Development of the Ford Ranger – and almost certainly its SUV sister model, the Everest – will continue to play out in Australia for at least a generation.
Although Ford has yet to officially confirm it, that is the key takeaway from several senior Ford product development managers as the Blue Oval launches the MY26.50 Ranger, an upgraded version of Australia’s best-selling model of the past three years.
Ford remains the only automaker with the knowledge and facilities needed to design, engineer and develop a vehicle from the ground up in this country, and Ford Australia is the global center of excellence for the T6 ladder frame platform that underpins the Ford Ranger, Everest and Bronco, and the Volkswagen Amarok.
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The past two generations of Ranger have been made in Australia by more than a thousand local designers and engineers, including the 2011 PX Series and the current 2022 RA Series. Ford has invested $5 billion in Australian research and development over the past decade, with $500 million committed annually since Ford ceased local production in 2016.
But Ford has yet to confirm that a new Ranger will be developed Down Under. In March this year, Ford CEO Jim Farley warned during a brief visit to the company’s local facilities that Australian product development could stall unless changes are made to the federal government’s New Vehicle Efficiency Standard (NVES).
These regulations will see car brands face financial penalties for selling high-emission vehicles, such as the diesel-powered Ranger and Everest, if they do not adequately offset them with lower-emission vehicles, such as electric vehicles (EVs).
However, at the recent launch of the Ranger in model year 26.50, Ford reiterated that it will continue to develop vehicles in Australia “for the foreseeable future”, and indicated that it is already considering the next generation of Australia and Europe’s favorite car, which is currently sold in at least 180 markets worldwide.
When asked directly whether Ford was developing an all-electric Ranger, Mario Brandini, Ford Australia’s vehicle program director for the T6 ‘Global Truck’ platform, effectively ruled out a Ranger EV in the life cycle of the existing ute, but said:
“We talk to the customers, figure out what we really need, and then see how technology can help make that happen. So, do you want to move in quickly? Do you want to move in slowly? That’s a pressure we have, and how we do it.”
“But we are looking and we are thinking about the next generation. But right now there is a lot of life in the product that we have and it is delivering what it is supposed to deliver.”
Ford Australia Marketing Director Ambrose Henderson echoed that sentiment, saying: “We have 1,500 employees at Ford Australia, and every day they are innovating, investing in the next update, the next generation, the next advancement, to stay at the forefront of these vehicles, both here and around the world.”
The Blue Oval has four major, full-service global Product Development Centers (PDCs) around the world, and Australian R&D operations are spread across four facilities in Victoria.
These include the historic You Yangs Proving Ground, which employs 24 percent of the workforce; an R&D facility further south in Geelong (15 percent); and both Plant #2 (8.0 percent) and the Ford International Markets Group (IMG) PDC at Broadmeadows in Melbourne’s north, where almost half (47 percent) of all R&D staff are based.
Built to develop a more reliable version of the American Falcon sold in Australia from 1960, the You Yangs facility hosted the 70,000-mile Durability Run in 1965 to promote the then new XP Falcon.
Today, the secure facility operates 24 hours a day to develop models alongside other Ford R&D teams in Dearborn, Cologne and Nanjing.
In a press release to journalists attending the MY26.50 Ranger launch at the You Yangs, Ford IMG product development director Steve Crosby said: “Australia is one of Ford’s global product development centers – alongside the US, Europe and China. We employ 1,500 people in this country. That includes a product development workforce of 1,000, made up of highly skilled designers, engineers, tradespeople and technicians.
“These aren’t people running a local variant of someone else’s vehicle. They’re the people who come up with it after listening carefully to the customer, deciding how it will look on Australian driveways, prioritizing safety for your family and testing it to make sure it lasts the distance.
“What does it mean to design for Australia rather than simply adapt for it? It means solving problems that others don’t see and the Ranger Super Duty is the ultimate expression of that.
“It had its roots in a conversation six years ago; we sat down with our largest fleet customers and asked what they needed. It was clear: they needed a vehicle that could carry a heavy load and tow 4.5 tonnes straight from the factory. Because of our unique local expertise, Ford Australia was the only team that could build the answer.
“Developing a world leader requires more than just sleek design; it requires relentless validation. For more than 60 years, the You Yangs Proving Ground in Victoria has been the cornerstone of this process.
“Over the past decade, Ford has invested $5 billion in local research and development. That investment isn’t just about better vehicles, it’s about retaining the sovereign capabilities – the talent, facilities and knowledge – to continue solving Australian problems for Australians.”
Ford’s local outpost also has a long history of promoting local executives who later claimed top jobs at the Blue Oval, including former Ford Australia chiefs Jac Nasser who became Ford’s global boss and the late Geoff Polites who went on to lead Ford of Europe and then Jaguar Land Rover, plus engineer Trevor Worthington who became vice-president of Global Product Development, and designer Todd Willing who is currently head of Ford Design.
In a recent interview with Wheels magazine, Ford’s former director of Global Product Planning and Strategy, Jim Baumbick, said Ford’s Australian team was an indispensable part of Ford’s global development team.
“My whole history has been developing products. That’s what I’m most passionate about. We have a great team here. We’re a product, service and experience-driven company,” said the recently appointed head of Ford’s European operations. Wheels in February.
“We have an incredible asset: our team here at Ford Australia. They built the company from here. You don’t take that knowledge and place huge value on it.
“The truck was born and raised here in Australia. The mission was to build a vehicle that would be the F-150 for the rest of the world. The F-150 is not the ideal tool for many countries. It was our original mission.”
Mr Baumbick said Ford Australia continues to develop vehicles for other markets in the Asia Pacific region, in addition to Ranger, Everest, Bronco and Amarok.
“There is work in the region. China and India. I would find it difficult to give you a percentage,” he said.
“It’s a broader population in the region. But the primary focus is on Ranger. Ranger competes in over 190 markets. It’s a perfect location to develop the truck. A perfect representation. The team here is thinking about a very rugged environment. And how utes are used.”
“If you’re going off-road and driving in rough environments, you need a truck. And that’s what a Ranger does. That kind of knowledge doesn’t happen overnight.”
And he added that Ford’s goal with the Ranger is to become the best-selling midsize pickup in the world.
“We are now number two in the world. They (Ford) have to hold on to that. Defend it and let it grow. The goal is to become number one.”
“This is the team. The goal. I want them to wake up every day and worry about Ranger and Everest.”
“We do program reviews and get [my] replacement at speed. Every day, every engineer, every manager wakes up and thinks about Ranger.
“For the T6, the Ranger vehicle line, this is home. The Ranger knowledge base starts and ends here,” said Mr. Baumbick.
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