A test mule of the Ford Ranger pickup truck has been spied in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, hinting that Ford might be contemplating bringing the Isuzu DMax V-Cross rival in our country.
The Ford Ranger that has been spotted appears to be the base variant of the pickup truck with a double cab. It has blacked out steel wheels and for some unknown reason, the taillights are missing. However, we do see the Ford badge and Ranger branding on the tailgate.
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There’s a pretty big market for pickup trucks internationally including the Southeast Asian countries. For example, the Ford Ranger is on sale in Thailand where it is available in 3 diesel engine options - 2.2L turbo-diesel with 160 PS and 385 Nm on tap, 2.0L turbo-diesel that churns out 180 PS and 420 Nm, and a 2.0L twin-turbo mill with 213 PS and a whopping 500 Nm at your disposal. However, it is unlikely that the Ranger would use any of these engines if it gets launched in India. Considering Ford and Mahindra’s partnership, the pickup truck would use one of the latter’s diesel powertrains.
As per an earlier report, Toyota is evaluating the Indian market for the Hilux pickup truck. The company is conducting a feasibility study to see whether a lifestyle pickup truck like the Hilux would be able to lure in a good number of buyers or not considering that it belongs to a very niche segment. The Toyota Hilux shares several parts and components with the Fortuner and Innova, which are manufactured in India. Toyota can utilise this as an advantage to keep the cost of the Hilux as low as possible for our market.
So, if Ford launches the Ranger and Toyota introduces the Hilux, then the pickup truck segment in India will certainly witness some traction and competition.
Stay to tuned to IndianAutosBlog.com for the latest Ford updates and other four-wheeler news.
[Source: motorbeam.com]
