Ranger SUV images

[Road_Warrior]

Not only that, it will give Ford more product depth in their SUV range; adding a proper offroader to the mix along side an SUV soft roader will take the fight right up to Toyota who, with the Prado and Kluger, play tag team against the Territory which at the moment is fighting on its own (and doing a good job I might add).

More SUV market share for Ford is a win in my book.

It makes me wonder if there is room in the lineup for a soft-roader based dual cab ute alongside the true 4x4 Ranger, considering 4x4 ute sales are going troppo and many of these buyers don't buy them for the 4x4 ability.

[Itsme]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

It makes me wonder if there is room in the lineup for a soft-roader based dual cab ute alongside the true 4x4 Ranger, considering 4x4 ute sales are going troppo and many of these buyers don't buy them for the 4x4 ability.

You already have it in the 4x2 models.
A lot of Ranger sales are actually 4x2 models for the towing ability of caravans and to access the dirt tracks...

[aquahead2001]

My own personal belief is the Ranfger SUV will take over from the Territory when the current production model finishes. It will be a very sad day for Australia but at least we had some serious input into the design and engineering of the replacement, unlike the team in the red corner with the Colorado platform.

[FPV GTHO]

If Territory gets dumped, it will get replaced by either CD4 Edge or next gen Explorer, which from what I've seen hasn't had much about it confirmed platform wise.

[letsboogie351]

Was talking with a well known dealership owner a while back. He seemed to think that after our current Terry we could end up with some American cr*p. His words not mine!

[jpd80]

Originally Posted by trublu

If it was made & released here in australia it would spell the end of the territory....... Something tells me it won't happen..... they cannot keep pace with production of the present model Rangers.

Because having a competitor to both Prado AND Kluger would be such a bad thing....NOT!!!!

[Ben73]

The 5 cylinder Diesel sounds like a great engine from what I have heard, But I would love to see this SUV with a V8 Diesel under the bonnet. I'd almost certainly buy it as soon as I could afford it.

[FPV GTHO]

A V8 diesel would surely have a premium over most 4-6 cylinder diesels. For a platform targeted at developing markets there would be relatively limited appeal surely.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by FPV GTHO

A V8 diesel would surely have a premium over most 4-6 cylinder diesels. For a platform targeted at developing markets there would be relatively limited appeal surely.

I agree. It simply isnt needed. The 3.0 TDCi from the Land Rover Discovery would suit it very well. And it is an engine that is "already in the family" because it is an evolution of the 2.7 the Territory uses.

[FPV GTHO]

I'd be curious what, other than refinement, the 3L V6 can offer over a 3.2 I5.

Twin turbo packaging is another, but i think that wouldnt be seen on a commercial platform anyway.

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by FPV GTHO

I'd be curious what, other than refinement, the 3L V6 can offer over a 3.2 I5.

Twin turbo packaging is another, but i think that wouldnt be seen on a commercial platform anyway.

I'd imagine the V6 would offer greater flexibility through its greater torque and power availability. But I seem to recall a single turbo version of the 3.0L being developed (or indeed deployed) by Land Rover?? Because they discontinued the 2.7 but needed an engine for the entry level Discovery.

[JPFS1]

I'm hearing there are new powertrain options being developed.

[naddis01]

Any hints and will they flow on to the Ute?

[rdmr]

There is and should be no reason why we cannot build it successfully in Australia. Broady and Geelong is ready, willing and able to do it.
Ford should not put all its production eggs in one overseas basket. It bit them in the bum with the Thai floods. Hopefully they learned that lesson. And surely Thai plants are at capacity anyway with Fiesta, Focus and Ranger!
Everest production would be a winner here as it would be exported widely and not have to rely on domestic sales only.
Territory is not threatened by Everest.
I'll say that again.
Territory is not threatened by Everest. They will compete in two different market segments. They will complement each other.

Let's just yell long and hard to get the production HERE!

[aquahead2001]

The 3.0L Lion From Wikipedia:

3.0D/TDV6/HDiEngine configuration & engine displacement
60-degree V6 engine, twin-turbo diesel, 2,993 cc (183 cu in), bore x stroke 84.0 mm × 90.0 mm (3.31 in × 3.54 in), compression ratio 16.4:1

Cylinder block & crankcase
Compacted graphite iron cross bolted block

Cylinder heads & valvetrain
High strength aluminium, DOHC with 4 valves per cylinder

Aspiration
Twin-turbochargers with air-to-air intercooler, electronically actuated variable geometry with transient over-boost capability, port deactivation system

Fuel system & engine management
Commonrail (CR) direct diesel injection, maximum injection pressure of 2,000 bars (29,000 psi), piezo injectors

DIN-rated motive power & torque outputs
177 kW (237 hp), 450 N·m (330 lbf·ft) – Citroën C5, Citroën C6,
177 kW (237 hp), 500 N·m (370 lbf·ft) – Jaguar XF, Land Rover Discovery 4, Range Rover Sport
187 kW (251 hp), 600 N·m (440 lbf·ft) – Land Rover Discovery 4, Range Rover Sport
202 kW (271 hp), 600 N·m (440 lbf·ft) – Jaguar XF, Jaguar XJ, Range Rover

Link: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jaguar_AJD-V6_engine

It's a premium engine that would have a significant cost impost on it in the Ranger SUV I think. The 5 cylinder Puma engine from the existing Ranger has a bit more life left it i think, I think that there's at least 1 power/torque upgrade available before they send it to soot heaven...

[FPV GTHO]

Originally Posted by JPFS1

I'm hearing there are new powertrain options being developed.

Is that going to flow back into Ranger, or even as a long shot Transit?

[Pepscobra]

Originally Posted by rdmr

There is and should be no reason why we cannot build it successfully in Australia. Broady and Geelong is ready, willing and able to do it.
Ford should not put all its production eggs in one overseas basket. It bit them in the bum with the Thai floods. Hopefully they learned that lesson. And surely Thai plants are at capacity anyway with Fiesta, Focus and Ranger!
Everest production would be a winner here as it would be exported widely and not have to rely on domestic sales only.
Territory is not threatened by Everest.
I'll say that again.
Territory is not threatened by Everest. They will compete in two different market segments. They will complement each other.

Let's just yell long and hard to get the production HERE!

I have to disagree. There is a very real and strong reason why Ford can't/won't manufacture here (right now) for the export market... its the strength of the $AUD (well, its one of the big reasons, there are others of course).
With the $AUD so strong and with no correction in sight, Ford just wouldnt be able to build a financial case for an export programme.

Unless we've been living under a rock for the past few years, you'll know that local manufacturing in all industries is shutting down; equivalent imports are cheaper and local products can not compete on the world stage price-wise.

Maybe production for the local market could make sense given the popularity of the new Ranger. That I would love to see!

[flappist]

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

I have to disagree. There is a very real and strong reason why Ford can't/won't manufacture here (right now) for the export market... its the strength of the $AUD (well, its one of the big reasons, there are others of course).
With the $AUD so strong and with no correction in sight, Ford just wouldnt be able to build a financial case for an export programme.

Unless we've been living under a rock for the past few years, you'll know that local manufacturing in all industries is shutting down; equivalent imports are cheaper and local products can not compete on the world stage price-wise.

Maybe production for the local market could make sense given the popularity of the new Ranger. That I would love to see!

Yeh 1 Australian Dollar is about equal to 1 US Dollar and there are no cars manufactured in or exported from USA.........

The Euro is terrible, you get 1000 euro for an Aussie dollar now and no cars are being manufactured in or exported from Europe, particularly Germany, France and Italy anymore.

We did crap at the Olympics, do we crawl up in a ball and cry about all the other meanies ruining our fun or do we just get smarter and better and show the world that we are AUSTRALIA.

The same goes for everything else including our design and manufacturing.

Aussie Aussie Aussie OI OI OI

[Pepscobra]

Sorry flappist, be simplistic and ignorant if you wish, but its Economics.

Right now the USD and Euro are considered cheap in terms of when their financial models for export programmes would have been developed.

But hey, don't take my word for it, open up the financial pages and read it for yourself...

[Road_Warrior]

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

Sorry flappist, be simplistic and ignorant if you wish, but its Economics.

Right now the USD and Euro are considered cheap in terms of when their financial models for export programmes would have been developed.

But hey, don't take my word for it, open up the financial pages and read it for yourself...

It costs more to make a Ford in the United States and Canada than it does in Australia.

[Pepscobra]

Originally Posted by Road_Warrior

It costs more to make a Ford in the United States and Canada than it does in Australia.

Oh really? So you have access to Ford's financials do you?
And anyways, even if this is true, I'm sure their local market is big enough that exporting is probably not a priorty.

Going back to my previous point on the $AUD; it is too strong at the moment to justify a case for Ford to export its product. This is not an opinion, it is fact. And we all know that the future for Ford local manufacturing can not be saved by local consumption only.

The opposite effect is happening to imports though; people are buying online/importing from overseas in numbers like never before.

Argue all you want, but don't you think if it was that simple, Ford Oz would be doing it?

[FPV GTHO]

There was an article listing something along the lines of how much Ford spends per hr and UK, Germany, France, Canada, US were all $40-$70p/h and we were around $30p/h.

But the problem for us is still Thailand who might only be $15p/h. T6 SUV is going to be built somewhere like Thailand or South Africa so we have to compete with those costs, not Americas or Europes.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

Oh really? So you have access to Ford's financials do you?
And anyways, even if this is true, I'm sure their local market is big enough that exporting is probably not a priorty.

Going back to my previous point on the $AUD; it is too strong at the moment to justify a case for Ford to export its product. This is not an opinion, it is fact. And we all know that the future for Ford local manufacturing can not be saved by local consumption only.

The opposite effect is happening to imports though; people are buying online/importing from overseas in numbers like never before.

Argue all you want, but don't you think if it was that simple, Ford Oz would be doing it?

A few thinks.
1) The high AUD is only a short to medium term problem & business’s need to look further out then what the AUD is doing right now. Especially when this thing would still be a 12-18 months away from production.
2) If exporters to the US are on the table, Australia does have one advance in a form of a free trade agreement with the US, which those other countries do not have.

Whilst I agree things don’t look great for local manufacturing, all is not lost.

[Nikked]

Originally Posted by Pepscobra

Oh really? So you have access to Ford's financials do you?

Well yes, sorta.

Ford estimates that it spends $79 for every hour of work in Canadian plants, when including costs for benefits and retirees, compared with $64 an hour in the U.S., $48 in Germany and $35 in Australia, Lauren More, a Ford spokeswoman, said. Looking just at wage rates, CAW assemblers get about $34 an hour, 21 percent more than the $28 paid to a senior worker represented by the Detroit-based United Auto Workers union, she said.

>>linky<<

[Pepscobra]

labour alone does not make a car.
I would guess the cost of locally sourced components would be more expensive here than overseas.

And Companies can't really make a business plan for what things 'may' be in the future.
People have been saying the $AUD will drop for a long time now and it is still staying strong.

[aquahead2001]

Originally Posted by Nikked

Well yes, sorta.



>>linky<<

Anybody who works on the line prepared to say what their hourly rate is? I reckon it'd have to be somewhere around $28/hr. So the cost to Ford, once they pay all the add on costs such as super, payroll tax, mandatory redundancy payments, workcover insurance and a bunch of other little gems that only businesses worry about would be around the $52/hr mark.

I've managed labour contracts for many years and the difference in what a bloke gets paid and what he actually costs a business is astounding! I don't know where they get $35/hr from, that's about what the absolute minimum wage would cost a business.

[XR Martin]

Originally Posted by aquahead2001

Anybody who works on the line prepared to say what their hourly rate is? I reckon it'd have to be somewhere around $28/hr. So the cost to Ford, once they pay all the add on costs such as super, payroll tax, mandatory redundancy payments, workcover insurance and a bunch of other little gems that only businesses worry about would be around the $52/hr mark.

I've managed labour contracts for many years and the difference in what a bloke gets paid and what he actually costs a business is astounding! I don't know where they get $35/hr from, that's about what the absolute minimum wage would cost a business.

Maybe the $35/hr is after tax write-offs?

[FPV GTHO]

Who knows

The problem is still its cheaper to build in places like Thailand, which is where we're at risk to.

[rdmr]

It doesn't all come down to cost.
There is no point building a vehicle in country X if the product they build is not up to Fords quality standards. And perhaps country Xs plants are not flexible enough to build a variety of vehicle platforms.
Broadies is one of the most flexible Ford plants globally.
Ford Aus is ready and wanting to do more.

Glass half full people.

[Joe5619]

Originally Posted by aquahead2001

Anybody who works on the line prepared to say what their hourly rate is? I reckon it'd have to be somewhere around $28/hr. So the cost to Ford, once they pay all the add on costs such as super, payroll tax, mandatory redundancy payments, workcover insurance and a bunch of other little gems that only businesses worry about would be around the $52/hr mark.

I've managed labour contracts for many years and the difference in what a bloke gets paid and what he actually costs a business is astounding! I don't know where they get $35/hr from, that's about what the absolute minimum wage would cost a business.

The report would have been in USD & I think it is a few years old, so maybe when the dollar was lower it worked out to be $35? It is probably higher now because of the higher dollar.

When will this dollar go down, it is killing Australia!! I wish the Government & RBA would put more effect into reducing the dollar.