Out of Range: Production of Ford Ranger Ends After 28 Years

The white Ford Ranger Sport pictured here is the very last copy of Ford’s compact pickup. After a 28-year production run, this truck marks the end of Ranger production. It was built at Ford's Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul, Minnesota. The Ranger is the only vehicle assembled at the Twin Cities factory, which employs 880 people.

The Ford Ranger was launched in 1983, and from 1987 to 2005 was the best-selling compact truck in the U.S. market. Recently, though, sales have dropped off; last year Ford sold just 55,364 Rangers, compared to the truck’s peak annual sales of 348,358 units in 1999. In total, just under seven million Ford Rangers were produced.

Although a new version of the Ranger has been announced for foreign markets, it won’t be sold in the U.S. — Ford truck buyers will instead need to opt for the F-150.

The demise of the Ranger also spells the end of Ford’s Cologne V-6, an engine family that spans 49 years and 25 million units. The 2011 Ford Ranger had an optional 4.0-liter Cologne V-6 engine that was rated for 207 hp; the truck’s base engine was a 2.3-liter inline-four producing 143 hp.

 

Source: Motor Trend