DEARBORN, Mich., Dec. 12 (UPI) -- A 29-year run for the Ford Ranger for U.S. consumers is within sight of the finish line, the automaker said, announcing production would stop Dec. 19.
Ford sold 6.6 million of the compact pickup trucks and was the segment leader for 18 years until Toyota assumed bragging rights in 2005 with the Tacoma, The Detroit News reported Monday.
The smaller pickup is the victim, in part, of the success of its bigger brother, the F-150, said Doug Scott, Ford's truck marketing manager.
"When you look at how we have had to prioritize our resources, both human and financial over the last five-plus years, we definitely believe that F-150 and Super Duty were more important priorities, and that's where we focused our resources," Scott said.
Industry analyst Dave Sullivan at AutoPacific Inc., said, the Ranger "had become obsolete as Ford put money into the larger F-150."
As Ford had not made any significant changes to the Ranger since 1983, "Time stood still," Sullivan said.
There are an estimated 800,000 Rangers still on the road and the last to come off the production line is already sold.
Orkin Pest Control, which has 5,000 Rangers in its fleet has already laid claim to the last one off the line.
"When Ford officially told us they would not be producing the Ranger anymore in the U.S., we asked if we could have the last one," said Paul Youngpeter, fleet director Orkin's parent company Rollins Inc.
