Ford SA builds 1 millionth Ranger bakkie at Silverton factory

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“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, of 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.

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.

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 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.

Multiple evolutions of this model range followed over the years.

The second-generation Ranger chapter drew to a close in November 2022 with a total of 873, 751 units produced in South Africa – with around two-thirds making their way to export markets.

The launch of the third and current-generation Ranger at the end of 2022 followed a massive investment and expansion program for the Silverton Manufacturing Plant to increase installed capacity to 200,000 vehicles per year – or 720 vehicles per day, which is the highest volume of any vehicle manufacturer in South Africa.

Winning ways

The second-generation Ranger received the acclaimed International Pick-up Award in 2013 from the International Van of the Year jury. Ranger repeated the feat in 2020 with the updated version of this model, and then the all-new Ranger took the prized title once again in 2023 following its global launch.

Notably, the new Ranger won the South African Car of the Year title in 2023, becoming the first pick-up to win the local motoring industry’s most revered award. It was also selected as the Best 4x4 & Pick-up in the Women’s World Car of the Year competition.