Utes are fast becoming the new Aussie family car: Toyota HiLux and Ford Ranger set new record

[DFB FGXR6]

Originally Posted by Windsor220

Well the majority of Australia do live in suburbia. As a business case its probably not worth it for Ford

Especially when they are selling every Ranger they can get their hands on and with a heavy skew to the highly profitable XLT and Wildtrack variants.

[janddbone]

I will stick to my wagon, my lpg and my tow bar and roof rack. Cheers.

[Ben73]

Didn't Ford sell the F250 here in the early 2000's? How much did they cost then compared to now?

Utes seam to be much more popular now than 10+ years ago. They would probably sell more than they expect.
Did they think the Ranger would have a 9 month waiting list when it was first released?

When you look at how many $150,000 'utes' are driving around, how many do you think would be around if the price was below the $100,000 mark?
Want a V8 Diesel to tow big loads in Australia. Get a LandCruiser 200.
It's the only one available. Except expensive Euro's.
On the topic of the 200 Series, how many Sahara spec Cruisers do you see getting around. A lot of them on school runs for a large 4x4 that costs $110,000.

Originally Posted by vztrt

How would all the r&d be done? They need to be rhd, pass regional safety, design rules, suspension changes for the area and a multitude of things if they are not ready for the change.

Ranger is designed to be in every market and minor changes applied.

They already know how to make them, so they would just need to do the minor adjustments for each region. How do they manage to sell suitable Ranger's in 150 countries if they cannot sell the F trucks in multiple countries.

[b2428]

We recently upgraded from a Mondeo to a dual cab MN triton (must remember to edit my profile). I couldnt afford a ranger and after the local council had a large range of issues with the new model I must say I it was off the list. The dual cab for us was really important as we often have passengers and in the not to distant future we want to start a family.

The reason for a purchase like this comes down to lifestyle. We are currently undergoing a reno so with the canopy I can honestly cram as much as a 6x4 trailer but just makes it harder as you cant carry long stuff. I can through the dog in the back when she gets all muddy and wet. I can put my fridge/freezer in the back and still have a bucket load of space for when we go away esp our trips to fraser.

Finally when you combine this with our new found passion for a trip along the beach for a picnic or fish and a 4wd dual cab was a no brainer. I can see why these things have taken off so well. What I dont understand is why people by them with the only thing in mind to use them to the shops and back or too drop the kids off at school. For that role they are simply to much a compromise and one in that case I cant understand at all.

[vztrt]

Originally Posted by Ben73

They already know how to make them, so they would just need to do the minor adjustments for each region. How do they manage to sell suitable Ranger's in 150 countries if they cannot sell the F trucks in multiple countries.

They make them for the America's. LHD only. Its not a minor change to make it RHD. The US regs are quite different to other regions so that adds cost.

Ranger was purpose built for different regions. A Ranger in one region will be different for another region.

[Giant Cranium]

Originally Posted by chevypower

It's usually the mirrors that make the biggest difference on them since they are huge towing mirrors.

Elephant ears. If anyone has been to Central Park in NYC they will no the small foot paths around the place. My day is spent driving a f350 down them to access different parts of the park. Those bloody mirrors (elephant ears) are always having to be folded in. Perfect head height for pedestrians.