"Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out."
Link: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100802/OEM04/308029997/1216
Article Quote:
The Ford brand also gets new technology, including the EcoBoost engine in large vehicles such as the Edge crossover and possibly the Expedition SUV, sources say. But Ford sees no place in the future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out.
Another quote, from the same issue:
Ford is expected to pull the plug on the aging Ranger in 2011. It's unclear whether the company will replace the compact pickup with another product.
Executives have said Ford might import a version of the next-generation small pickup sold outside North America. If so, the U.S. model would be based on Ford's T6 global compact pickup platform, engineered by Ford of Australia.
But this is unlikely because of the 25 percent tax on imported pickups. That tax would mean boosting the price of the Ranger close to that of the F-series trucks -- a tough sell for pickup buyers.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20100802/OEM04/308029998/1254#ixzz0vS02Rign
Link: http://www.autonews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100802/OEM04/308029997/1216
Article Quote:
The Ford brand also gets new technology, including the EcoBoost engine in large vehicles such as the Edge crossover and possibly the Expedition SUV, sources say. But Ford sees no place in the future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out.
Another quote, from the same issue:
Ford is expected to pull the plug on the aging Ranger in 2011. It's unclear whether the company will replace the compact pickup with another product.
Executives have said Ford might import a version of the next-generation small pickup sold outside North America. If so, the U.S. model would be based on Ford's T6 global compact pickup platform, engineered by Ford of Australia.
But this is unlikely because of the 25 percent tax on imported pickups. That tax would mean boosting the price of the Ranger close to that of the F-series trucks -- a tough sell for pickup buyers.
Read more: http://www.autonews.com/article/20100802/OEM04/308029998/1254#ixzz0vS02Rign