Ford Ranger 2011 News

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THE Toyota HiLux may be "unbreakable" but it turns out it's not "unbeatable". Australia's top-selling crew-cab ute for the past 35 years in a row is officially under attack.The new Ford Ranger is denting the Toyota HiLux's domination of the ute market, chipping away at the mining business, government departments -- and doubling sales to private buyers so far this year.Confidential figures obtained by Carsguide show the Ford Ranger has outsold the Toyota HiLux in government fleet sales, and is closing the gap in deliveries to mining companies and other businesses.Last year Toyota sold approximately 2600 HiLuxes to state and federal governments compared to 3500 deliveries of the Ranger to the same agencies.Even though Toyota recently updated its HiLux to a five-star safety rating (making it eligible for government and mining contracts) the Ford Ranger still leads in government sales so far this year (800 versus 500 in the first three months of 2014). The secret industry figures also reveal the Ford Ranger is closing in on the Toyota HiLux's lucrative mining contracts.Last year, Toyota sold 16,000 HiLuxes to mining companies and other businesses compared to more than 11,200 Rangers -- a gap of 29 per cent to Toyota. But so far this year, Ford Ranger sales are only 21 per cent behind the HiLux (3500 versus 2700).The news of the Ranger's inroads comes as Ford has released a beefed-up version of its pick-up to appeal to the mining industry -- and it's been made available to the public so that mining contractors, or private buyers with heavy-duty needs, can buy the vehicle.The Ranger XL Plus gains underbody protection shields, mud flaps, a factory-fitted tow bar (previously only standard on the top models), running boards, heavy duty canvas seat covers, a second battery (80 amp hours), a larger wiring harness, 17-inch steel wheels with Continental all-terrain tyres and daytime running lights.As with other Ranger models, the XL Plus retains the vehicle's 3500kg towing capacity. Black bumpers are standard but an ANCAP five-star rated bullbar is optional. Ford says the Ranger 4x4 XL Plus will be available in single-cab chassis ($46,280), double-cab chassis ($51,760) and double cab pick-up ($52,760) body styles.All models come standard with a 3.2-litre turbo-diesel five-cylinder engine matched to a six-speed automatic transmission. The first shipments of the Ranger XL Plus are due to arrive in May.Meanwhile, Ford says supply of the top-of-the-range Ranger WildTrak model has improved and the four-to-six-month waiting lists should start to come down. Ford dealers also report that the built-in navigation unit that was exclusive to the Ranger WildTrak will also be available on the Ranger XLT model from July.A rear view camera is still not available as a factory fit item on any version of the Ranger except the top-line WildTrak, leaving Ford exposed as cameras become increasingly available on rival pick-ups.In a media statement, Ford Australia Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service, Graeme Whickman, said Ford worked with the mining sector and government agencies to develop the Ranger XL Plus. "These industries have very specific demands on their vehicles so that's why we created the Ranger 4x4 XL Plus," said Mr Whickman."It will be a popular addition to mining industry and business sector fleets but we also expect there to be strong support from private customers who have a particular need for this type of vehicle."The Ranger was designed and engineered in Australia but is being manufactured in three continents and is sold in more than 180 countries -- more countries than have McDonald's stores.All Rangers sold in Australia come from Ford's joint venture factory with Mazda in Thailand and are subject to a zero import tariff.

Aussie car fans and nostalgia buffs will tell you that local motoring reached its peak in the 1970s.

Four Falcons rolled during a tortuous and historic acid test aimed to prove up the  durability of Ford’s new sedan. The year was 1965 and not only did the 'Durability Run' devised as a sales push by Ford Australia managing director Bill Bourke manage to impress new-car buyers, it also showcased the rigours of the company’s proving grounds near Geelong. The five XP Falcons that were subjected to the test all finished - the four were righted after their accidents and continued - each racking up 112,000km at an average sped of 112km/h over almost nine days. For the Ford proving ground at You Yangs, a 7sq.km open site on plains aside the Flinders mountain range 22km from Geelong, it was the ultimate test. Even now, almost 50 years later, the incessant testing of Ford product - and product from other manufacturers - continues 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You Yangs is one of 11 Ford-owned proving grounds in the world. The reason for its importance is reflected in the durability run of the XP. Ford boss Bourke  copped an avalanche of bad press and poor owner reviews on the reliability of the first XK and subsequent XL Falcon models. His solution was to throw open You Yangs and show the public how the (then) new Ford model would survive. He chose five Falcon XPs off the production line and gave the keys to race drivers - Harry Firth was one - with the brief to drive them flat out  until each had covered 112,000km (the equivalent of 70,000 miles). It was not rehearsed and Bourke ensured the event was transparent. Ford in Detroit rated it so important that Henry Ford II attended. The run was regarded as a success and to ice the cake for the fleet buyers, Ford gave cars away for a six month trial to major corporates. It was the last public display of the proving grounds. Ford spokesperson Sinead Phipps says the facility is out of bounds. “We never allow the public into the proving ground and security is always strictly controlled,’‘ she says. Taking 10 cars from the Carsguide Car of the Year list onto You Yangs was a privilege. It was the perfect facility to put our selection under a variety of conditions that ranged from a high-speed ride and handling circuit to a gravel track and braking and acceleration pads. The centrepiece to You Yangs is a 5km parabolic high-speed circuit though there are equally as importlant low-speed tracks, special surface areas - including cobblestones, corrugations and Belgian blocks - and salt and mud baths. Aside from the 40km of roads, the facility includes a crash test area, a new high-speed wind tunnel, climatic and emissions testing laboratories, an environmental exposure area and an anechoic dyno chamber.

The positive result finally gives ute buyers a genuinely safe choice as well as verifying the excellent work done by the Ranger development team of engineers and designers at Ford Australia.It also means that every other ute maker must be aiming for a five-star NCAP result in their future development work, regardless of the target buyers or price point.The Ranger gets its five-star mark in the latest Euro NCAP testing and leads a field that includes the Audi Q3, BMW 1 Series, Chevrolet (Holden) Captiva, Hyundai Veloster, Mercedes-Benz ML, Opel Astra and Zafira, and the all-new Toyota Yaris - all models either on sale in Australia or coming soon.Apart from its overall five-star score, the Ranger also gets a best-yet score - 81 per cent - in the Euro NCAP testing for pedestrian safety among utes."The Ford Ranger is undoubtedly raising the bar of safety in the category of pick-up trucks, which had until now not proven to be the safest," says the secretary general of Euro NCAP, Michiel van Ratingen.The Ranger has just hit showrooms and is also sold as the Mazda-cloned BT50, with both brands reporting very strong early sales. Mazda is also confident of a companion five-star score."I would be very surprised if the BT50 is not five stars," says Doug Dickson, managing director of Mazda Australia.The five-star result for the Ranger comes after a massive development program by Ford.“On the all new Ranger we did more crash simulations than any of our prior programs to ensure all parts of the vehicle’s safety performance were optimised,” says Adam Frost, who is chief engineer for digital innovation at Ford Asia-Pacific and Africa.“This was backed up by a comprehensive physical crash test program.  The end result is a world class outcome we are all very proud of.”Not surprisingly, Ford Australia intends to make plenty of noise about the Ranger's result."This is a very important announcement for our customers," says Bob Graziano, president of Ford Australia."We set out to establish many new benchmarks and we are hugely proud of the results we have achieved."

The Ford Ranger pickup, designed and developed in Melbourne, will be one of the headliners for the blue oval at the first major European show of 2011.It will be rolled out following a major world preview by Ford and alongside the Vertreck concept that is set to become the SUV replacement for the compact Ford Escape.  The Ranger model for Geneva is the top-line Wildtrak.It is expected to be displayed in the same package as the 4x4 dual-cab model used for the Ranger's world debut last year at the Australian International Motor Show in Sydney.The Range will also star in March at the Bangkok motor show in Thailand, one of the countries where it will be built. Ford also intends to make it in Argentina and South Africa.The Geneva appearance comes as Ford confirms Ranger sales in the UK towards the end of the year, similar timing to the rollout in Australia.

The first international auto exhibition in Sydney since 2008 is the most expensive the city has seen, based on the value of the cars assembled and the millions it has cost certain of the 30 exhibitors to ship and assemble their showcases, some of which are themselves worth in the region on $1 million.Organisers expect in excess of 200,000 patrons to see the show which runs until next Sunday. Organisers said the 44 new models revealed at AIMS is an "absolute record" for any Australian auto show.Ford's stand is part of a globally travelling display based in Paris bought to Sydney for the launch of the Ranger ute. Mercedes-Benz commissioned a one-off car specifically for the show.Andrew McKellar, chief executive of the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries which runs AIMS, said $50 million was a "conservative estimate"."I think it'll be the best show we've had for a good number years and one of the best in the world this year," he said.  "It's important that we bring this sort of event to Sydney. People have missed it, but it's a good agreement to have it here every other year."While some are calling it the "Sydney ute muster" due to the dominance of work and lifestyle vehicles, it's the "car porn" the supercars and performance rockets that will get the punters through the doors.At $700,000 the first Lexus supercar, the LFA, is among the most expensive on show. Eight have been allocated to Australia, all have been pre-sold. So too have all seven of Porsche's brutal 911 GT2 RS, which is the most powerful ever of its kind and, at $560,000, the most expensive new Porsche sold here.You'll likely never see a Hulme CamAm again in the metal. Only 20 of the manic road going race track car, hand built by a New Zealand company for performance connoisseurs, will be made. Those in search of an exotic bargain should veer over to the Lamborghini Gallardo LP 550-2 at a mere $399,000 it's the cheapest way to get into a brand favoured by the conspicuously wealthy including Ibrahim.