By Andrew Ganz
Aug 20th, 2012
LLN
Ford Motor Company’s gamble to abandon the compact pickup segment in favor of expanding its full-size truck line could cost it about half of its Ford Ranger owners, a new report indicates.
Whether that’s considered a success or a failure for Ford is up for debate. When production of the Ranger ended late last year, Ford closed its St. Paul, Minnesota, assembly plant and it didn’t have to worry about developing a new truck for what has been a shrinking segment of the market, two moves that undoubtedly saved the Blue Oval money, at least over the short term.
However, TrueCar.com says that Ford overestimated the number of Ranger owners who would be willing to step up to the larger and more fuel-efficient F-150 V6.
A series of new powertrains arrived in the automaker’s flagship pickup in 2010. Among those was an entry-level 3.7-liter V6, which Ford had hoped would prove tempting to Ranger owners who bought their trucks primarily because of the lower price point and perceived better fuel economy.
“We do know that a good portion of would-be Ranger buyers are going to different brand,” Jesse Toprak, TrueCar.com’s vice president of industry analysis, told the Detroit News.. “Ford may have been too optimistic in their assumption of how many Ranger buyers want to buy an F-150.
Full text at link
Aug 20th, 2012
LLN
Ford Motor Company’s gamble to abandon the compact pickup segment in favor of expanding its full-size truck line could cost it about half of its Ford Ranger owners, a new report indicates.
Whether that’s considered a success or a failure for Ford is up for debate. When production of the Ranger ended late last year, Ford closed its St. Paul, Minnesota, assembly plant and it didn’t have to worry about developing a new truck for what has been a shrinking segment of the market, two moves that undoubtedly saved the Blue Oval money, at least over the short term.
However, TrueCar.com says that Ford overestimated the number of Ranger owners who would be willing to step up to the larger and more fuel-efficient F-150 V6.
A series of new powertrains arrived in the automaker’s flagship pickup in 2010. Among those was an entry-level 3.7-liter V6, which Ford had hoped would prove tempting to Ranger owners who bought their trucks primarily because of the lower price point and perceived better fuel economy.
“We do know that a good portion of would-be Ranger buyers are going to different brand,” Jesse Toprak, TrueCar.com’s vice president of industry analysis, told the Detroit News.. “Ford may have been too optimistic in their assumption of how many Ranger buyers want to buy an F-150.
Full text at link