Ford South Africa recently celebrated its centenary in South Africa at a huge event at its sprawling manufacturing plant in Silverton, north-east of Pretoria.
It used the occasion – attended by senior executives, employees and the media – to showcase several new vehicles it plans to launch in South Africa soon, including the highly anticipated plug-in hybrid variant of Ford’s ever-popular Ranger bakkie, which will be built at the plant. Watch TechCentral’s coverage of the event in the video below.
The Ranger Plug-in Hybrid will be manufactured in Pretoria from next year following a R5.2-billion investment in the country by the US-headquartered motoring giant.
The plug-in hybrid Rangers made at the Silverton plant, which will be capable of driving entirely on the electric motor for distances of up to 45km, will be exported to Europe, Australia and New Zealand. They’ll also be available in South Africa.
Ford began building Ranger models in the country in 2011 and since then has exported 630 000 of the vehicles to more than 100 markets around the world. It has produced a total of 960 000 Rangers at Silverton, and it expects to reach the one million milestone in 2024.
The R5.3-billion investment to build the plug-in Ranger includes the construction of a battery pack assembly plant, also in Silverton.
At the same time, Ford announced it is bringing a wide range of new imported models to South African consumers, including the fully electric Mustang Mach-E, which will be launched in 2025.
Ford also announced it plans to launch to new fuel-powered Rangers: the Ranger Tremor, which is designed for driving on difficult terrain, and the Ranger Platinum, which introduces “levels of refinement” not seen before in a Ranger bakkie. It includes “premium” leather seats with heating and cooling functions.
The company also used the centenary event to launch the Ford Puma, a crossover with 1l, 3-cylinder EcoBoost engine and seven-speed transmission, and announced a new Ford Tourneo van and an SUV called the Ford Territory. The latter is scheduled for a May 2024 launch, Ford said. – © 2023 NewsCentral Media