New Ford Ranger: Aussie born and bred

The development objective for the new-generation 2022 Ford Ranger sounds pretty straightforward: “To be the one truck the world trusts to tackle everything”.

That objective only emerged after a substantial research program into customer requirements for the 2022 Ford Ranger that began back in 2016.

It was a complex process because the Ranger is sold in more than 180 countries. Different customers in different countries require different things from their vehicles.

Overlaying that, different countries have different regulatory environments.

All up, Ford says it conducted more than 5000 customer interviews and dozens of customers workshops.

“We did more customer research for this new Ranger than any other previous program,” revealed Ford design chief Max Wolff.

To start off, Ford sought feedback from Ranger owners globally to establish their needs and wants, a process it dubs “human-centred design”.

“Our research work included extensive ethnography and user-experience workshops where we got ‘hands on’ with our customers,” explained Will Brook, whose title is customer pathfinder – global trucks.

“We went out and visited them in their world and lived with them for a day so we could understand their needs, their passions and their pain points. We spent time with them identifying needs and developing solutions together.

“In terms of their aspirations, we learned our customers wanted a truck that communicates empowerment and self-made success. These customers value their work, recreation and family life. They see their truck as a partner to help them balance – and succeed – in these areas of their lives.”

Brook explained customers were then invited back into the development process to clinics, to assess progress, especially on exterior and interior design.

“What truck buyers told us is they wanted a very bold, rugged exterior that to them said “intelligence and capability,” he said.

On the inside, though, they wanted a flexible, modern cockpit that caters to both work and family duties.

“We knew we had cracked the code when we heard customers in our clinics call the new Ranger a ‘game-changer’,” Brook added.

Graham Pearson, the Ford Ranger and Everest program director, said his team focused on five key areas to achieve the development vision for the 2022 Ford Ranger when the program formally kicked off in 2018:

“We want to give our customers even greater levels of performance and capability,” said Pearson. “We want it to expand Ford’s credibility on the worksite. We want to offer the most desirable lifestyle pick-up with more distinct styling, advanced technology and comfort.”

The development program began with analytical work using computer software. Then came physical prototype testing, with more than 200 vehicles spread across the globe, including on- and off-road in Thailand, sub-zero testing in North America and New Zealand and 50-degree-plus hot weather testing in Australia, the Middle East and North America.

Crash testing has taken place in Australia and North America, while the epicentre of durability and validation is the Geelong research and development centre and the You Yangs proving ground.

At the same time the facilities that will build the new Ranger are also being engineered for the task in a process that started as far back as late 2020.

Manufacturing begins in 2022 in South Africa and two plants in Thailand, where Australian Rangers will continue to be built. There are also Ranger plants in North America and Argentina.