The current Ford Ranger still feels relatively fresh, particularly in the United States, where the latest generation only arrived for the 2024 model year. Ford isn’t waiting around to start thinking about its replacement, though.
Work has already begun on the next-generation midsize pickup, even if customers won’t see it anytime soon. The new Ranger isn’t anticipated to arrive until around the end of the decade.
Australia is once again playing an important role in the project. Ford’s engineering operation there has been instrumental in developing recent generations of the Ranger, which has evolved from a regional pickup into a major global product.
Ford Australia president and CEO Fadi Mawal confirmed the news in an interview with Drive, saying the company’s Australian team is working on the next Ranger right now. The plan, he says, is for Australia to continue leading development of both the Ranger and its Everest SUV sibling.
Australia Is Back At The Drawing Board
Ford employs around 1,500 engineers in Australia, according to Drive, with much of that expertise centered around product development. The current Ranger is one of the most important vehicles to emerge from that operation.
“Our plan is to continue to lead development of Ranger and Everest into the future,” Mawal told the publication. He added that the Australian operation is recognized within Ford as a “world-class team.”
Details about the next Ranger itself remain understandably scarce this early in development. Drive expects the pickup to arrive around 2030, which would fit the relatively long product cycles common among commercial vehicles.
Electrification could also play a greater role. The current Ranger already offers a plug-in hybrid powertrain in certain markets, while tightening emissions requirements in places such as Australia will continue putting pressure on automakers to reduce fleet emissions.
Australia’s Role Isn’t Guaranteed
While work is underway in Melbourne, there is some uncertainty surrounding how much of the next Ranger’s development will ultimately be done there. Ford CEO Jim Farley raised concerns earlier this year about the cost of maintaining engineering operations in Australia compared with countries including China and Vietnam.
Farley made those comments during a visit to Australia in March. At the time, he praised the engineering talent available in the country while arguing that costs needed to remain competitive.
Mawal says Ford remains in discussions with the Australian government over the future of its engineering operation. For now, however, development work on the Ranger continues locally.
“We’re working on that right now, and so we’ll continue to work on that until someone says otherwise,” Mawal told Drive.
Don’t Expect It Anytime Soon
Exactly what Ford has planned for the next Ranger is still a mystery. There are no confirmed powertrain specifications, platform details, production locations, or even a firm launch date at this stage.
Ford Authority previously reported that the next generation is expected before the end of the decade. Whether U.S.-market Rangers will continue being assembled at the Michigan Assembly Plant is also unknown.
There is one thing we do know, and that’s the fact that Ford isn’t treating the Ranger’s success as an excuse to stand still. By the time the next one reaches showrooms, engineers could have spent years figuring out how to improve a pickup that’s already become one of Ford’s most important global products.