Another longstanding American vehicle is about to end its legacy. Ford has announced it will stop producing the Ranger this month — marking the end of the manufacturer's small line of pick-up trucks.
The last Ford Ranger for the U.S. market is expected to roll off the line by Dec. 19. It's estimated about 800 Rangers are still in circulation and that more than 6.6 million sold in the truck's 29-year tenure.
Ford will abandon a segment it led for 18 years until 2005, when it fell behind the Toyota Tacoma.
"We've got a tremendous heritage and history with Ranger," said Doug Scott, Ford's truck marketing manager. "The product has been very good and was true to the Built Ford Tough brand. Bthe environment changed with full-size trucks becoming so much more fuel-efficient."
Ranger sales peaked in 1999 at 348,358 but since declined since. Fewer then 100,00 Rangers sold 2006 and sales numbers never rebounded.
Article Last Updated: December 11, 2011.
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A sports, travel and business journalist for more than 45 years, James has written the new car review column The Weekly Driver since 2004.
In addition to founding this site in 2004, James writes a Sunday automotive column for The San Jose Mercury and East Bay Times in Walnut Creek, Calif., and monthly auto review and wellness columns for Gulfshore Business, a magazine in Southwest Florida.
An author and contributor to many newspapers, magazines and online publications, co-hosted The Weekly Driver Podcast from 2017 to 2024.
