Jan 31st, 2008 by RJ Menezes
Ford Motor Co. announced today that it was investing $205 million in its South African operations to build an all-new compact pickup and small diesel engine. The truck is a replacement for the Ranger which is built in Thailand. It is being developed by Ford of Australia and is intended for global market.
Surprisingly though, this new platform isn’t intended for the North American market. This means the archaic Ranger which is sold here in the U.S. is again called for another model year of duty. We get jipped again.
Ford said its plant in the city of Pretoria will begin production in 2011. Three-quarters of the output will be exported primarily to markets in Africa and all around Europe.
The new small diesle engine will be for the new Puma coupe. New common-rail turbodiesel engine technology will definetly help Ford’s small sports car. Production is slated to begin in 2010 in Port Elizabeth. The majority of the plant’s 180,000-unit annual capacity will be exported.
Above: The Ranger built in Thailand, and exported to Asia and Europe, is different from the truck sold in the U.S. that bears the same name…
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