Ford to Debut New Ranger at Next Month’s Sydney Auto Show

Ford Motor Co. will stage the world premier of its redesigned, new-generation Ford Ranger compact pickup at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney Oct. 15.

Developed in Australia for sale in 180 markets, the new Ranger is the latest in a wave of global products driven by the auto maker’s One Ford strategy. It is based on a new global compact-truck platform.

However, the new pickup being unveiled in Sydney won't be sold in North America. Ford this week confirms it will discontinue the current U.S.-built Ranger when production ends at its St. Paul, MN, plant next year.

Joe Hinrichs, Ford group vice president and president-Asia Pacific and Africa, says Australia has played a leading role in the development of this latest global Ford vehicle.

“(The) Ranger is symbolic of how our great product-development capability is being leveraged by the One Ford plan like never before,” he says in a statement.

Heavily disguised Ranger prototypes have been shot by spy photographers all over the world as test units clocked more than 625,000 miles (1 million km) under tough conditions, from the Australian Outback to the deserts of the Middle East to the Alps in Europe.

Ford says the new Ranger delivers an enhanced ownership experience with improved power and excellent fuel economy from a new engine family, improved capability with exceptional towing and payload capacity and higher driving quality.

Production of current U.S.-built Ranger will end next year.