The models would also secure jobs for the United Auto Workers union, which is in negotiations for a new contract to replace one that expires next month, the Bloomberg report said.
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Ford Motor Co. stopped selling Rangers in 2011.
For those reasons alone it should come as no surprise that The Detroit News is reporting that Ford is likely to bring the Ranger midsize pickup back to the U.S.by 2018, and it most likely will be produced in Wayne, Mich., just north of the Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport.
The Bloomberg story, which cited an unnamed source who asked not to be identified, said the Bronco would be built on a pickup frame, allowing it to be built alongside the Ranger. Apart from that the company is alsa thinking of the production of the Bronco SUV at the plant. It only got worse this summer when Ford of Australia trademarked both “Ranger FX4” and “Ranger Raptor”, all but taunting us with what we’re missing out on. “I think there’s room in their lineup for another (SUV) with a different flavor”. The full-size Bronco was succeeded by the Ford Expedition, the Bronco II by the Ford Explorer. This means that at best, we are still three years away from seeing a new Detroit-built Ranger at your local Ford dealership. People have been quick to point out that Ford would never green light a USDM Ranger for fear that it would cannibalize sales from the F-150, but with America’s best-seller now changing hands for an average $44,000 per truck, the idea of offering a small truck in the $20,000 range suddenly doesn’t seem so scary anymore.
“We don’t see an end yet to the growth in the sport utility segment”, Krebs said.
Now the UAW is currently negotiating a new wage and benefit contracts with Ford. Plans to bring new vehicles to its Wayne plant are part of those talks.
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“We will move production of the next-generation Ford Focus and C-MAX, which now are built at Michigan Assembly Plant, beginning in 2018”. The final decision must also be agreed to by Ford’s board of directors.
