Goodbye Courier... Hello Ranger

Ford Australia has announced the change of name of its Thai-built LCV range from Courier to Ranger in an unexpectedly low-key manner.

In announcing its sponsorship of the Australian domestic one-day cricket competition for season 2006/07 -- the Ford Ranger Cup -- the company has confirmed it will dump the Courier badge after almost 30 years from its shared (with Mazda) platform and replace it with Ranger.

The Ranger name first debuted on the entry-level Ford Edsel in the USA in 1957. It has also been used on the small and medium LCVs in the Ford family for more than 20 years. However, locally the name was restricted as it had been in use by Chrysler on various Valiant models until the late 1970s. The Ranger name is also used on Hino trucks.

When the Courier grew out of its traditional cab chassis role, many pundits (including CarPoint) called for Ford to align the model with its US, SE Asian and European counterparts. The new model, to be released next month heralds a significant move upmarket for the light commercial.

Upon announcing the new cricket competition sponsorship, Ford chief Tom Gorman said: "The dynamic nature of today's light commercial market makes this the ideal time to introduce a new brand.

"The Ford Ranger offers everything today's light truck owner wants – a dependable, reliable truck for Monday to Friday, and a comfortable, feature-packed recreational vehicle for weekend getaways and sporting events," Mr Gorman said.