Ford SA Celebrates Millionth Ranger

A million of anything is a huge number. Now imagine one million Ford Rangers being lined up bumper-to-bumper, starting at Ford South Africa’s Silverton Manufacturing Plant in Pretoria and heading due north through Africa. Ford’s segment-defining pick-ups, or bakkies in South African vernacular, would reach all the way to Egypt’s southern border – some 5 300km away.

That provides a rather mind-boggling visual representation of Ford’s latest milestone in the local production of the Ford Ranger over the past 24 years, as the Silverton plant celebrates the one-millionth unit having recently come off its modern assembly line.

The Ranger’s legacy in South Africa encompasses three generations, with a tale of constant evolution and innovation of this trusted and much-loved nameplate that has become a cornerstone of Ford’s local line-up, and one of the country’s most popular vehicles. It has racked up an impressively long list of awards along the way, and made an incalculable and indelible impact on businesses, communities and individuals, while helping elevate South Africa’s automotive industry onto the global stage. 

“It’s fitting that we celebrate reaching and now rapidly surpassing the one-millionth locally produced Ranger during Ford’s Centenary year in South Africa,” says Neale Hill, president, Ford Motor Company Africa. “Production of the first-generation Ranger commenced in 2000, which coincided with the official return of Ford Motor Company to South Africa. Both of these events were defining moments in the brand’s local history, and set the tone for Ford’s firm commitment to the country.

“We have continued to invest extensively in our local operations at the Silverton Manufacturing Plant and the Struandale Engine Plant to expand Ranger production for the South African market, and to support crucial exports to more than 100 global markets,” Hill says.

“At our Centenary event last year, we were delighted to announce a further investment for the exciting new Ranger Plug-in Hybrid EV as the latest chapter in this remarkable story. This reinforces the significance of our local operations and the contribution of our South African team in the global success of the Ranger program,” Hill says.

Pic: Supplied

 

Three generations spanning 24 years

The first-generation Ranger was produced between 2000 and 2011, which included Ford South Africa’s first significant foray into export markets which commenced in 2008, with right-hand drive and left-hand drive models shipped from the Silverton Manufacturing Plant to markets across Africa. Production ended in late 2011 with more than 100 000 Rangers manufactured in what had been a multi-platform assembly facility, producing both passenger cars and light commercial vehicles. 

As Ford’s first global pick-up truck, the second-generation Ranger was a true game-changer – both for the nature of the company’s local operations, and for the industry as a truly trend-setting vehicle with all-new levels of performance, space, comfort, safety, technology and capability. 

Production at the Silverton plant transitioned to a high-volume flexible single platform for the 2011 Ranger, with the global export program at its core, and an initial installed capacity pegged at 110 000 vehicles per year. This revolutionary new model also led to significant investments in the Struandale Engine Plant in Gqeberha for the component machining and assembly of the 2.2L and 3.2L Duratorq TDCi engines.