Seattle Ford Ranger Future

In addition to Thailand, Ford will also build the Rangerpart of the African Growth and Opportunity Act that
T6 at a second site in South Africa, at its Silvertonwas signed into law in 2000. Ford isn't the only one
factory in Pretoria. duty-free, including pickup trucks.fleeing the segment at home. after 2011. Chrysler has
Ford Truck Seattle has said that the OEM Ford issaid the Dodge Dakota will end production next year,
promising a 20% overall fuel economy increase with itsthough the Dakota may be replaced by a small
new engines, which are expected to begin arriving atunibody pickup. If a person is going to get roped into
dealerships by early December. responded by slappingthe heavy-duty truck market, a 2011 Ford F-350 Super
a 25 percent tariff on trucks imported from Europe.Duty Lariat might just be the pickup to tie them down.
The countries can also export goods to the U.S. andIt's possible that under AGOA, Ford could decide to
Canadian markets. The term "chicken tax" originated inimport the Ranger T6 to the U.S. Paul, Minn., Mayor
the early '60s during a trade dispute between the U.S.Chris Coleman unsuccessfully lobbied Ford to keep its
There are countries, though, where the chicken taxTwin Cities assembly plant open where the Ranger is
doesn't apply because of special trade agreementsassembled for the U.S. But one possible scenario could
with the U.S., such as Australia and Mexico. Fordplay out that might still see American truck buyers
Ranger Seattle and Ford the OEM have experienceddriving a Ranger in 2012 and beyond.
a pickup in sales gains which are already double thoseAfter several extensions, Ford Ranger production will
of the rest of the auto industry, but the Dearbornend in Minnesota by the end of next year.
automaker is expecting an even bigger boost after it(with certain modifications required to meet federal
offers four new engines in its Ford Truck Seattle 2011emissions and safety standards) and avoid the chicken
F-150. The New & Improved Ford F-350.tax.
Ford sells two versions of the Ranger: the U.S.-builtTwo obstacles preventing the future overseas Ranger
Ranger and a Thai-built Ranger that shares only itsfrom showing up here are Ford's all-new engine lineup
name with the North American Ranger. Ford Rangerfor the 2011 F-150 half-ton pickup, which includes a new
Seattle Washington Truck Leaderfuel-efficient Duratec 3.7-liter V-6, and the so-called
A day after Minnesota's last-ditch efforts, Ford and"chicken tax" which imposes a pricey 25 percent
Mazda announced a $350 million joint venture inimport tax on pickups manufactured in most countries
Thailand to build the next-gen Ford Ranger - codeoutside the U.S., including Thailand.
named T6 - and its Mazda counterpart, the BT-50, forOn Aug. because buyers have fled compact and
markets around the globe except the U.S. beyondmidsize trucks as their sizes have increased along with
2015.and Europe over U.S.-imported chickens, whichprices to near full-size levels and the platforms have
were slapped with a special tax to protect Westaged in favor of updates for light- and heavy-duty
German farmers. Chevrolet Colorado and GMCpickups, which have higher profit margins.
Canyon production is also expected to end by 2012,Ford could get caught scrambling for a third assembly
leaving only Toyota, Nissan and potentially India'sline in a chicken-tax-free country if Ranger T6 sales
Mahindra & Mahindra as the remaining players in thetake off in the U.S. Two significant events last week,
U.S. A Seattle Ford Ranger that commands attention.plus past comments from Ford execs, reaffirmed that
Tim Pawlenty and St. The segment has steeplyit's curtains for the domestic-built Ford Ranger and
declined over the last decade in the U.S. South AfricaFord's small pickups in the U.S.
isn't subject to the chicken tax because the country is