5 Reasons To Bring Back The Ford Ranger ASAP - The Car Connection

Remember the Ford Ranger. The often-maligned pint-sized pickup that disappeared from U. S. showrooms around 2011. According to Detroit News , it could be poised for a comeback, and the timing couldn't be better. Truck fans of a certain age remember when the Ranger was just a trim package on the Ford F-150 during the 1960s and 1970s. Then, in model-year 1983, the Ford Ranger became a pickup in its own right, a compact complement to the full-sized F-150.... Unfortunately, its fame and brand loyalty didn't grow at the same rate, lagging far behind the F-150. Some owners complained of quality issues, others groused about the fact that it was being rebadged as a Mazda B-Series, but the Ranger remained a... Auto sales plummeted, and perhaps no segment was harder hit than pickups. That wasn't just because of soaring gas prices and the fact that pickups earn lower fuel economy than cars. The slump was also due to the collapsed construction market, a key driver for truck sales. The last U. S. Ranger rolled off the assembly line in December 2011. But the Ranger didn't die -- not even close. Ford is currently in contract negotiations with the UAW, and at least one unnamed source familiar with the talks has said that the Ranger is part of those discussions. Source: www.thecarconnection.com