Articles by Byron Mathioudakis

Hot on the heels of the Ford Ranger Super Duty, is a Super Duty version of the Everest in the pipeline?With the upcoming GMC Yukon Denali the new SUV towing champion in Australia at 3628kg – pipping out the Toyota LandCruiser, Isuzu MU-X, Ineos Grenadier, Toyota Prado and regular Everest amongst others by just 128kg – a new high watermark has been set.In contrast, the newly-announced Ranger Super Duty breaks new ground among medium-sized utes by offering a 4500kg braked towing capacity, suggesting that an Everest Super Duty may have the might to approach that, given its kinship to the Ranger.When asked if a more rugged, go-anywhere workhorse version of the Everest was under consideration, Ford Australia President and CEO Andrew Birkic did not dismiss the notion.“I don't think we've done that yet,” he told the media at Ford Australia’s Centennial anniversary in Melbourne earlier this month.“But you never say never.”Other Ford engineers were less forthcoming, but suggested that the Everest’s transformation from ride/handling/refinement-focused family SUV to a Super Duty-style 4x4 workhorse would be an “extremely challenging” task.While both the Ranger and Everest share the same T6.2 ladder-frame platform, they differ in the mid and rear chassis sections, chiefly to accommodate the latter’s second and third row occupant structures, as well as its coil-sprung rear suspension set-up.With beefier springs and dampers, as well as a solid-axle leaf-sprung rear suspension design out back, the Ranger was already better suited for its transformation to Super Duty compared to the Everest.It’s also worth keeping in mind that a large portion of the Ranger Super Duty’s expected consumer base will be from the emergency services, forestry, mining and agricultural sectors, necessitating the ute’s cab-chassis flexibility.Still, Ford is in the business of making money in Australia, and so if there is demand for an Everest Super Duty, it will investigate that from a business case perspective.Obviously, being the first ex-factory mid-sized ute of its type anywhere in the world to offer a 4500kg braked towing capacity, even the Blue Oval bosses have no real idea how the market will react to it.Finally, at the same Ford Centenary event, Ford Motor Company Chief Executive, William Clay Ford Jr., did extol the Australian-based T6.2 team’s unique capabilities and talents, so who knows what may come next?“We have so much opportunity in front of us, and you know, we've made Australia a Centre of Excellence for Ford,” the brand’s global number one exec said.“They've done a great job. Just look at the sales results of Ranger and Everest… and Ranger is now (sold in) 180 different countries, which is incredible.“So, yeah, this is a great team here, and they will have opportunity in the future.“This is a unique market, as you know, better than I do, in terms of the requirements, and that's why it's interesting. On Super Duty, there was a real hesitance in Dearborn to put the Super Duty name on something other than the F-Series (full-sized truck).“But (Ford Australia) convinced the management team, us, to extend the Super Duty, because they knew the engineering team here, but as importantly, the kind of duty cycles you have here really warranted the Super Duty name.”

With the eagerly-anticipated Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) finally hitting showrooms in the middle of this year to give the BYD Shark 6 PHEV a run for its money, is that where this level of electrification development stops on the T6.2 platform?

In nearly 140 years of the motor vehicle, history records only two Australian cars that truly left their mark on the world – even to this day.

Is Toyota preparing two completely different utes to replace the ageing current HiLux in Australia from next year? The first is the widely-speculated but as-yet publicly unconfirmed facelift of today’s eight-generation HiLux, while the second is new-from-the-ground up production version of the EPU (Electric Pick-Up) dual-cab concept that debuted at the 2023 Tokyo motor show.

The Junior Ibrida might be the most relevant Alfa Romeo ever. All-new, it is set to deliver a surprisingly affordable, highly efficient and sophisticated mild-hybrid small SUV. That it also happens to be right on-brand with strong performance, engaging handling and striking Italian design inside and out makes this premium Euro crossover a standout. The Junior Ibrida deserves to be a big hit.

Is Ford worried about the economic fallout from the US Federal Government’s hard line on imported vehicle tariffs and other controversial policy changes?With the company priding itself as the ‘most American carmaker in the world’, is the threat of consumer retaliation against US vehicles keeping senior management up at night?According to Ford Motor Company Executive Chairman, William Clay Ford Jr., the family-run vehicle manufacturer is large enough and important enough to have the ear of the Trump Administration.“Well, first of all, we have the largest American footprint of any OEM (original equipment manufacturer),” he told journalists at Ford Australia’s 100 anniversary celebration in Melbourne earlier this month.“And so, you know, that puts us in pretty good shape, actually, relative to many others.“But I keep reminding our management team of this: we've been around 122 years. And in 122 years, around the world, we have gone through every kind of political regime, every kind of economic bit of turmoil… great depressions, recessions… and we've always come out of it in great shape.“It seems like, and I was just saying to my employees today – and you know, I'm not counting what (is going on) – I've been through nine major crises in my career, and each time it felt like it was existential, and each time we emerge from it and carry on and go to new heights.“I think this will take some adjusting to for sure, as I say that, you know, the fact that we have the largest American footprint, we employ the most Americans, we make the most vehicles in America, really, you know, puts us in pretty good shape.”That said, Ford’s most senior executive acknowledges that some deft diplomatic manoeuvrability would be prudent in today’s ever-shifting geopolitical climate.“We’re still working through all the implications of this, because, as you can imagine, this has tails well into our supply chain all around the world, and so there's still kind of a TBD (to be determined) for us on some of the finer points, but we're going to work very closely with the administration.“You know, the good news is we have a large voice in America, in an American industry. The administration listens to us, and we'll work with them as this gets clarified.”The Ford CEO’s reaction came the day after Tesla released data showing that its global sales for the first quarter of 2025 slid some 13 per cent year-on-year.This seems to support reports stating that consumers are recoiling from that brand due to its CEO Elon Musk’s political machinations in the US.In the first three months of this year in Australia, Tesla sales plummeted by 59.7 per cent year-on year, although the company’s best-seller – the Model Y – had been in runout leading up to that point, so supply may have been affected.According to data from S&P Global Mobility released in May last year, Ford is “the number one American automaker in terms of vehicles assembled, vehicles exported from America to other countries and hourly workers employed” – and that’s for the sixth year in succession.

The Ford Ranger is undergoing an evolution that will see Australia’s best-selling vehicle grow in size as well as scope, as it fends off the coming Toyota HiLux facelift and all-new rivals like the Kia Tasman, MG U9 and next-gen Nissan Navara. These are new niche programs and models that should shore up the current T6.2 architecture’s viability into the next decade for Australia.

The Stellantis-backed Chinese start-up, Leapmotor, is going for the booming plug-in hybrid electric vehicle segment in Australia with the C10 REEV. But unlike its mid-sized SUV PHEV rivals, this one is an EV-first proposition, offering impressive range, high equipment levels and a compellingly low price. Plus, regular over-the-air updates promise to improve it with age. Sounds too good to be true?

World firsts don’t come along every day, but today is just such a day… and an Aussie ute world first at that – with the unveiling of the Ford Ranger Super Duty.

Fledgling carmaker Leapmotor intends to make a splash in the small hybrid SUV space late this year with the launch of the B10 REEV.