A peek at the new Ford Ranger

FOLLOWING many spy pictures and much speculation, we now get the first official glimpse of the new Ford Ranger being endurance-tested in various locations before its launch in 2022.

Ford South Africa promises that the new-generation bakkie will be the toughest, most capable and connected Ranger yet.

According to CarExpert, the 2022 Ford Ranger is set to receive a new 3-litre V6 turbo-diesel engine, likely with outputs of around 186kW and 600Nm. Lower down in the range, the current 2-litre single-turbo and twin-turbo engines are expected to carry over, given that they are still very modern, while the 3.2-litre engine looks poised for retirement.

A hybrid is said to be on the cards too. Keep in mind, however, that none of this has been officially confirmed by Ford. What has been confirmed is that the new Ford Ranger will go into production in South Africa next year, again for both local sales and exports.

This forms part of a R15.8 billion investment that will also see the next-generation Volkswagen Amarok being built here as part of a new partnership between the two carmakers.

The Silverton facility expansion is set to create 1 200 new direct jobs, and an extra 10 000 across the supply chain.

“Our key objectives with the investment in the Silverton Assembly Plant and our supplier facilities are to expand our production capacity and to introduce the most advanced technologies and systems,” said Ford SA’s Operations VP Ockert Berry. |