Ford has just released its sales figures for February in the US. The most notable figure in Ford’s February report is that they did not sell any Ford Ranger pickups at home.
To explain these figures, Ford North America spokesperson Said Deep said the reason for the nonexistent Ranger sales is because the latest generation of the truck “is just beginning to be shipped to dealers” and is starting to go on sale during this time.
PRODUCTION DELAYS
The United Auto Workers (UAW) strike last year heavily impacted Ranger production in the US, leading to these delays.
Specifically, from September to October 2023, the UAW directed workers to strike at Ford’s assembly plants in Chicago, Michigan, and Kentucky to demand higher wages. Almost all of Ford’s major vehicle lines are assembled at these facilities.
The new Ford Ranger has had a rough time since its return, but the storm hasn’t cleared yet. Photo: Ford
In addition to the Ranger, the affected list includes the Ford Explorer, Ford Bronco, Ford Expedition, Lincoln Navigator, Lincoln Aviator, and the Ford F-Series Super Duty.
UNCERTAIN SUCCESS
Even at full force, the Ford Ranger is not guaranteed success in the US like in other regions. While Americans favor pickup trucks, the type of pickup they prefer is a larger-size truck rather than a midsize one like the Ranger. For example, another midsize pickup in the US market is the Chevrolet Colorado, which had sales of only about 71,100 vehicles in 2023.
This figure… is equal to the average odd number of its larger sibling, the Chevrolet Silverado (ranging from about 520,000 to 595,000 in the last 5 years).
Despite Ford’s best-selling vehicle in North America for decades, the F-150, there’s no guarantee that the same level of success (or even a fraction of it) can be achieved with the Ranger – Photo: Ford
Even if the Ford Ranger reaches the Chevrolet Colorado’s sales level in 2023 (71,100 vehicles), this figure is not much higher due to the larger-scale Ranger sales in other regions. One market that can be mentioned is Australia, where Ford Ranger sold 63,356 units last year.
