The Ford Ranger has long been a popular entity across not only the U.S., but other parts of the globe as well. That includes Australia, where the mid-size pickup has remained near or at the top of the sales charts for some time – in fact, the redesigned Ranger was the best-selling vehicle of any kind in that country last year, taking the crown from its chief rival, the Toyota Hilux. As is the case in the U.S. as well, Aussies love to customize and personalize their pickups, which is precisely why FoMoCo has announced that it will open a new Vehicle Personlisation Centre specifically to serve that country.
The new Ford Vehicle Personalisation Centre (VPC) is actually being erected in Thailand, which builds the Ford Ranger for Australian customers, and aims to reduce the wait times for those same folks by installing factory upgrades immediately after their truck is produced and before it’s shipped to Australia – which is also precisely why Ford recently leased its own cargo ship as well.
Customers will be able to choose from a variety of upgrades including, to start, two different types of canopies, plus a manual tonneau cover, the former of which can be fitted to any SuperCrew model – save for the Platinum and Raptor. According to Ford, the installation of these accessories will occur within around two days of a vehicle’s completion, and each features the same five-year, unlimited-mileage warranty as those purchased from and installed at a dealer. Australian customers will be able to order these VPC-fitted accessories starting this month, with the first deliveries expected to begin in May.
“We know Aussies love utes and we have developed the most comprehensive factory backed catalogue of accessories ever, expanding the versatility of Ranger for our customers and allowing them to use their vehicle for work or for play with family and friends. The new VPC is the next step at giving our customers the customised vehicles they want, straight out of the box,” said Michael Karageorgiou, Vehicle Personalisation Director, Ford International Markets Group. The VPC will complement the Ford Dealer Network by providing us the opportunity to offer customers a faster and seamless one-stop-shop solution for all their personalisation needs. Customers can now order select accessories through a Ford dealer knowing that their vehicle will arrive in Australia with the accessories fitted and ready to go.”
We’ll have more on the Ranger soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for around-the-clock Ford Ranger news and Ford news coverage.
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