Ford produces the Ranger in South Africa, Argentina, Thailand and Nigeria for nearly 200 overseas markets. Ford now will launch the very successful Ranger pickup truck in China this 2018, hoping to draw more Chinese consumers, who generally prefer crossovers and SUVs, toward a different market segment.
Ford would import the Ranger to China and currently has no plans to manufacture it locally, a spokeswoman said.
The Chinese government’s pilot program to relax policies that restrict pickup trucks from driving in urban areas is a potential boon for Ford, whose F-series pickup truck has been a bestseller in the United States for more than 30 years.
The Ranger is sold in markets outside the United States. However, Ford plans to reintroduce the model, which is smaller than the F-150, the entry-level F-series truck, in the U.S.
Last year, Ford announced plans to sell the high-end Raptor version of the F-150 in China, to gauge demand in a relatively undeveloped market segment and change the image of the pickup as a low-end workhorse in China. The first Raptor F150s will be delivered to customers on Saturday.
The pickup offerings come as wealthy Chinese motorists look to buy larger cars, with SUVs driving growth in Chinese automobile sales amid weak demand for sedans.
