Next-Gen Ford Ranger Pickup Will Start US Production in July: Report
The 2024 Ranger already launched in other markets but it will hit U.S. dealerships toward the end of the year.
Ford Ranger fans rejoice, the next-generation of Ford's midsize pickup could reach production in the United States this Summer. According to a recent report from Ranger6G forum, sources close to one of the sites administrators claim that production will kick off at the Michigan Assembly Plant on July 10, 2023. If production begins in July, trucks could hit driveways by the end of the September.
A Ford representative told The Drive that the new Ranger will arrive in 2023 but said that any further details will come later this year.
The next-generation Ford Ranger is actually the current-gen Ranger in other markets, such as the UK and Thailand. It borrows styling from the highly popular Ford Maverick, with a rectangular grille and C-shaped headlights. It even has the same sort of tailgate design, with a Maverick-style indent where the 'Ranger' badge lives. With the massive popularity of the Maverick (it's still nearly impossible to buy one new in the U.S., almost a year after going on sale), the similarity in design should help Ford's newest truck. However, the Ranger won't share the Maverick's front-wheel drive platform. Instead, it will stay on Ford's T6 platform, which it shares with the Bronco.
Nothing has been confirmed just yet but it's expected that the 2024 Ranger will use a 2.3-liter Ecoboost four-cylinder and a ten-speed automatic transmission. It's also possible that the Ranger gets a hybrid powertrain option.
Along with the standard Ranger, there will also be a Ranger Raptor headed to the U.S. market. In other markets, the Ranger Raptor uses a twin-turbocharged 3.0-liter Ecoboost V6, pushing out 392 horsepower and 430 pound-feet of torque, and a ten-speed automatic. However, Ranger Raptor specs haven't been confirmed for the U.S. market.
This should be good news for current Ranger customers who've been waiting for news of the next-gen model, after watching other markets get it first. We don't know exactly when just yet but it's coming this year.
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