When Ford’s Twin Cities Assembly Plant shuts down its production line for the last time on December 16, another significant model in Ford’s history will be retired.
The North-American version of the Ford Ranger compact pickup will be discontinued after a 28-year career. Don’t go thinking that it’s being retired because of slow sales, however; in Canada, about 20,000 units will be sold during the 2011 calendar year. To put that into perspective, the Ranger has sold as well as the Chevrolet Colorado, the GMC Canyon, the Honda Ridgeline, the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma combined.
The Ranger’s $13,999 MSRP obviously attracts many fleet customers such as towns in need of trucks to pick up roadkill as well as haul shovels and rakes around.
Despite all that, Ford can’t keep an assembly plant running on Ranger production alone, and the truck has gone virtually unchanged for the last decade. For now at least, it will not be replaced in Ford’s U.S. and Canadian lineups.
So long Ranger, and may you rest in peace.
 |
| Photo: Ford |
The North-American version of the Ford Ranger compact pickup will be discontinued after a 28-year career. Don’t go thinking that it’s being retired because of slow sales, however; in Canada, about 20,000 units will be sold during the 2011 calendar year. To put that into perspective, the Ranger has sold as well as the Chevrolet Colorado, the GMC Canyon, the Honda Ridgeline, the Nissan Frontier and the Toyota Tacoma combined.
The Ranger’s $13,999 MSRP obviously attracts many fleet customers such as towns in need of trucks to pick up roadkill as well as haul shovels and rakes around.
Despite all that, Ford can’t keep an assembly plant running on Ranger production alone, and the truck has gone virtually unchanged for the last decade. For now at least, it will not be replaced in Ford’s U.S. and Canadian lineups.
So long Ranger, and may you rest in peace.