The all-new, international market next-generation Ford Ranger was revealed back in November and is slated to enter production in Thailand and South Africa in 2022, and at the Ford Michigan Assembly Plant in the spring of 2023, with a European launch planned for early 2023 (Q4 of 2022 for the Ranger Raptor) and a U.S. launch planned for “sometime” next year. In the states, the 2022 Ford Ranger carries over mostly unchanged (save for the introduction of the Splash Package and Splash Limited Edition), but it seems that the next-gen model will launch in Australia this summer as a 2022 model year vehicle in limited quantities, according to a dealer bulletin seen by CarExpert.
The bulletin states that 2022 Ford Ranger pickups will begin arriving at Aussie dealers by June, though that first batch will only consist of somewhere between 7,000-7,500 units – a drop in the bucket in a country where Ford sold 50,000 Rangers in 2021. Additionally, over 16,000 prospective customers have signed up to receive more information on the next-gen pickup on Ford’s website. No information was provided in terms of what configurations and trims that lot will consist of, but dealers will receive more information later this month.
The international version of the next-gen Ford Ranger – as well as the next-gen Ranger Raptor, which was revealed last month – are equipped with new, edgier styling, a completely redesigned interior, and a host of suspension modifications aimed at improving both on-road comfort and off-road capability. The new model comes standard with a digital instrument cluster and DIY-friendly features in the bed, but no traditional paper owner’s manual.
The North American version of the next-gen Ranger has not yet been revealed, but the international market variant will be available with Ford’s 3.0L Power Stroke V6, single turbo and twin-turbo versions of the automaker’s 2.0L inline four-cylinder diesel – which will be produced at the Ford Struandale Engine Plant in South Africa – as well as the gas-powered 2.3L EcoBoost I-4. European customers can spec the Ranger Raptor with Ford’s existing 2.0L EcoBlue bi-turbo engine, but otherwise, the hardcore off-roader will come equipped with Ford’s 3.0L EcoBoost V6 – which Ford Authority was the first to report nearly a year ago – not a V8, though at least a couple of FoMoCo executives are still thinking about that possibility.
We’ll have more on the next-gen Ranger and Ranger Raptor soon, so be sure to subscribe to Ford Authority for the latest Ford Ranger news, Ford Ranger Raptor news, and continuous Ford news coverage.
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