---
title: "Ford Wants To Sell Ranger and Super Duty As Military Vehicles: TDS"
description: "Ford is campaigning to the US and other governments for military vehicle contracts, pitching the Ranger and Super Duty as battlefield-ready."
date: "2026-05-21"
modified: "2026-05-21"
authors:
  - name: "Andrew P. Collins"
    job_title: "Executive Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/andrew-p-collins"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/ford-wants-to-sell-ranger-and-super-duty-as-military-vehicles-tds"
categories:
  - "News"
  - "The Downshift"
---

# Ford Wants To Sell Ranger and Super Duty As Military Vehicles: TDS

![Ford Ranger military](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/Ford-Military.jpg>)
*\<em\>Ford\</em\>*

Good morning and welcome to *[The Downshift](<https://www.thedrive.com/category/the-downshift>)*, or *TDS* for short—the latest car news headlines from around the globe organized for your quick-glance convenience.

Here are the automotive industry and culture stories worth having on your radar as we spin up this Thursday, May 21.

🫡 Ford is talking to the US and other governments to start making military vehicles based on the Ranger and Super Duty platforms. CEO Jim Farley told analysts last month the automaker is in “early discussions with the U.S. government on some defense-related needs.” *\[[Automotive News](<https://www.fromtheroad.ford.com/us/en/articles/2026/ford-support-north-american-european-defense-needs>)\]*

🏭 Volkswagen CEO pours cold water on the idea of subletting its factories to Chinese automakers. \[*[Reuters](<https://www.reuters.com/world/china/volkswagen-not-talks-with-chinese-manufacturers-ceo-says-2026-05-20/>)*\]

🇩🇪 The German capital of Berlin is grappling with the idea of a car ban. \[[*New York Times*](<https://www.nytimes.com/2026/05/21/world/europe/berlin-car-ban.html>)\]

🎉 The President of Ford Europe said he'd have "news to share in the future" about the Fiesta compact car brand. The last one was built in 2023. \[[*BBC*](<https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c759v6g1zp1o>)\]

📈 Business analysts think Tesla and SpaceX will merge next year. *\[[Wall Street Journal](<https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/stock-market-today-dow-sp-500-nasdaq-05-20-2026/card/analyst-predicts-a-2027-merger-between-tesla-and-spacex-1PBdLpFjSHr5bsxlP3PF>)\]*

## Author
As Executive Editor, Andrew touches everything on the site from daily news coverage to feature stories, sponsored content, product reviews, road testing vehicles, ecommerce, and more. He's held pretty much every role there is to have at an automotive news site and has been with The Drive's publisher Recurrent since 2020. Andrew's a lifetime gearhead and longtime writer with a particularly strong penchant for road trips, off-road adventures, and archaic vehicles. His passions outside of the automotive world include skiing, obsolete video games, and his dog Bramble who occationally helps review cars.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://instagram.com/andrewatlarge>)  
[LinkedIn](<https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpetercollins/>)