Ford is axing its ageing US line of Ranger pickup trucks, a different model from the largely Thai-built range of the same name.
The end of Ranger production has put 880 UAW union workers out of jobs at the automaker’s Twin Cities, Minnesota, factory, WardsAuto.com reported.
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The union struggled to keep Twin Cities open during recent contract negotiations.
Though the Asian model exists, Ford said the Ranger had served its purpose and expects present customers to migrate upwards to entry level versions of the F-150 full-size pickup.
Erich Merkle, Ford’s top US sales analyst, said: “Nobody has infinite resources, and we have to figure out how we can best position those resources to meet the needs of customers today and in the future. (The Ranger) has been pretty popular, but we think more of a baseline F-150 can also meet a good portion of those needs.”
The Ranger topped 100,000 sales in its first year but in 2010 this slumped to 55,364 units. A version was also for a time built for Mazda.
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By GlobalDataMerkle said: “The (small-pickup) segment is down to just over 2% of the total industry. In 2000, it was 6%.”
Merkle accepted Ford would lose sales after the Ranger’s demise but not significant amounts.
Phil Smith, general manager at Dick Smith Ford in Raytown, Missouri, told WardsAuto: “I agree that under the current Ranger price structure most customers would migrate to the base F-150. I think the dealers would like to see the Ranger continued but at a lower price point. There is still good demand for a lower-priced, good-gas-mileage, small truck.”
The price of the entry-level F-150 is US$22,990 and the Ranger starts at $18,160.
OC Welch III, president of OC Welch Ford Lincoln Mercury in Hardeeville, South Carolina, said Ford is “missing it here for sure”. Ranger buyers are “loyal commercial and retail customers. In the Atlanta region, it outsells (the Ford) Taurus, Fiesta, Transit, Flex, Expedition and Econoline.”
Welch added, “I’m not sure how many, but these Ranger customers will look for price and fuel economy, and I doubt they will find it in an F-150. Ranger sales in the Atlanta area so far this year have outsold the entire Lincoln lineup.”
Ford recently introduced a new Ranger for global markets, but insisted it would not be sold in the US.
