Whereas the rest of the world has somewhat kept its appetite for small pickups, the US consumers seem to have lost it long time ago. In terms of sales, the last year worth mentioning for the Ranger in the US was 2008, when around 66,000 units were sold.
According to USA Today, most of the current Ranger users in the US will be making the Transit Connect their new car of choice. Those still keen on having a small pickup in the garage may just as well turn to the Toyota Tacoma. Other choices remain the Chevrolet Colorado, Nissan Frontier and Dodge Dakota.
The plan is to discontinue the Ranger in the US starting 2011. The facility where the model is currently being built, Ford's plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, will likely close next year. The facility currently employs 750 people.
As for the new version of the Ranger, the pickup is being built on an Australian-developed platform, on which Ford will fit a four-cylinder gasoline engine range (2.5l Duratec and 2.0l EcoBoost, ) and diesel units like the 3.2l and 2.2l Duratorq TDCI common-rail.
The new model will be bigger than the current version, being closer in size to the F-150, the model on which Ford places all its bets in the US.
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