If the market demands it, Ford will make it happen.
Built with North America in mind from the start, the all-new Ford Ranger is expected to be a hit when it arrives in the USA. Revealed in November last year, the midsize pickup is as versatile as ever and will spawn a high-performance Raptor version. Specifications for the US market are still to be confirmed, but we have little doubt that the Ranger will be a capable pickup. We now also have further confirmation that the new-generation Ranger will be electrified, with a plug-in hybrid model on the way and the potential for a fully electric Ranger as well, following in the bigger footsteps of the F-150 Lightning. Previous information indicates that the hybridized Ranger will produce around 362 horsepower.
Australia's Drive spoke to Ian Foston, the chief engineer for the Ranger, who elaborated on the truck's electrified future. "We can't confirm where we are heading, but we are looking at all the technology we are deploying at Ford [that could be applied to the Ranger]," said Foster. "We've got a bandwidth of electrification hardware that enables us to go anywhere from a 24-volt mild hybrid all the way to a full electric version."
Foster further went on to say that the Ranger's T6 platform has the "capability for full electrification" and that we could potentially see this come to light sometime over the next decade.
Ultimately, though, the decision will rest on customer demand. "We're doing a lot of research with customers to find out what their acceptance is of different types of electrification, and we will respond to that demand from customers."
In other markets, we already know that the Ranger will have three engine choices, including a smaller turbocharged 2.0-liter and a bigger 3.0-liter V6 turbodiesel with over 250 horsepower. However, the USA is likely to stick with the familiar 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbo four-cylinder, at least initially. If customer demand for the F-150 hybrid and F-150 Lightning remains high in the years ahead, we can't see what's stopping Ford from electrifying its local Ranger lineup.
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