Ranger teasers to confuse the enemy

AS THE new-generation Ford Ranger is edges closer to production, the carmaker is clearly having some fun teasing us with “spy” pictures of camoflaged prototypes.

Following last month's teaser, which hinted at an F-150-inspired face for the new Ranger, Ford has released a more thinly disguised image of the rear end, which almost reveals it in full.

Although the basic design appears somewhat evolutionary at first, the tailgate is more shapely and the new taillights resemble those of the smaller Maverick that was revealed earlier this year.

The new Ford Ranger is expected to be built on a modified version of the current T6 platform and there are rumours of a V6 diesel engine joining the current 2-litre single- and twinturbo options that will carry over.

The prototypes wear camouflage stickers with mind-bending patterns, squiggles, and swirls. The aim of these patterns, Ford says, is to confuse the eye and prevent industry spies from being able to focus on the vehicle's features.

Ford's latest camouflage, inspired by the block pattern on the Bronco R Baja racer as well as mountain ranges, uses hundreds of blue, black, and white blocks in a pixelated pattern to break up the appearance of the underlying shape of the vehicle while it's still under development.

Designed by a team at Ford's Design Centre in Melbourne, Australia, this camouflage pattern creates an optical illusion that makes it difficult to pick out exterior features in sunlight, while a reflective element helps hide the vehicle's shape at night.

Lee Imrie, the designer who created the new pattern says the inspiration originally came from the Baja livery that Ford has been using.

According to Ford, the pattern took two months to develop and test

The new Ford Ranger is set to be revealed later in 2021 ahead of it going on sale in 2022. As with the current generation, the new bakkie range will be built in South Africa for both local consumption and export.