The Blue Oval has invested heavily in its Pacheco Assembly plant in Argentina over the past couple of years, moves aimed at retooling the facility for production of the all-new next-generation Ford Ranger, as well as the engines that power that pickup. That process began with production of the turbocharged 3.0L V6 Power Stroke diesel engine, along with 2.0L single- and bi-turbo diesel powerplants. Production of most of those engines began at Pacheco last June, and now, they’re being joined by the turbocharged 2.0L four-cylinder diesel Panther engine as well.
With production of the 2.0L Panther powerplant underway at Pacheco, Ford’s $660 million dollar investment in the plant – $80 million of which went specifically toward engine production – is now complete. This particular engine touts an output of 170 horsepower and 405 Nm (299 pound-feet) of torque, and it’s being built alongside the Ranger’s other powerplants utilizing Ford’s new “manufacturing 4.0” concept in a plant that has grown by 20 percent following the aforementioned investment,
Ford Argentina has become a regional hub for the Ranger, in general, building pickups not only for South America, but also, other export markets. Despite this, the Ranger remains incredibly popular in South America, and 70 percent of the units built at the Pacheco plant are designed for that particular market. The Ranger originally entered production at the Pacheco plant back in 1996 in two-wheel drive, regular cab configuration. Since then, production has expanded greatly at that facility, and more than 60 percent of the Ford Ranger models built at Pacheco go to export markets, which include Brazil, Chile, Peru, Colombia, Ecuador, Venezuela, and Uruguay.
After increasing Ranger production on multiple occasions to meet demand in the past, Ford announced that it would be boosting output of the Ranger at the Pacheco plant to 70,000 units in 2025, which is 15 percent more than 2024 and 28 percent higher than 2023’s output. The automaker has added 160 direct collaborators at the facility to help support this increase, which stems from ever-growing demand from customers in both Argentina and the entirety of South America.
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