Spy Shots: Ford Ranger Shows Off Worker-Style Single Cab

Ford Motor Co. is preparing to relaunch its mid-size Ranger pickup to truck-hungry U.S. customers.

If these new photos are any indication, the company will target commercial fleets as well.

Spy photographers recently spotted Ford testing a single cab configuration of the upcoming Ranger at a supplier facility in Michigan. Its appearance suggests the automaker is developing a more spartan version of the compact truck for utilitarian use on job sites.

The two-door versions of pickup trucks like the new Ranger are typically aimed at commercial business customers. In an industry driven by bang-for-the-buck, the lower cost of single cab trucks combined with greater hauling capability make them an attractive purchase.

Ford has also been seen testing four-door versions of the new Ranger, as well as a high-performance Ranger Raptor model.

This new single cab Ranger also hints at the upcoming truck’s design. It has eschewed the Euro-style front fascia and grille as spotted in earlier prototypes and adopted a two-bar crossmember design underneath its black camouflage. The body styling is toned down compared to the Ranger Raptor.

The truck will likely be powered by a range of turbocharged four-cylinder and six-cylinder EcoBoost engines mated to the 10-speed transmission Ford developed in tandem with General Motors. A diesel engine option is also a possibility.

The truck will likely be powered by a range of turbocharged four-cylinder and six-cylinder EcoBoost engines mated to the 10-speed transmission Ford developed in tandem with General Motors. A diesel engine option is also a possibility.

Ford is investing $1.2 billion in facilities that will build the Ranger as well as the revived Bronco SUV. The move comes as new data suggest U.S. consumers are permanently turning away from small cars and sedans and toward pickup trucks and SUVs.

Production on the new Ranger will begin in late 2018. Ford’s newest truck will launch along a similar timeline as the upcoming Jeep Wrangler pickup.

Analysts expect both the Ranger and Wrangler to contribute to strong growth in the mid-size pickup truck market. Automakers sold nearly 450,000 vehicles in the segment in 2016, according to industry research firm Autodata Corp., and IHS Markit projects a 9.5 percent increase to more than 491,000 vehicles sold by the year 2021.

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