Ford’s Ranger Leads the Pack in Export Sales

With the new Ranger waiting in the wings, Ford’s current range-topping bakkie is still in high demand across global export markets.

 

Despite Toyota and VW ruling the roost with local retail figures, and being the run-out model, the Ford Ranger has become the leading export vehicle in South Africa.

 

This feat is an amazing achievement, more so when you consider that the current Ford Ranger is heading for replacement and you would think that consumers would be waiting for the latest model to hit showrooms. So, how many Rangers has Ford said bon voyage to? Well, in September 2022, 9,829 Ford Rangers left our shores destined for over 100 markets across the globe. What makes this more impressive is that this figure is the highest export volume for the year, surpassing June’s export number of 8,595 units.

 

Speaking on this rather impressive achievement was Dhiren Vanmali, Executive Sales Operations Director who said, “It’s encouraging to see that global demand for the current Ranger remains high even during its run-out phase, and despite the challenges, we have faced over the past two years”. Vanmali then went on to add, “It bodes well for the upcoming and exciting launch of our Next-Gen Ranger which remains on track for the end of the fourth quarter this year.”

 

 

Speaking about the Next-gen Ranger, Ford has invested R15,8 billion in its Silverton Assembly Plant operations and supplier tooling. This investment included the construction of a brand new high-tech Body Shop, an on-site Stamping Plant and the only Ford-owned Frame Line in the world, all located in the Tshwane Automotive Special Economic Zone (TASEZ) adjacent to Ford's main plant. Ford also used this opportunity to modernise its existing facility which is now capable of churning out 200,000 vehicles a year.

 

Aside from the investment in their inland facility, Ford also forked out an additional R600 million to upgrade their Struandale Engine Plant in Gqeberha. This state-of-art plant has been tasked with producing the range-topping 292kW 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine which will do duty under the bonnet of the new Ranger Raptor, as well as the updated versions of the 2.0-litre Single Turbo and Bi-Turbo engines.

 

With demand for the current Ranger still going strong, and global customers waiting with bated breath to get their hands on the new Ranger, it seems Ford South Africa has two winners on their hands, and that’s a very nice place to be for any car manufacturer. 

 

Get your hands on your own Ford Ranger by checking out the ClickaCar Virtual Showroom!