly became a best seller, and employees at a plant that had been a target for closure were working overtime.

 

 

 

with that logic, the Ranger should go to STAP

[BORG]

The Explorer chasis is too expensive for a Ranger replacement, but they could build a new midsize truck. You can't make a 4-cylinder cheap-truck out of the Explorer chasis.

Edited April 24, 2006 by BORG

[NLPRacing]

The Explorer chassis is too expensive for a Ranger replacement, but they could build a new mid-size truck. You can't make a 4-cylinder cheap-truck out of the Explorer chassis.

 

True. When they announced the closing of TCAP, Mark Fields said they Ford would still have compact trucks in the future. That leads me to believe that there will be a larger than Ranger (F-100 based on the Explorer maybe?) and a smaller than Ranger (maybe B sized with the Bronco concept's styling?) replacements. Kind of like they did for the Taurus.

 

An Explorer based "mid-sized" Ranger (as long as it offers Regular, Super & Crew cabs and at least 6 foot beds) would be great for people who think the F150 is too big and compete very well against Dodge, Toyota & Nissan. And if it's called F-100, it will pad the F-Series sales numbers even more.

 

And a smaller Ranger would have great fuel economy and give auto parts stores a great little delivery truck. It would be the only true compact truck in NA. If they do make a new, compact Ranger with decent styling and offer a diesel, it would be my new daily driver.

[JW]

As a longtime Ranger owner/fan, I'm glad to see that there's at least some hope it will continue to exist.

 

A Ranger based on the new Explorer would be a dynamite truck. Since it wouldn't have IRS, the chassis similarities would really only be from about the firewall forward. I'd be really surprised if Ford came out with three (four, arguably, with the SD) different truck platforms. Dodge did that when the Dakota was introduced and they still had the Mitsubishi-built D50. The D50 was gone in about a year.

 

One can always dream, right?

 

[NLPRacing]

As a longtime Ranger owner/fan, I'm glad to see that there's at least some hope it will continue to exist.

 

A Ranger based on the new Explorer would be a dynamite truck. Since it wouldn't have IRS, the chassis similarities would really only be from about the firewall forward. I'd be really surprised if Ford came out with three (four, arguably, with the SD) different truck platforms. Dodge did that when the Dakota was introduced and they still had the Mitsubishi-built D50. The D50 was gone in about a year.

 

One can always dream, right?

 

 

An Explorer based Ranger could have IRS, at least as an option. A 6' short bed, regular cab could be built on the current Explorer chassis, a 6' short bed, SuperCab could be built on the SportTrac chassis and a 6' short bed CrewCab on an extended SportTrac chassis. The only problem is, Ford would still need a truck smaller than an Explorer based Ranger for CAFE reasons and for people that actually want a compact truck. And since an Explorer based pickup will probably be called F-100, then Ford would still only have 2 truck lines, the F-Series (on 3 platforms, 2 of which are shared with current SUV's) and a compact, entry-level pick up.

[wildosvt]

Hot damn that PS is sweet!

[sailorjohn]

Pure speculation. The Ranger could possibly be put into any number of plants. The only way LAP would be a lock to getting it would be to share the Explorer platform, which to me, makes all the sense in the world. Another possibility is to have the Ranger imported from Thailand, Mexico, or Brazil. Or it could possibly be built in the new "low cost" plant.

 

Don't plan the coming home party just yet.

 

 

"Launched all-new Ford Ranger in Thailand"

 

From the official 1st quarter financial results, received this as a pdf. file at my work email addy. Don't know if they're talking about a small pickup with the Ranger nameplate, or an Asian version of what they're building in Minnesota. If they pass the proposed legislation to remove tariffs on vehicles imported from Thailand, I would expect the company will be building it there, not anywhere in this vicinity.

[Scot T.]

Looks like a great idea. Keeping jobs in Louisville for assembly beats farming them to Mexico.

[wildosvt]

Looks like a great idea. Keeping jobs in Louisville for assembly beats farming them to Mexico.

 

No, You don't understand. They may head to THAILAND! LAP must be a back up plan.

 

 

BELIEVE me. I hope they stay state side. :titanic:

[PoorBob]

Pure speculation. The Ranger could possibly be put into any number of plants. The only way LAP would be a lock to getting it would be to share the Explorer platform, which to me, makes all the sense in the world. Another possibility is to have the Ranger imported from Thailand, Mexico, or Brazil. Or it could possibly be built in the new "low cost" plant.

 

Don't plan the coming home party just yet.

 

Several people asked Fields about Thai or other imports for the Ranger, and he said it really isn't an option. Even with platform sharing keeping costs down, there's not a lot of money to be made in compact-midsize pickups. Thai labor is lower, but material costs are higher, and by the time you get the vehicles shipped here, the savings disappear. To make money on imports, you need either a really small size to minimize shipping costs (Toyota's Scion line, several VW products, Chevy Aveo) or you need a fat profit margin (Range Rover, any euro luxury car, all of the Lexus line). The Ranger is too big with too thin of a margin to make sense as an import.

 

Bob

[millbilly31]

CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE

 

Ford's Ranger may return to Louisville

Falling Explorer sales could open door, analysts say

 

By Robert Schoenberger

rschoenberger@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

 

In 1981, Ford Motor Co.'s Louisville Assembly Plant was in trouble. Sales of the LTD sedan were plummeting as drivers chose more fuel-efficient vehicles.

 

A year later, Ford launched the Ranger compact pickup truck in Louisville. The vehicle quickly became a best seller, and employees at a plant that had been a target for closure were working overtime.

With sales of Explorer sport utility vehicles falling in the face of high gasoline prices, some industry watchers believe history may repeat itself. They predict that Ford will return the Ranger to Louisville in 2008 when it closes its plant in St. Paul, Minn., which now produces the pickup.

 

"The way sales are going now, the Explorer could be a vehicle that sells 150,000 units a year (by 2008), leaving ample room at Louisville Assembly for a light pickup," said Catherine Madden, an analyst with Global Insight in suburban Boston.

 

Ford sold 239,788 Explorers last year, down from 445,147 in 2000.

 

Company officials declined to comment for this story.

 

But during a visit to the Louisville Assembly Plant this month, Dave Szczupak, Ford's vice president of manufacturing, said the automaker has a lot of options at the factory on Fern Valley Road.

 

"The line speeds and flexibility of this plant are incredible," Szczupak said. "It's the way we really need to go with all our plants."

 

Moving the Ranger to Louisville makes a lot of sense from a cost perspective, said George Hoffer, an economics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ford doesn't make much money on small pickups, so it wants to invest as little as possible on new models. Hoffer said Ford has already invested millions of dollars in recent years in the Explorer, a model that can be adapted for pickups.

 

"You've got a relatively new Ford Explorer platform and a four-door pickup platform already in place with the Explorer Sport Trac," Hoffer said.

 

In automotive terms, a platform is a set of parts, including frames and chassis elements that can be shared among different vehicles.

 

Hoffer and Madden said moving the Ranger to an Explorer platform also makes sense from a competitive standpoint.

 

The Ranger is one of the smallest compact pickups on the market. Toyota's Tacoma, Nissan's Frontier and Dodge's Dakota all offer more space, more power and more options, such as four full-sized doors. The Dakota even has a V-8 engine option.

 

"Right now, the only thing Ranger has going for it is price," Madden said. Because Ford has not significantly redesigned the vehicle in about a decade, it's cheaper to produce and sell than the competition. Still, sales have declined steeply. Ford sold 120,958 of the pickups last year, down from 330,125 in 2000.

 

The Louisville Assembly Plant has the capacity to build 250,000 vehicles a year on straight time. Madden said that could be split between 150,000 Explorers and 100,000 Rangers in 2009.

 

Reporter Robert Schoenberger can be reached at (502) 582-4669.

 

 

CLICK HERE FOR ARTICLE

 

Ford's Ranger may return to Louisville

Falling Explorer sales could open door, analysts say

 

By Robert Schoenberger

rschoenberger@courier-journal.com

The Courier-Journal

 

In 1981, Ford Motor Co.'s Louisville Assembly Plant was in trouble. Sales of the LTD sedan were plummeting as drivers chose more fuel-efficient vehicles.

 

A year later, Ford launched the Ranger compact pickup truck in Louisville. The vehicle quickly became a best seller, and employees at a plant that had been a target for closure were working overtime.

With sales of Explorer sport utility vehicles falling in the face of high gasoline prices, some industry watchers believe history may repeat itself. They predict that Ford will return the Ranger to Louisville in 2008 when it closes its plant in St. Paul, Minn., which now produces the pickup.

 

"The way sales are going now, the Explorer could be a vehicle that sells 150,000 units a year (by 2008), leaving ample room at Louisville Assembly for a light pickup," said Catherine Madden, an analyst with Global Insight in suburban Boston.

 

Ford sold 239,788 Explorers last year, down from 445,147 in 2000.

 

Company officials declined to comment for this story.

 

But during a visit to the Louisville Assembly Plant this month, Dave Szczupak, Ford's vice president of manufacturing, said the automaker has a lot of options at the factory on Fern Valley Road.

 

"The line speeds and flexibility of this plant are incredible," Szczupak said. "It's the way we really need to go with all our plants."

 

Moving the Ranger to Louisville makes a lot of sense from a cost perspective, said George Hoffer, an economics professor at Virginia Commonwealth University. Ford doesn't make much money on small pickups, so it wants to invest as little as possible on new models. Hoffer said Ford has already invested millions of dollars in recent years in the Explorer, a model that can be adapted for pickups.

 

"You've got a relatively new Ford Explorer platform and a four-door pickup platform already in place with the Explorer Sport Trac," Hoffer said.

 

In automotive terms, a platform is a set of parts, including frames and chassis elements that can be shared among different vehicles.

 

Hoffer and Madden said moving the Ranger to an Explorer platform also makes sense from a competitive standpoint.

 

The Ranger is one of the smallest compact pickups on the market. Toyota's Tacoma, Nissan's Frontier and Dodge's Dakota all offer more space, more power and more options, such as four full-sized doors. The Dakota even has a V-8 engine option.

 

"Right now, the only thing Ranger has going for it is price," Madden said. Because Ford has not significantly redesigned the vehicle in about a decade, it's cheaper to produce and sell than the competition. Still, sales have declined steeply. Ford sold 120,958 of the pickups last year, down from 330,125 in 2000.

 

The Louisville Assembly Plant has the capacity to build 250,000 vehicles a year on straight time. Madden said that could be split between 150,000 Explorers and 100,000 Rangers in 2009.

 

Reporter Robert Schoenberger can be reached at (502) 582-4669.

Unfortunately the Ranger is not returning to Louisville. We are already putting in lines for it dearborn.

[DRODMOTORS]

Read the press release. He has said it is not an option at this time.

 

2008 is a long way away, and Fields has left the door wide open to changing his mind.

 

Yet in today's shareholder meeting, Padilla had a slide that had the Thai Ranger with the Fusion/Milan/Zephyr, 07 Navi/Expedition, Edge, 08 Super Duty, Explorer and said something about how the new Ranger will be distributed to "50 markets." Then there were separate slides for global products. Seemed like an indication of something in the works. Maybe US crash and emission standards need to be engineered and viola, we have a new Ranger?