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Ford seeks to pull customers’ heartstrings by making iconic nameplates into sub-brands – potentially leaving little room for the Ranger in the USA.
It may be the best-selling vehicle in Australia, but the Ford Ranger’s days may be numbered in America, according to reports.
According to Automotive News, Ford “currently does not have plans” to keep building the Ranger beyond the current generation at its plant in Michigan.
Though the same publication reports Ford will use a plant in Michigan to build a mid-size petrol and hybrid ute by the end of the decade, but whether it’s called a Ranger remains to be seen.
Although popular in Australia, the Ranger is a slow seller in the US, potentially prompting Ford to spawn a Bronco ute, to be built out of its Michigan plant. The Ranger could be moved to Ford’s new Tennessee Truck Plant, set to kick off in 2029, but there are no guarantees.
Although not sold in Australia, the Bronco is built on the ‘T6.2’ platform developed by Ford Australia, a platform shared with the Ranger, Everest and Volkswagen Amarok.
The Bronco therefore shares the Ranger’s body-on-frame construction and its 10-speed automatic transmission, but not its engines, due to American customers’ aversion to diesel. The exception is the Raptor versions of the Ranger and Bronco, which share a three-litre twin-turbo petrol V6.
The Ford Ranger, Ford F-150 and the upcoming fully electric Ford Fathom are clearly distinguished in size, and it’s speculated that rather than finding a niche for a fourth ute, the Bronco ute will replace the Ranger in the USA.
Speculation is growing that a Ford Bronco is Australia-bound, but evidence suggests it will be the Bronco New Energy from the Chinese market, which is mechanically unrelated to either American Bronco and offers electric and plug-in hybrid powertrains.
The report from Automotive News builds on speculation Ford will adopt a strategy of turning their most famous models into sub-brands. The Bronco has been a prototype for this, with the Bronco sold in the USA alongside the Escape-based, car-like Bronco Sport.
The same is happening for the Mustang, which is sprouting a four-door model in the coming years to join the iconic coupé and convertible, as well as the related-in-name-only Mustang Mach-E SUV. Also rumoured is an off-road focussed Mustang Baja.
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