business

If Ford is selling 55,000 Rangers a year how can the line not be profitable? 55,000 is a lot of vehicles. The auto industry is one that I will never understand. I will never understand how an automaker can take a popular vehicle and make it smaller and smaller over the years until nobody buys it any more. I will never understand how Ford KNEW that it's Pintos were prone to exploding in rear collisions and they REFUSED to fix the problem because the cost of $11 per vehicle multiplied by the number of vehicles sold would be less than the cost of settling lawsuits.

Fix Or Repair Daily. That's been my experience.

From what I've seen. Ford sold a little over 500,000 F-series trucks in the US last year. That puts Ranger sales closer to 10% of their sales, not 5%.

I've owned 4 of these little trucklets and not a one has ever even been back to the dealership for any purpose whatsoever. Add gas and change the fluids every couple years. A fairly remarkable experience by any measure. But today's Ranger is a barely warmed-over iteration that first bowed in '93, so it's unquestionably long in the tooth. With the demise of the Dakota this year too, I guess if you want a domestic brand, modestly capable truck that fits in your garage, you're out of luck. (yeah there's the Chevy Colorado, but given their sleazy bankruptcy handling- they STILL owe us taxpayers!- I'd rather pull a trailer behind my motorcycle)

I'd rather have them shutdown plants than except bailout money. Ford forever.

Not only is the Ranger a ancient design, but they dont get much better MPG then a full size truck. I dont drive Fords, but a Dodge Dakota (small truck) gets only 1-2 MPG more then a much bigger Ram 1500 . Thats why they dont sell well.

I love the size of the Ranger, but not the reports about it. Consumer Reports never gave them a good review.I do not need a large pickup, just one for everyday use. I wish Toyota would partner with Ford to put their drivelines in this truck, like Toyota did with Chevy, in the Geo series. I won't buy a full size ..they are just TOO big. I had a Tacoma,which I really liked, but they are huge now too. They are as big as a Tundra. I can't imagine that there is ZERO demand for a smaller pickup.

Newer full size trucks get about the same or better MPG then these mini trucks, they also have car-like handling. With the demise of the Dakota and the Ranger, that leaves the Colorado if you want to stay domestic. The Colorado is slow and has a poor interior, many guys arent wild on the GM bankruptcy handling either. That means that if you want a small truck (and I dont know why), you have to go oriental. Many guys dont connect with these brands for many reasons; smugness, the Prius and their clientele, Pearl Harbor, etc. I hope Ford or someone else makes a small truck with good MPG. There is a huge gap in the truck market now. I think Ford will make a small truck with good MPG, but it will be made in Mexico.

There is greater demand for small trucks now than there has been for many years. Too bad Ford chose to ignore development of the Ranger, it's a dinousaur. I'm sure they'll eventually bring out a new small truck, but the Highland Park plant will be long gone.

If it were profitable to build the thing, how hard is it to imagine that they'd continue to build it?