In 1983, Ford revealed a small pickup truck by the name Ranger and the rest, as they say, is history. For nearly 30 years, the Ranger has gone about its business without much updating and even though it did get “refreshed” a few times, its DNA is about the same. As other small trucks died and or upgraded to midsize, the Ranger continues to be about the smallest truck sold in America. For this reason, among others, sales of the Ranger have dropped and Ford has decided its life will no longer continue.
According to the United Auto Workers chapter at Ford’s Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota, production will end on December 22, 2011. Ford also mentioned that the plant itself will close at the end of this year. There is no talk yet of what, if anything, will replace the American Ranger. We can’t help but think about the importation of the global Ranger, which is radically different from the U.S. truck. One can only hope.
