How long will we be living with the 2022 Ford Ranger? All-new model is 10 years away - reports

We could be waiting as long as 10 years for an all-new Ford Ranger, with new reports out of the USA suggesting the about-to-be-updated Toyota HiLux fighter will be sticking around until beyond the end of the decade.

The reports, which have surfaced in US outlet CarBuzz, point to the updated Ranger launching in Australia in early 2022, with American production kicking off on May 1, 2023. US production of that model will then continue until 2031, suggesting a 10-year wait for an all-new model.

The next Ford Ranger - known unofficially as the T6.2 - shares it critical underpinnings with the current model, the T6 Ranger, and as such is deemed a heavy update rather than an all-new model.

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But that's not to say we'll be living with the T6.2 Ranger unchanged for a decade.

While rumours suggest the new Ranger will launch with a trio of engines - including 3.0-litre single-turbo diesel with about 185kW/600Nm, a 2.7-litre twin-turbo petrol with around 230kW/540Nm, and the carryover 157kW/500Nm 2.0-litre twin-turbo diesel four-cylinder - the CarBuzz reports point to the Ford Ranger acting as the perfect experimentation vehicle for Ford's electrification plans.

A plug-in hybrid (PHEV) was recently photographed testing in Europe, for example, while the brand has also hinted at the idea of an all-electric Bronco (which shares the Ranger's underpinnings) between now and 2030, too.

It forms part of a Ford plan to electrify existing nameplates - like the Mustang Mach-E - rather than introduce new BEV models, with the brand on record as shooting for 40 per cent electric sales by 2030.

As far as Australia is concerned, the brand is yet to fully detail its BEV plans, but told CarsGuide in May this year: "Electric vehicles are a big part of our future, both in Australia and our other markets ... we’ll share more about our local rollout plans soon.”