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Detroit, 1:04 AM
Sun Dec 6
8 posts in the last 24 hours

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    Dsmvwl  Admin  Promote to frontpage Approve user Ban user ×
    Image of FTGDWolverineEdition'09 FTGDWolverineEdition'09
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    Maybe they want to bring us this instead.

    Hey! A guy can dream right?
     Reply
    Edited by FTGDWolverineEdition'09 at 11/09/09 12:41 PM FTGDWolverineEdition'09 was starred FTGDWolverineEdition'09 was unstarred
    Image of FTGDWolverineEdition'09 FTGDWolverineEdition'09
    11/09/09

    @FTGDWolverineEdition'09:
     Reply
    FTGDWolverineEdition'09 was starred FTGDWolverineEdition'09 was unstarred
    Image of Ford Tempo Fanatic Ford Tempo Fanatic
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    That European Ranger is really what we need. Its possibly the only worthy fate of our Ranger. It would be worlds better then the fat ass Colorados and Dakota's we have now. #fordka
     Reply
    Ford Tempo Fanatic was starred Ford Tempo Fanatic was unstarred
    Image of tonyola tonyola
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    Although it would be nice to have a new Ranger, it would have to be built in North America rather than imported from overseas. It would seemingly be easy to bring the world-Ranger from one of Ford's numerous foreign plants, but there's still that nasty little 25% "chicken tax" tariff on imported pickups to deal with. If Congress can be persuaded to drop the 46-year-old punitive measure for foreign tariffs on US chickens, then maybe we can get somewhere with new Rangers. However, given the "effectiveness" of Congress recently, I wouldn't get my hopes up.
     Reply
    Edited by tonyola at 11/09/09 11:50 AM tonyola was starred tonyola was unstarred
    Image of Pessimippopotamus Pessimippopotamus
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    Ka wouldn't sell. Fiesta's pretty small compared to everything else in the American Ford's range. #fordka
     Reply
    Pessimippopotamus was starred Pessimippopotamus was unstarred
    Image of e30 guy e30 guy
    11/09/09

    @Pessimippopotamus: Yes, my thought exactly. Still don't understand not bringing in the Ranger though. #fordka
     Reply
    Pessimippopotamus promoted this comment e30 guy was starred e30 guy was unstarred
    Image of Pessimippopotamus Pessimippopotamus
    11/09/09

    @e30 guy: I don't know much about sales figure, but when was the last time you saw a guy driving around in a compact pickup? #fordka
     Reply
    Pessimippopotamus was starred Pessimippopotamus was unstarred
    Image of e30 guy e30 guy
    11/09/09

    @Pessimippopotamus: When was the last time there was a compact truck worth driving? :-)

    I see a lot of Toyota Tacomas around. I notice them because they're so ugly my eyes hurt. #fordka
     Reply
    e30 guy was starred e30 guy was unstarred
    Image of Pessimippopotamus Pessimippopotamus
    11/09/09

    @e30 guy: @The-AriZonAn:

    Hmmm. Must be regional then. I haven's seen anything of the sort for a while now.

    Or maybe it's just that I'm not paying attention to them at all. #fordka
     Reply
    Pessimippopotamus was starred Pessimippopotamus was unstarred
    Image of snapoversteer 'bout to get told snapoversteer 'bout to get told
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    I hate the Ka; so I'm not really broken up about not getting that, and truly, why would anyone buy it over the Fiesta?

    The Ranger, I think, can be explained by the continued weakness in the full size market. How are you going to make any profit on Rangers when a decent F150 can be had for $17K? As much as folks on this site would praise smaller, lighter trucks, I'm guessing that the average American buyer sees them as inferior. #fordka
     Reply
    snapoversteer 'bout to get told was starred snapoversteer 'bout to get told was unstarred
    Image of CJinSD CJinSD
    11/09/09

    @snapoversteer 'bout to get told: Could be, but I've written about the disappearance of true minipickups on other blogs and seen spontaneous outpourings of nostalgia and claimed desire to own new ones. Somebody is going to bring back the old 2 liter engine and a porch type minipickup, and they're going to reap the rewards that Detroit refuses to. As usual. #fordka
     Reply
    snapoversteer 'bout to get told promoted this comment CJinSD was starred CJinSD was unstarred
    Image of snapoversteer 'bout to get told snapoversteer 'bout to get told
    11/09/09


    @CJinSD: The Indians perhaps? #fordka
     Reply
    snapoversteer 'bout to get told was starred snapoversteer 'bout to get told was unstarred
    Image of Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe) Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe)
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    I understand, I think.

    The 'Ka' could potentially compete with the Fiesta. Why would a college graduate with their English degree spend their hard-earned Applebee's paycheck on the more expensive Fiesta when there's a Ka available? And what's the incentive for Ford to bring it over here? To fight the microcars from ... who? Smart? Better to focus on making the Fiesta as economical, efficient and populars as possible. That's where the real competition is.

    As for the Ranger, what's the incentive for Ford to go to the trouble of marketing and launching the all new platform? Changeovers aren't free, after all. And, as several of you have already noted, the competition in this segment is pretty dreadful. Those who fixate on reliability are going to buy the Toyota. Those who want to buy the cheapest will go with one of the lesser Japanese brands. And those whose grandpappy used to work for GM will buy the Chevy. The rest who really want a vehicle in this segment - the ones who were probably going to buy the Ranger in the first place - are still going to buy the Ranger. The number of people who would 'switch' to a Ranger if they brought over the new version is probably insignificant relative to the cost of changing over all the production, marketing and showroom stuff.

    But what do I know... I only leased my Ranger back in 1999 because I wanted to get out from under the payment on my '98 Trans Am that had given up two fuel pumps and a windshield wiper motor in its first year of existence... #fordka
     Reply
    snapoversteer 'bout to get told promoted this comment Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe) was starred Racin_G73 - dirt track legend (some day ... maybe) was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    Is all this "the Ranger is too old..." whining coming from the same folks who keep saying Honda should bring back the old CRX and "today's cars are too fat and heavy, please bring back dependable, simple vehicles"? #fordka
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of Muscles Marinara Muscles Marinara
    11/09/09

    @beercheck: +1. Just give it a couple modern engine choices, maybe the ecoboost and the sweet Duratorq diesel, and it'll be good for another 10 years. #fordka
     Reply
    beercheck promoted this comment Muscles Marinara was starred Muscles Marinara was unstarred
    Image of Tyson Tyson
    11/09/09

    @beercheck: Hey, I just want them to bring the world ranger because it has sweet bed tie-downs. #fordka
     Reply
    beercheck promoted this comment Tyson was starred Tyson was unstarred
    Image of karnevil karnevil
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    I love my Ranger, Ford should just update the engines, and the interior and it could be sold for another 10 years. #fordka
     Reply
    beercheck promoted this comment karnevil was starred karnevil was unstarred
    Image of danio3834 danio3834
    11/09/09

    @karnevil: This exactly. As I said earlier in the thread, the compact truck is a basic tool like a hammer. Bring out a few new colors, make a fancy handle to make it seem revolutionary and new, but in the end, the new truck will be the same as the old. Because it has to be.

    There isn't much "modernization" that can improve the compact truck right now.

    Go ahead, make a hybrid version or something, buyers won't care.

    People buy Rangers because they are a telephone company. #fordka
     Reply
    danio3834 was starred danio3834 was unstarred
    Image of DrLemming DrLemming
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    It's all too typical for the Big Three to steer clear of smaller cars and trucks. Not bringing in the Ka makes some sense, but Ford is a pretty dumb if it gets rid of the Ranger in the U.S. #fordka
     Reply
    DrLemming was starred DrLemming was unstarred
    Image of Bullitt417 Bullitt417
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    The decision to not sell the Ka in the U.S. doesn't surprise me as I really can't see people buying them. However, considering the dire need for a new Ranger, I actually am very shocked that the Global one would not come here. Seems like a major misstep to me unless Ford already has some other plan in the works. #fordka
     Reply
    beercheck promoted this comment Bullitt417 was starred Bullitt417 was unstarred
    Image of weatherman weatherman
    11/09/09

    @Bullitt417: I wonder if Ford is indicating that there just isn't really a market in the US for a small pickup, which wouldn't really surprise me. Aside from its use as a fleet vehicle (which the Transit is probably better suited) most consumers want a pickup for image or work. A small pickup satisfies neither. For those looking for "sporty" pickups, the Sport Trac covers that segment (although is pretty expensive compared to the Ranger).

    The global Ranger is pretty homely anyway, so I can't say I miss it. And maybe Ford has other interesting plans for the US - perhaps a Flex Pickup? #fordka
     Reply
    weatherman was starred weatherman was unstarred
    Image of danio3834 danio3834
    11/09/09

    @Bullitt417: The only real reason I could see Ford selling the Ka here is to use it as a halo vehicle. Like the GT or last T-bird. They didn't intend to sell many, but the marketing and PR they provided was a plus to the company as a whole.

    The Ka could do that as well, just on the other end of the product portfolio.
    The only problem being that its hard to charge a premium on a subcompact. #fordka
     Reply
    danio3834 was starred danio3834 was unstarred
    Image of Bullitt417 Bullitt417
    11/09/09

    @weatherman: I don't really see a flex pickup truck working as a replacement for a ranger. As a niche model (a new ranchero possibly) it may work but otherwise the Flex flatform was never intended for a work truck (transverse V6- front or all-wheel drive and less ground clearance than a ridgeline). With those specs, it doesn't fit in with the Built Ford tough image of the trucks which was the same reason the smaller F-150 was killed off so you may very well be right, there may not be a small pickup truck market anymore and the development costs or shipping costs to bring the global truck here may not justify the profits.
    @danio3834: The same would go for the Ka as a small halo car. I'm pretty sure thats the Fiesta's job especially considering the massive PR expense Ford put into it. The costs may not justify bringing it here especially since people don't buy small when gas is low. #fordka
     Reply
    Bullitt417 was starred Bullitt417 was unstarred
    Image of weatherman weatherman
    11/09/09

    @Bullitt417: I didn't really think Ford would do it, or that it would really be a replacement for the Ranger in the small ute category. I just think it's a fun idea, and that photoshop of it is pretty good. #fordka
     Reply
    weatherman was starred weatherman was unstarred
    Image of pres pres
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    Stupid stupid stupid stupid stupid.

    Stupid.

    Come on, Ford...wake up. Just give us what everyone else has please. We want/need a compact truck designed sometime before steam power became passe. #fordka
     Reply
    pres was starred pres was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    Yet another log thrown on the we-learned-nothing-from-the-70s fire. #fordka
     Reply
    beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of bmoreDLJ bmoreDLJ
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    This, from a company that ships Transit Connects with windows and full interiors here, removes the windows and back seats and welds in metal panels to make the panel vans (all to abide by some chicken law.)

    Too bad though; it's a handsome truck. Hopefully the next US Ranger isn't much bigger than the old one, or this.

    Not so miffed about the Ka, since Chrysler will be selling the car it's based on.
     Reply
    Edited by bmoreDLJ at 11/09/09 9:32 AM bmoreDLJ was starred bmoreDLJ was unstarred
    Image of Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    Ford probably thinks that they will have lower profitability on the smaller vehicles, and that certifying and introduce them will be too expensive for the return. Perhaps they are also concerned about cannibalizing sales of larger vehicles.

    However, it is a grave mistake. Ford needs to compete in all sectors of the market. And they need to be able to respond to changing conditions and taste. For is currently doing better than the other US makers, largely on the basis of having some smaller vehicles that people actually wanted to buy, when the price of gas spiked. #fordka
     Reply
    Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was starred Van Sarockin, rogue trebuchet was unstarred
    Image of UDMan UDMan
    11/09/09

    In reply to Ford Ka, New Ranger Pickup Won't Come To U.S.
    I've read the comment within this thread (so far), as well as other comments with a vaguely political tone to it, and had to respond.

    Light diesels will not be coming to America because of or (admittedly retarded) emission regulations. We measure tailpipe emissions differently than the Europeans and the Japanese. We seem to be concentrated on NOx output, rather than CO2 output. And we will never bring our emission regulations in line with Europe, not with California continuing to regulate stricter standards.

    If the electorate decides to bring back the Republicans, they won't necessarily roll back standards... they will be too busy trying to undo other more pressing social issues, re-drawing congressional districts, and lining their pockets with political contributions. Diesels will still be quite a number of years away. #fordka
     Reply
    UDMan was starred UDMan was unstarred
    Image of beercheck beercheck
    11/09/09

    @UDMan: "I've read the comment within this thread (so far), as well as other comments with a vaguely political tone to it, and had to respond."

    Bullshit.

    There were no (edit: Okay, I see now there was one, unpromoted, classic troll-style shot) comments within this thread -- before yours -- that had even "vaguely political" tone. As far as that "as well as other comments" crap...what the hell? You're invoking comments from some other thread, from some other time, and tying it in here with "and had to respond"?

    "Troll". Look it up.
     Reply
    Edited by beercheck at 11/09/09 9:54 AM beercheck was starred beercheck was unstarred
    Image of aramid aramid
    11/09/09

    @UDMan: In what way, exactly, is it retarded to measure NOx emissions rather than CO2 emissions?

    CO2: May impact global climate.
    NOx: Causes smog, acid rain, low-level ozone, and destroys high-level ozone, all while causing or worsening respiratory diseases and potentially worsening some types of heart disease.

    Are you SURE you prefer the European and Japanese way of measuring things? #fordka
     Reply
    FTGDWolverineEdition'09 promoted this comment aramid was starred aramid was unstarred
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