Ford eyes lucrative market for modified truck parts

Most pickup truck owners have modified their vehicles in some manner. Be it a simple tonneau cover or an extensive lift kit, there’s no shortage of aftermarket gear to buy for your 4x4.

Ford is seeking to cash in on the long-running trend, teaming up with ARB 4x4 Accessories to develop kit for the midsize Ranger. Kicking off the collaboration is a stout front bumper capable of accepting a winch and other off-road goodies. Designed specifically for Ranger, the bumper complements the truck’s rugged lines despite turning up at the corners like a villain’s evil smile.

It’s finished in a powder coat and built from welded sheet steel up to 3/16 of an inch thick. Attaching to the truck using existing chassis mounting points, it continues to incorporate the full suite of Ford CoPilot360 driving aids and safety nannies. That’s a big deal, given Ford has spent untold millions developing and marketing those features. According to Ford, it’s the only aftermarket steel bumper available for the Ranger that meets regulatory crash test standards and can be installed on any current North American Ranger configuration.

The trend of OEMs partnering with an aftermarket company is rapidly gaining steam. Chevy is currently playing house with AEV to build the Colorado ZR2 Bison, another mid-size truck with acres of offroad cred. Jeep and Ram have also introduced expansive (and expensive) catalogues of rugged kit for the Wrangler, Gladiator and pickup trucks.

This type of partnership impacts the company bottom line, because the cost of these accessories can often be worked into the vehicle’s selling price. Rather than pay $1,495 for the bumper, a dealer would be more than glad to tack $20 a month onto your payment. This also has the effect of raising the truck’s average transaction price, an investor-pleasing metric.

Aftermarket gear is a huge business, estimated to be a multibillion-dollar industry with plenty of room for growth. The world’s leading aftermarket companies arrive each year in Las Vegas for the SEMA Show, held this year Nov. 4-8. By teaming up with an OEM, companies such as ARB and AEV are getting ahead of the game and assuring themselves a piece of a pie.

Of course, a lot of this would be unnecessary if Ford would simply import the tremendous Ranger Raptor to the Canadian market. While the automaker is quick to point out the diesel engine fitted to these trucks in other markets won’t play in Peoria, one cannot logically assert the company that literally invented the assembly line can’t figure out how to fit a set of Fox dampers and a wider track onto a North American Ranger.

Hey, by all appearances, Jeremy Clarkson has one. And endorsements don’t get much heartier than that