Ranger

Make
Ford
Segment
Sports Car

The redesigned 2024 Ford Ranger midsize pickup truck, which is already on sale outside of North America, will reportedly begin production for the US market this coming July. According to the Ranger6G forum, "insider sources" have said the North American-market Ranger will see production get underway on July 10, 2023, at the Blue Oval's Michigan Assembly Plant in Wayne, Michigan, also home to the outgoing fourth-generation model.

Also stated in the report is that the new Ranger's OK-To-Buy (OKTB) status should be good to go around July as well. That essentially means Ford will have signed off on the Ranger as being ready to be sold at dealerships. If that's the case, expect sales to get underway in August or September.

A report earlier this month claimed the new Ranger will begin production in May, but the July timeline sounds more realistic because the extra few months give Ford the necessary time to complete factory retooling. We also recently learned the Ranger's T6 platform, which also underpins the Bronco SUV, will continue to live on through the rest of the decade.

Don't expect it to be retired until sometime after 2029, when the Ranger and Bronco could go all-electric on a new architecture reportedly called TE1. It's even possible for the T6 architecture to survive well into the 2030s. If that's indeed the situation, both the third-gen Ranger and second-gen Bronco could continue utilizing the T6 setup, albeit an updated version.

The T6 architecture debuted in 2011 and has since underpinned many vehicles sold globally. A few examples include the Everest SUV and the Mazda BT-50, both sold in other markets. Volkswagen is also using the T6 platform courtesy of a working agreement with Ford, with the second-gen Amarok midsize pickup underpinned by it. The new Amarok, however, will not come to US shores.

Looking at the broader timeline, it's possible T6 may not be retired until 2037, though that'll depend on whether or not Ford speeds up its truck and SUV adoption plans. If it does last that long, the architecture will have a 25-year-plus lifespan, despite numerous revisions in that time to keep it relevant.