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"Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out."

15K views 111 replies 74 participants last post by  VS Ute 5Litre 
#1 ·
"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
 
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#47 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

Is all of this abandonment of the light truck market based on how the new EPA targets classify these vehicles? I wouldn't be surprised if the Ford Ranger, Chevy Colorado, H3T (RIP), GMC Canyon, etc. are classified in the car target and not the "truck" targets for average MPG. Easier to kill a segment then actually engineer an efficient enough truck to make their CAFE averages hit the mark.
 
#48 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

Dumb move by Ford IMO... Ford left the Ranger for dead and it still sold well... Can you imagine what it would do if it actually had some time and effort put into it?... I think it could challenge the Tacoma.

I hope GM takes advantage of this and gets the new global Colorado to the US... Pick up some of those sales lost by the Ranger... It would be a shame if most of those customers had to resort to a Tacoma or Dakota.
 
#53 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

That's OK then I see no Ford in my future since I want a compact pickup and Ford wants me to buy a mega big F150 instead , I will just buy from someone who wants my business good riddance to Ford .
 
#60 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

The question being, how many billions does Ford spend, to design and build a new US Ranger................ in a shrinking market............... where ever increasing safety regs add more and more weight............. and basically make the small truck weigh much more than it should (smaller truck harder to meet regs), while still costing Ford almost the same to build.

The reality being, it does not cost much less to make an updated Ranger, than it does for a F150. Yet, the basic problem is very apparent on this very thread. Everyone is willing to buy a newly designed Ranger, if it costs as much as a basic Fiesta.

So, how much money do you propose that Ford lose, on every one they build??

Under Mulally, they will NOT do this, nor should they. The only way the Ranger is selling, currently, is with huge discounts. Yet, with this evidence in our face, there are still some advocating spending billions to continue this.

If auto manufacturers based what they did, on the whims of what a blogger said, they would be out of business in a year.
 
#64 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

A nifty turbo-diesel 4cyl Chevy pickup getting, what, around 35MPG should sell very well IMHO, especially if the Ranger really is gone. I could even see VW doing it, they've already got the turbo-diesel federalized for the U.S....years ago they had a Rabbit diesel pickup that got 40-50MPG.
 
#65 · (Edited)
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

wow isn't the aussie more of a ute and less of a truck?
A basic light truck license is required in Australia, if the vehicle weighs more than 10,000lbs GVWR. That is why a F350 is a Pickup here, not a Truck. Motorhome manufacturers and Rental Van people get a vehicle that is 9,995lb GVWR, so they can say it can be driven on a car licence.
http://www.paradisemotorhomes.com.au/product/motorhome-rentals-campervan-hire
Unrivalled luxury, comfort and space, the Free Time Lite is a custom designed 2 berth Motor Home. With only a standard car license required, hiring a Paradise Motor Home comes with the peace of mind of superior safety as well as the reliability and backup of Mercedes Benz.
 
#66 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

I just bought a Colorado with a 5.3L V8 because I wanted a smaller truck. Yes I could have gotten a deal on a full size for not much more but I wanted a SMALL truck. There is a market for them, just price them accordingly and tell your dealers not to dissuade people from buying them (yes the first dealer I went to try to push me towards a Silverado).

I would have been interested in an El-Camino type of vehicle and was planning on buying the Pontiac Ute until the plug was pulled.

Its unfortunate to see Ford pull out of the market. If GM decides not to replace the Colorado/Canyon in the US then they need to bring the Ute over (with crew cab, V8, and AWD options).
 
#70 · (Edited)
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

Are Ford just anticipating the arrival of Chinese pickups, which are effectively the last generation of Japanese ones. Even with a 25% tax they will be cheap even if people will have to decide for themselves on the quality. I am now seeing a lot more Great Wall pickups in my area. I parked behind one last night and externally at least there was nothing to fault on it. Even shut lines were spot on. The ones I travelled in when I was in China were the previous generation Great Walls but were on a par to my sister's old Triton.
If the US market for these is small then produce them in a market with an FTA or send a Falcon Ute in LHD.
 
#71 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

That's a bad move, there is a large market for a small pickup, but it has to get better mileage then a full size and it can't cost slightly less then a full size, it has to be a good bit less. Put one on the market in the 10-12 thousand dollar range and you will sell a bunch of them. Everybody doesn't have 30-50 thousand dollars for a pickup.
 
#73 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

The Biggest Objetion I have while selling a Ranger is "They get they same mileage as a fullsize"

We sell 1 Ranger, to ever 3 F 150's. If the mileage improved, we would sell a whole lot more. Even without as much cash on the Hood.

They have a reputation of being Bullet Proof, and customers know it. There is a storey of the News Paper guy that delivers the closest "City Paper" (300 miles away) He had 800,000kms on his Ranger before he hit a Moose, it upste him because he wanted to goe to 1 million kms.
 
#74 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

They should have qualified their beliefs as, "no place in future for small pickups that are a 20-year-old design and attain fuel economy comparable with a full-size"

Amazing finding for Ford, given the move to small cars. Lots of people don't want big pickups due to the negative image of driving something hulking -- but wait until gas hits $4 or $5 a gallon and see how many F150s move off the lots.

All in all, while I'm sure they've got a gymnasium full of know-it-all product planners, dropping the Ranger sure looks like a misguided move. I suspect if the Ranger were redone and done well, its improved sales would change the forecast. The domestics are effectively leaving the small pickup market to Nissan and Toyota (even if the Tacoma is pretty large these days).
 
#75 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

Note that the companies that do very well with compact trucks (they are not small anymore, they are midsize), do very poorly with fullsize truck sales............... and visa versa.

It would appear that one cannibalizes from the other, as the prices are pretty similar.

BTW, if someone can explain how Ford can build a fully updated Ranger, with new powerplants/transmissions, and modern features, that meets upcoming standards on everything, plus gets much better f/e................. and retains 5000lbs of towing, and sells it for $12-13K at a profit.............. then you get a brownie.
 
#79 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

BTW, if someone can explain how Ford can build a fully updated Ranger, with new powerplants/transmissions, and modern features, that meets upcoming standards on everything, plus gets much better f/e................. and retains 5000lbs of towing, and sells it for $12-13K at a profit.............. then you get a brownie.
Good point. Here's how I see it: the new redesigned F-150 starts at $21,820 and the current Ranger starts at $17,820 (surely that must be at a significant profit by now). Start a new base model Ranger at $18,820 or a little less and that should allow Ford to sell it at a small profit while undercutting the full-size by $3,000 and large mpg savings over a base F-150. Keep in mind a 2010 Tacoma starts at $16,365 even, Ford could shoot for that I would think.
 
#77 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

Smaller just isn't that much cheaper to build, whether it's a car or a truck, especially when the full size sells so many more units. Those who said the small truck was all about helping to achieve CAFE for the big truck have it right.
 
#82 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

If this is true, it shows Ford's lack of insight regarding the market for the Ranger.
It should be redesigned & completely all new.
The Ranger can & should be the best in class of small pick ups....again!!!


!!!
 
#83 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

I don't really beleive this article. Mulally mentioned twice the other day during the Explorer reveal that a new Ranger was on tap. I think it will be a T6.
 
#84 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

BTW, if someone can explain how Ford can build a fully updated Ranger, with new powerplants/transmissions, and modern features, that meets upcoming standards on everything, plus gets much better f/e................. and retains 5000lbs of towing, and sells it for $12-13K at a profit.............. then you get a brownie.

But does a compact truck have to retain 5000lbs towing capacity?

Again is there a market for a CUV platformed utility truck?

An Ecoboost or Direct injection 4 cylinder with car gearing and ride quality would meet the needs of most truck owners.

I've never really needed the towing capacity of my Silverado years ago nor the V8 powered pevious generaton Dakota. But I wanted and needed the cargo bed.

Hated the crappy gas mileage.

So envision an El Camino or Ranchero like vehicle built on a Malibu or Fusion platform. Six speed tranny, 200 hp plus 4 cylinder.

For someone that might need to haul their John Deere riding mower to the shop but doesn't need to pull a trailer loaded down with a John Deere tractor.

Decent gas mileage ride and passenger capacity like the Malibu/Fusion but instead of a trunk a useable truck bed.

You put a Crew Cab compact truck with good gas mileage, 5 passenger and good ride quality truck starting in the mid 20s I think there would be a strong market.

Think about all those years buyers of full size SUVs included soccer moms with zero need for large payloads or towing capacity. And the moment the CUV segment began offering signficant improved mpg, car like ride with out sacrificing the passenger or luggage capacity of a full size SUV....BAM sales took off.

Think of applying the logic behind the Lambda products compared to full size Tahoes but in this case to truck platforms.
 
#86 ·
Re: "Ford sees no place in future for small pickups, so the Ranger will be phased out

I agree about using FWD/AWD platform. I'd like to see an Escape-based pick up with the 2.5L I4, 3.0L V6, and 2.0L EB I4. It could be a two door, extended cab, and crew cab four door.
 
#100 ·
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