Mid-size truck mixup: Ford considering Ranger-sized compact pickup for U.S.

By Ronan Glon October 11, 2014

A new report finds Ford is considering returning to the small pickup segment after a nearly three-year long hiatus.

The project is at the embryonic stage of development and it hasn’t been approved by Ford’s top brass yet. However, Dave Scott, the marketing director of the Blue Oval’s truck division, said he is pushing for the introduction of a truly compact pickup that would be smaller than the recently-introduced 2015 Chevrolet Colorado / GMC Canyon duo.

Speaking with USA Today, Scott explained the ideal compact truck needs to be roughly the same size as the 200-inch long Ranger that was axed in December of 2011. The truck needs to be built in the United States in order to avoid the Chicken Tax and it must get about seven miles per gallon more than a full-size model. Finally, the truck should cost between $5,000 and $6,000 less than a 2015 F-150.

Related: Ford’s last-ever Falcon Ute

Ford is still debating whether it’s smarter to design a truck from scratch or to modify an existing overseas model to meet U.S. standards. Either way, the upcoming compact pickup will most likely ride on a unibody architecture for cost and weight reasons.

Putting an end to a long-standing rumor, Scott stressed the body-on-frame Ranger (pictured) that is sold in a host of global markets will not be sold in the United States.

“It’s too big. It’s 90% of the F-150 size,” explained the executive.

A time frame for when Ford will decide whether or not to re-enter the compact truck segment was not given.

Topics

Photo Galleries

Contributor

Ronan Glon is an American automotive and tech journalist based in southern France. As a long-time contributor to Digital…

Cars

Tesla to fix window software on 1M of its U.S. cars

A 2021 Tesla Model S.

Tesla is sending out an over-the-air update to a million of its vehicles in the U.S. to fix faulty window software that could leave occupants with pinched fingers.

According to a document issued by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), Tesla engineers discovered that the affected vehicles may not meet certain automatic window reversal system requirements. It said that in some cases, the window may exert more force before automatically retracting when sensing an obstruction such as a person’s fingers. The condition “may increase the risk of a pinching injury to the occupant,” the NHTSA’s document says.

Cars

Jeep is launching its first two electric SUVs in the U.S. in 2024

Rendering of the Jeep Recon electric SUV.

Jeep will launch four electric SUVs for North America and Europe by the end of 2025, with at least two coming to the U.S., the automaker confirmed Thursday. While Jeep has some plug-in hybrids in its lineup, these will be the brand's first all-electric models.

The first of these models to launch will be the Jeep Recon, which is scheduled to start production in 2024, with reservations opening in early 2023. While it won't be fully revealed until next year, Jeep confirmed the Recon will have a "one-touch power top, removable doors, and glass," similar to the current Jeep Wrangler. While it doesn't replace the Wrangler, it's definitely inspired by the iconic off-roader, Jim Morrison, head of the Jeep brand in North America, said during a presentation of the electrification plan.

Cars

We tested the self-driving Mercedes tech so advanced, it’s not allowed in the U.S.

Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan with Drive Pilot.

You can’t buy a fully self-driving car today -- and may never be able to -- but automakers are looking at ways to shift more of the workload from human drivers to machinery. Mercedes-Benz may have taken the biggest step in that direction yet.

Mercedes claims its Drive Pilot system, which was recently launched in Germany, is the first production system to achieve Level 3 on the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) autonomy scale, meaning the car can fully drive itself with the system active, but a human driver may still need to take over from time to time. It’s still a long way off from autonomous driving, but the Level 3 designation signifies a greater degree of capability than competitor systems.