The auto industry is a tricky place with a strange flow. Always depending on suppliers and developers, it has to wait in line for various parts or tech. It is Ford's turn to blame it on the supply chain.
The 2024 Ford Ranger was set to enter production on August 21, and so was the Ranger Raptor version. But the carmaker had to push production back a week due to supply chain issues that the Michigan Assembly plant has been facing.
The mid-size pickup truck is already on sale in some markets, but not in the US just yet, despite the fact that order banks opened back in May. Waiting lists are getting longer, and so do waiting times. Customers are asking for build dates for the Rangers they ordered. However, FoMoCo cannot confirm a build date since they don’t have any components delivery date from suppliers. The carmaker promised to keep buyers informed with updates at least once every 45 days.
The 2024 Ford Ranger starts at $32,565. That is how much customers pay for the entry-level XL version with the 2.3-liter EcoBoost engine, capable of delivering 270 horsepower (274 PS) and 310 lb-ft (420 Nm) in a front-wheel drive setup.
The range-topping Ranger Raptor starts at $55,365 and comes with the 3.0-liter EcoBoost V6 that pumps out 405 horsepower (411 PS) and 430 lb-ft (582 Nm).
The all-new Ford Explorer EV also delayed
The 2024 Ford Explorer EV is facing similar problems. The electric crossover, the first to be underpinned by Volkswagen's MEB platform, was revealed back in March for the European market. The production of the electric crossover, coming with a recommended price below 45,000 euros ($48,558), was set to start in early 2024.
Ford was planning to build around 30,000 units next year in the Cologne Electric Vehicle Center, the production facility that underwent a billion dollar revamp.
Photo: Ford
But Ford announced that the original plan of building 600,000 electric cars in 2024 is not realistic any more. Therefore, all customers who ordered a Ford EV, the Explorer EV, will be affected.
The carmaker's CEO, Jim Farley, blames it on the thermal propagation of the battery the crossover must be equipped with. But FordAuthority reports that the General Manager of Ford Model e Europe, Martin Sander, came up with a slightly different explanation at the IAA Mobility Show in Munich, Germany.
Sander pointed out that the production at the Cologne plant has not started yet because it all depends on the moment a new generation of Volkswagen battery technology is available.
But the delay will not affect the launch of the next Ford crossover to be built on the MEB architecture. The model should break cover sometime this fall and should enter production next summer.
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