Speculation Abounds Regarding Ford Ranger Replacement

Since the early 1970s, the Ford Motor Company has had a small pickup truck in its line up, initially selling the Mazda built Ford Courier before replacing that model with the Ford Ranger in 1983. Today, the Ranger soldiers on but the truck is woefully outdated and needing a major makeover. Indeed, Ford says that the current model will be retired in 2011, but has been pretty much mum about its replacement.

What Truck Is This?

Ford appears to be committed to selling a compact pickup truck, a segment with plenty of room to grow. Lots of people like the big Ford F-150, but find it to be too much truck for their needs. GM, Toyota and Nissan all have newer, smaller trucks in their line ups, with the latter two companies dominating the entry level truck market.

Over the past few months, spy shots of what appears to be a new Ford truck have surfaced on the internet. For its part, Ford has said that a truck slightly smaller than the F-150, dubbed the F-100 might hit the market, while others know that Ford plans to roll out a compact truck overseas through its Thailand operation.

Giving Ford Australia Responsibility

Ford has also tasked Ford Australia with designing and developing a new truck, code-named the T6 which could be readied for world markets other than the US in 2011. That model is expected to be equipped with various small gas and diesel engines, the types of powerplants desired in most markets. Recent rumors have indicated that prototypes of the T6 are being tested in the US right now, which would show that Ford may be taking a new approach with the Ranger.

So why would Ford hold the Ranger or its replacement back from the US market? For one, costs make building the truck here prohibitive – like so many small Ford cars, building them in markets where labor costs are low is the only way Ford can turn a profit with the Ranger. In addition, US safety and emissions requirements add to the cost of building the Ranger, one more reason why getting the replacement Ranger to the US market may be a tall order to fill.

We’ll let you know if we hear fresh speculation about the replacement Ranger. Ford has its hands full bringing the Fiesta and all new Focus to the market, compact cars which could pave the way for the next generation Ranger.

See Also — Is Ford Itching To Sell Mazda?

Ford SVT Raptor: A Truck To Enrapture The Imagination!

The Ford Motor Company has certainly been taking its lumps over the past few years, with 2008 likely to go down as one of the worst years in the company’s history. Sales are down, consumer credit is tight, and fluctuating gas prices has wreaked havoc on an already strained industry.

Ford’s champion, the F-150 pickup truck, has seen its sales drop sharply as buyers avoid vehicles that consume copious amounts of gasoline in favor of smaller, lighter vehicles which squeeze out every drop of fuel possible. That shift has caught Ford off guard as their most fuel efficient cars can be found in Europe while its American operation leans toward heavier, more powerful vehicles.

Fortunately, fuel prices have dropped by more than 40% over this past summer’s highs, giving consumers real relief and allowing car buyers to consider larger vehicles once again. Certainly, a wholesale shift to bigger vehicles isn’t going to happen, but the balance appears to be righted, a move which can only help Ford.

Just in time for the next generation F-150′s release, the lower gas prices couldn’t have come soon enough. When Ford redesigned the F-150, they decided to go with a strictly V8 line up, figuring that the new base V8 would offer comparable fuel economy to the old V6 while giving consumers the power that they wanted. Unfortunately, that move has left Ford exposed as many buyers are shunning V8 power. As a result, Ford is hurrying the development of a new V6 and will soon make available a V8 diesel to supplement its truck series line up.

With the newest F Series, Ford has developed a special truck – the F-150 Raptor – a performance, off-road truck for enthusiasts. Ford shares the following about its latest specialty model:

Ford’s Special Vehicle Team (SVT) taps into growing off-road enthusiast market and builds on the solid foundation of the new Ford F-150 to deliver the ultimate off-road performance truck – the 2010 Ford F-150 SVT Raptor

Industry-first internal bypass shocks by Fox Racing Shox help provide smooth ride; lower, wider design key to desert racing and off-road performance.

The F-150 SVT Raptor launches with the proven 5.4-liter Triton V-8 with 310 horsepower and 365 lb.-ft of torque; a 6.2-liter V-8 engine will be available after launch.

“Ford trucks have been a mainstay on the off-road racing scene for more that 20 years because of our long history of capability and durability,” said Derrick Kuzak, Ford’s group vice president for Global Product Development. “With the F-150 SVT Raptor, we are delivering a true off-road performance truck with the proven ‘Built Ford Tough’ capability and durability that is at the core of every F-150 and the best in performance thanks to the team at SVT.” “Like its fighter jet and dinosaur namesakes, the F-150 SVT Raptor is tough, fast, aggressive, and built with the off-road enthusiast in mind,” he added.

The 2010 F-150 SVT Raptor will be built along side the new F-150 at Ford’s Dearborn Truck Plant at the historic Rouge Center in Dearborn, Mich.

(Source: Ford Motor Company)