Ford defends Ranger PHEV sales

The BYD Shark 6 is leading the sales race, but Ford’s engineer Ian Foston is standing firm behind the Ranger plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

However, Foston hasn’t definitively ruled out a direct response to the Shark 6.

Carsales figures show the Ranger plug-in hybrid (PHEV) averaged 196 sales per month between the July launch to the end of September.

The third PHEV player, the GWM Cannon Alpha, is averaging 152 sales per month since May, but steadily growing.

By contrast, Australia’s most popular plug-in hybrid ute, the BYD Shark 6, is averaging 1567 sales per month.

As of the end of September, BYD has sold 14,111 Shark 6 models year-to-date, placing it fourth overall in the ute segment – despite offering just a single model.

The extended Ranger line-up remains Australia’s top-selling vehicle outright.

The Shark 6 may lack the Ranger PHEV’s towing and off-road muscle, but its longer EV range – courtesy of a bigger battery – is helping it dominate plug-in ute sales.

Ford chose to keep the battery in the Ranger PHEV smaller to ensure traditional vehicle payload and performance attributes could be retained.

Sales figures suggest the market is prioritising EV performance over traditional ute capabilities.

Predictably, Ford has a different view on what the sales figures suggest.

And that rebuttal comes straight from chief engine Ian Foston, who was responsible for the development of T6 platform models including Ranger PHEV.

“The solution we chose to me was fundamentally about are we going to have the full capability of what a Ranger offers today in an ICE in a plug-in hybrid?” Foston told carsales.

“And that was something that we held dear to our hearts. We didn't want to compromise our capability. So I think that's what we've done.

“And that's our path and our solution that we provide to customers from our electrification journey. BYD has done something different, and that's their choice. And customers, I guess, will decide themselves what they want to buy and what they think is valuable to them.”

The Shark 6 remains a single-model offering – though that will soon change – while Ford fields four Ranger PHEV variants. It’s also significantly cheaper, priced at $57,900 plus on-road costs, compared to the Ranger PHEV’s starting price of $71,990.

“It's not about offering the cheapest solution,” said Foston.

“It's about offering what we think customers really value.

“We believe the kind of no-compromise solution that we've offered is what we think customers need. It's consistent to our messaging and branding about what Ranger is as a product. It's a no-compromise product.”

Ford Australia’s marketing director Ambrose Henderson is confident Ranger PHEV sales will grow.

“The car is fantastic,” he said.

“It delivers on the capability that we wanted to, and we fully expect that as people gain more confidence in that type of powertrain for the applications that we're using it for – hard 4x4 capabilities, heavy towing etcetera – that the penetration will grow over time. It’s still early days for us.

“So we're happy with the product that we've got. We're watching the sales rate. We'll continue to invest in the product as well.”

Could Ford counter the Shark by with a Ranger variant that prioritises EV performance over off-road capability, towing, and payload?

While not expected, it remains a possibility.

“We're always learning. We're always listening to customers. We're always looking at how the market's going,” said Foston.

“You just don't know what's going to happen in the future. So we'll always keep our ears open, our thoughts clear.

“Never say never to anything. But you know what we're going to do is going to be consistent to what we believe are the brand values and the strengths of what the Ranger is today.”

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