Just out on the web with quarterly earnings statement.

Ford also said its Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minn., will continue producing the Ranger small pickup through 2011. The plant was scheduled to close next year, but Ranger sales are down just 4 percent in the first half of this year, versus 18 percent for the U.S. light truck market as a whole.

Ford also announced that it will bring six European small car models to North America by the end of 2012 as it deals with a market shift from trucks to cars brought on by high gasoline prices.

 

Looks like the black sheep of Ford trucks is once again showing its resiliency.

I have to think Ranger sales would be even stronger right now if Ford hadn't simply forgotten about it over the last several years.

 

Nice to hear the Ranger is going to be around for little longer. The Ranger has to be a money maker for Ford since the tooling has hardly changed since '93. I bet sales would really improve if Ford put a turbo-diesel in it.

 

and what small cars are to be made? Mondeo/Contour, Focus, Fiesta??? ore smalleuropean Vans?

 

Maybe I will buy a new one then as I will have a little more then one more year (2010 year, 2011 model year, 2012 no mortgage), to go on the house.

I don't need a big truck for my hobbies (and everyone wants to borrow a big truck), these work fine for me.

 

Most Definately.

 

Is the Ranger that Ford sells elsewhere in the world a newer model than the one sold in USA and Canada? Ford :: Exterior :: Bodystyles-#

 

I've noticed a lot more Rangers on the road lately. They are catching on like wildfire and are the only real small truck left on the market. Built Ford Tough!

 

That means there's no end in site for the ranger as the new world ranger is to be released in 2012, so the ranger lives on !!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

HAHA Sweet!

 

That's great news. I bet all the other manufacturers that recently made their small trucks larger are feeling pretty stupid right about now!! I would not be surprised at all to see some of them going back to a more compact size truck in the near future.

 

Ford killing the ranger woudl be one of the stupidest things they have ever done - These trucks are litttle warriors if there taken care of.

 

I wouldn't mind getting another one except a FX4 this time with the 4.0. With just slight mods, it would scream with 4.10 gears and still get 16-18 mpg.

 

I agree. I'd like the bigger engine on mine but the 3.0 is at 150,500mi running strong!

 

I have Aerostar, Ranger and Taurus. What I want ranger to have? Wider cabine and seats like in taurus. I do not need longer bed, I want wide and longer cab. Yeah, crew cab is available here (EU ranger with crew cab has short bed), but it it too narrow. F150 is too big. May be F100 will be of optimal size. There were many publications about future chassis. As I understand ford wants to have one more global product - one chassis for Transit Van, pickup, SUV and family van. Transit chassis is smaller then F150 chassis but bigger then ranger. Ranger is so popular for its fuel milage but with new 3.5V6DOHC with electronically controlled throutle and Duratorq diesels they will get better fuel milage ranger has now, so F100 should be popular like ranger now.

But ford can discontinue ranger becouse they will have truck of ranger size - Transit Connect. Now they say they need 1-2 year delay to build new ranger, but in 1995-98 they used to say the same about aerostar and finally replaced it with FWD windstar. Now they want to see how popular will be FWD and AWD transit Connect and can it raplace Ranger. If yes they will replace ranger with built on RWD Transit chassis F100 and Transit connect.

Yes, I understand that Transit Connect is not a van ore truck, it is FWD LCV (light commercial vehicle), like Renault Cangoo, Citroen Berlingo, Pegeot Expert....

I understand that these vehicles are designed as urban breadboxes with car powertraine, and really are like downsized windstar....

well, it is normally that world changes even if we do not want.