Requiem for the Ford Ranger

[Flounder]

It's (apparently) official: The Ford Ranger is dead come 2009

One little fact buried in the linked piece about Ford's $2 billion UAW savings is this: the Ranger is dead come 2009. It has been known for a while that the Twin Cities Plant in St. Paul, MN that makes the Ranger would close, and the closure date has been pushed back one year, to 2009. The Cleveland plant that casts engine blocks will also close that year. Credit goes to Automotive News for teasing out these new nuggets of info.

We wrote earlier about possible rescue scenarios for the Ranger, but it looks like the Ranger mine has been shut down and sealed off. Mulally has said that Ford will be more forthcoming about its plans at the Detroit show, so anything is still possible. However, after 26 years, it looks like the compact pickup truck thrill is gone. For you Ranger fans out there, the tune you're looking for is "Taps."

[Source: Auto News, sub req'd]

Not too surprising. The Ranger is the last of the solid axle truck platform now that the ST is IRS. It'd be nice to see Ford make an extended (regular size, that is) bed Trac with a 1.5 door body, but that's asking a lot.

 

[Joe Dirt]

I'm sure Ford will do something, maybe a Ranger/F-100? The F-150 is giant... I enjoy my Explorer size much more than my old 2004 F-150. They'll do something, can't walk away from compacts. RIP Ranger, I loved mine.

 

[BrooklynBay]

It seems that the American car manufacturers are constantly downsizing. The stopped making minivans, station wagons, and now this truck. The big 3 are shrinking. GM no longer has Oldsmobile, and Chrysler is also making major changes.