Ford Ranger Closing in on Toyota HiLux After Becoming Top Pick-up Challenger

[russellw]

Ford’s Ranger is rapidly gaining on the Toyota HiLux after closing the sales gap by 1,000 units and passing Nissan and Mitsubishi pick-ups in 2014

Ranger sales increase 42 per cent through March with sales of 5818 in the first quarter – the second highest quarterly sales result for Ranger ever

Many Ranger sales have been conquests from key competitors as buyers switch to the Ford pick-up

New “Proceed With Purpose” campaign launching this month designed to help convert even more Toyota buyers by highlighting hard-working Australians who test the capability of their Rangers.

MELBOURNE, Australia, 05 May., 2014 – Ford’s award-winning Australian designed and engineered Ranger pick-up is becoming one of the country’s most popular pick-ups as it shoots up to the No. 2 sales spot in 20141, challenging Toyota HiLux by sharply cutting its sales lead.

Already in the first quarter of this year, the Ranger has achieved year-on-year growth in sales of 945 units or 42 per cent to achieve sales of 58181. This is the second highest quarterly sales result for Ranger. Including April’s VFACTS figures, Ford has sold 7912 Rangers year-to-date, up from 6556 for the same period last year.

Critically, apart from strong fleet sales, Ranger is winning over customers in the private sector with YTD sales figures showing a 158 per cent increase in private buyers over the same period last year. Retail sales – a combination of private and small fleets – now make up 69 per cent of total Ranger sales.

As always, the Ranger remains a popular choice among other fleets too, including the mining industry. Many Ranger sales have been conquests from key competitors as buyers switch to the Ford pick-up.

In year-to-date sales data from VFACTS in the hotly contested pick-up truck segment, the Ford Ranger is ahead of the Mazda BT-50, Holden Colorado, Mitsubishi Triton, Nissan Navara, Isuzu D-Max and Volkswagen Amarok.

Combined with Ford’s Smart Drive program, which continues to showcase the Ranger’s attributes with prospective customers, Ford will also forge ahead with ongoing Ranger momentum this year with a new marketing campaign called “Proceed With Purpose”, which is designed to continue to spread the word about the award-winning pick-up.
The Smart Drive program is based on the successful event of the same name conducted during the 2012 Australian International Motor Show, which allowed show-goers to experience first-hand not only the Ranger but the Focus and Ford Kuga.

Ford’s new “Proceed With Purpose” campaign tells the stories of men and women who “get things done”. These people strive to make a difference, and continue to strive to make a positive impact on their surroundings.

The first story of the campaign centres around Terry Vallance, an Aquatic Ecologist in Far North Queensland. Vallance’s work involves improving and preserving the health of the waterways upstream to protect and sustain the fishing industry downstream.

His Ford Ranger XLT is integral to being able to access and traverse the harsh and remote environments in which he works. For Vallance, the Ranger’s unbeatable combination of toughness and smart capability gets him there and gets him home, every time.

While the pick-up segment is full of “tough” utes, the Ford Ranger is capable of much more than just delivering on the tough stuff. The entire range possesses a level of cutting-edge technology that puts vehicles like the Toyota HiLux 4x2 in the shade, which is why Ranger is where the smart money is going.

Ford Vice President of Marketing, Sales and Service, Graeme Whickman, said Ranger had struck a chord with customers in Australia.
“The fact that Ranger was designed and engineered in Australia means it has proven capability in our harsh conditions; something that our customers recognise,” he said. “With both petrol and diesel variants available in both 4x2 and 4x4, it’s a vehicle that fits perfectly with the requirements of customers across Australia and the world.
“When you look at the Ranger model lineup, with key customer-focused features like Bluetooth®2 connectivity, 5-star ANCAP safety across the range and then add in high levels of refinement and capability, it is no wonder customers are flocking to dealers.”
Whickman said with 24 models in both rear wheel drive and 4x4 configurations, including the range-topping Wildtrak 4x4, there was a Ranger to suit most customers looking for a pick-up with the features they want and desire in a pick-up.


NZ success
Ranger’s success has not just been confined to Australia. The pick-up has also been a huge hit across the Tasman, where it outsold the Toyota HiLux for the month of December last year in New Zealand and it has become the top selling pick-up year-to-date this year, according to NZ sales data.

This year, Ranger sales in NZ are 33 per cent up for the first quarter compared to the same time last year.

Critically, the Ranger has not only been the top selling pick-up so far in 2014 but it again also won NZ4WD Magazine’s 2013 4x4 Award of the Year despite being launched in New Zealand in November 2011 and facing stiff new competition.


Source: Ford Media

[Blem]

My brother-inlaw bought one.
Complaining about a noisy engine.

[Nikked]

New record, 1st comment is a neggo...



Great effort from Ford, hopefully the local design an engineering team is kept on with good results like this.

[buggerlugs]

I'm seeing them everywhere, great looking vehicle.............

[Nikked]

Seeing a few tuffed up as well, seen one jacked up with wide nobby's, fender flares etc...make lux's look soft lol

[SensationFG8]

I was having a look at one when I was in the dealer a few weeks ago. Certainly would be on my list if I was after that sort of a car.

[DFB FGXR6]

We just took delivery of a XLT Supercab.
Very happy with it. Feels more powerful than the spec suggest.

[SuspectEB]

My father Traded his 08 BT50 on a XL tray top 4x4 3.2 mid last year.

So far with 150,000kms put on it, only issues been him falling in a large hole in railway yard and bending a control arm slighty. And the close mesh shifter.

Easy better then the outdated Hilux.

[Road_Warrior]

And the Hilux has only just now been "updated" to have a 5 speed auto and 5 star crash. I hope the 2015 Ranger update is kickass. Will show the Hilux even more.

[commonrails]

The new ranger certainly seems better the my 09 pk ranger with a roman scroll of faults, but I'm not going to fork out 40k for an update.

[P6LTD351]

Originally Posted by Blem

My brother-inlaw bought one.
Complaining about a noisy engine.

Tell him to wear ear plugs or buy a Prius.

[simon varley]

it's always been the supply of Rangers that has limited the volumes sold here. It's been hard to get more out of the factory as the contract with Auto Alliance fixed the volumes.

[flooded one]

Its a good result!!! I too have been seeing heaps about!!

[aw0303]

New hilux due next year, rumoured to be a v6 turbo diesel. Carn't come soon enough as the ranger will be well past it by then!

[russellw]

Without wishing to sound smug, it's just about on target for my predicted 24,000 units this year if it keeps going at the same rate which really is an outstanding result against the Hilux which has dominated this segment for so long.

Cheers
Russ

[Rob 351]

I was one of the 2094 that bought a new Ranger last month. Yay!!
It's our second Ranger we have purchased after 6 trouble free years with a PK. Actually the PK was so good, there was no way we were ever going to trade so it remains in our family of Fords.

[wranger]

Originally Posted by aw0303

New hilux due next year, rumoured to be a v6 turbo diesel. Carn't come soon enough as the ranger will be well past it by then!

Ranger will be facelifted next year too.. Presumably Ford are waiting to see what sort of figures the new Hilux has so they can turn the boost up a little for bragging rights.

[GSPSI]

Ive heard alot of good things about the ford ranger.
And yes, i will be on the market soon for a dual cab 4x4. Although from experience you cant go past a toyota. They just keep going and going.
Any common problems on these rangers? Not to put them down, but just curious since the subjects on them.

[1TUFFUTE]

I remember hearing really early on that ford studied every single facet of all the best features of its competitors when engineering the ranger....then making it better in every one of these ares. They must have been surprised at how easy the benchmark could be lifted so high with so many poor options out there!
LOVE the rangers

[chevypower]

I'm surprised it hasn't happened already, but then a lot of people have Toyota's successful marketing imprinted in their brains, it's difficult for people to "unlearn" things. The Ranger is a MUCH better vehicle, however I do wonder if Ford has overpriced it. I think demand is keeping up with supply though.

[XBGTFGGTP]

Originally Posted by 1TUFFUTE

I remember hearing really early on that ford studied every single facet of all the best features of its competitors when engineering the ranger....then making it better in every one of these ares. They must have been surprised at how easy the benchmark could be lifted so high with so many poor options out there!
LOVE the rangers

Some of the forestry crews have gone back to hilux over here, seems the electronics for the 4WD system play up when in serious off roading. That and a few manuals blowing 2nd gear seem to be the only issues we've heard here in NZ.

[LG17]

I hope they have fixed the supply problem.
I wanted one but they couldn't supply for months!
I was in a position that I couldn't wait that long so ended up with a Hilux.

[Ben73]

Originally Posted by Blem

My brother-inlaw bought one.
Complaining about a noisy engine.

Which engine?
I started mine up at my mates house at about 10pm and his first remark was "Not too loud for a diesel"

I drive a diesel Prado at work, and the 5 Cylinder Ranger might be a little bit louder, but not by enough for me to complain about. If you want silent driving, buy an electric car, or at least a petrol engine with a quite exhaust system.

The 5 cylinder Ranger sounds heaps more tough than a wheezy sounding 4 cylinder diesel.

Im happy that I contributed to the record sales of March. Very happy with it so far.

[simon varley]

back in 2006 when they said that the plan was to beat the Hilux I really thought the management were kidding themselves. The more I saw of the Ranger through it's development though, the more convinced I was that it could at least grab a good share of the segment. The launch volumes were poor for a number of reasons, but now that they seem to have been fixed it's great to see that it is climbing quickly up the charts.

[King Neptune]

G'day people, I bought a 4x4 dual cab xls on the 1st of Nov last year. I have now done 20, 000k and it is the best 4x4 I've had. Previously I have owned from new 2 consecutive toyota dual cab 4x4 sr models. My Ranger is more powerfull, smoother on the road, & quieter in the cabin. Initailly, straight out of the car yard, it was pretty sluggish, and seemed as though the engine felt "not as smooth" as the hilux I had just traded. But after 5 to 10 thousand k, its all run in & goes like a train! I tow a tool trailer, & sometimes its loaded up to the hilt. I sometimes travel down the Melba Hwy to work, and I think there is only one hill I have to turn off the cruise and change down from 6th to 5th! (Cottons pinch I think is the hill near Yea). My Hilux, I would always have to drop from 5th to 4th atleast! I never had any issues with my Hilux, but the final decision came down to the trade in offers & I certainly don't regret the change.
As you may have guessed, I'm very happy with mine.
Only thing I would prefer from my previuos Hilux, is that it had a cup holder in the dash.
Would recommend the Ranger to anyone.
Cheers Rob. Benalla.

[SumoDog68]

Goes to show how strong Toyota Hilux reputation is when Hilux is still best selling ute on the market with a model that was introduced In 2005 and only slightly updated over the years.
New Hilux will probably move the benchmark even further ?

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by SumoDog68

Goes to show how strong Toyota Hilux reputation is when Hilux is still best selling ute on the market with a model that was introduced In 2005 and only slightly updated over the years.
New Hilux will probably move the benchmark even further ?

Yeah the bench mark is moving but which way!

TOYOTA HiLux 2572 — down 12.2 per cent
FORD Ranger 2094 — up 24.2 per cent

[SumoDog68]

Originally Posted by trublu

Yeah the bench mark is moving but which way!

TOYOTA HiLux 2572 — down 12.2 per cent
FORD Ranger 2094 — up 24.2 per cent

That is 9 year old hilux model still leading class sales - what will happen when new Hilux is released ?
For the record i owned 2007 D4D Hilux and when updating it was between Navara and Ranger - ended up with Navara as Ranger was not in stock.
Happy with my choice . Choice depends on what is available at the time.
Hilux has a huge ownership base and once they start updating they will generate big numbers for Toyota.

[XR Martin]

When is the new Hilux released? Because there is bugger all info about when the next one will be out. No prototypes, no concepts, no sneak peaks, which means its still years away.

However a new Navara is only a few months away.

[naddis01]

There is still a fair way to go for the Ranger to overtake Hilux.