The 2025 Ford Ranger PHEV will make its global debut this afternoon at IAA Transportation 2024 in Germany, specifically at 5.40pm AEST.
First previewed back in September last year, the Ranger PHEV is on track to launch Down Under in the first half of 2025 as one of the first electrified mainstream pick-up trucks to come to market behind the LDV eT60 and GWM Cannon Alpha Hybrid.
Ford has chosen the commercial vehicle show in Hanover, Germany, to unveil the vehicle because it has high hopes for the hybrid Ranger in Europe, and will pile the pressure on Toyota (48V HiLux doesn’t count), Isuzu, Mazda, Mitsubishi and Nissan to deliver their own electrified load-luggers, seeing as the Ranger PHEV will sport a segment-appropriate 3500kg braked towing capacity and 800mm wading depth.
An unlikely rival from China could be the upcoming BYD Shark, a plug-in hybrid ute that is almost certainly going to undercut the Ranger on price and could even deliver circa-$60K positioning.
Pricing and specifications for the Ford Ranger PHEV are unknown at this point.
However, the expectation is for the turbo-petrol-electric pick-up to eclipse the high-performance Raptor and become the dearest Ranger variant of the lot, at least until the electrification technology trickles down to the lesser grades seeing as the Wildtrak will be the first cab off the rank.
That means potential buyers could be looking at a six-figure price tag.
Power and torque will be provided by a turbocharged 2.3-litre four-cylinder petrol engine and an electric motor mounted within the transmission housing. However, combined outputs, a battery capacity and an official electric range are all yet to be confirmed.
Ford previously said it was targeting a 45km electric range, which will be backed up by a much longer petrol range.
Coinciding with the model’s global detailing, Ford Australia has announced a Ranger PHEV as the thousandth prototype to roll out of its New Model Programs (NMP) facility in Campbellfield, Australia, as well as the first electrified one.
“It’s fitting that the Ranger PHEV is the 1000th prototype for NMP and shows how Ford remains at the cutting edge of local vehicle development and is putting Australian skills and workers on a global stage,” NMP plant manager Vince Ciocca said.