St. Paul Ford plant extends layoffs
The Bad news:
The Bad news:
Quote:
Workers at Ford's Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul received more bad news Monday: As a consequence of ailing auto sales, another round of furlough notices will bring total layoff time to five weeks between now and the end of the year, up from three weeks announced earlier this month.
The Good news:Workers at Ford's Twin Cities Assembly Plant in St. Paul received more bad news Monday: As a consequence of ailing auto sales, another round of furlough notices will bring total layoff time to five weeks between now and the end of the year, up from three weeks announced earlier this month.
Quote:
McKenzie, who just returned from a national Ford UAW meeting last week, noted that several Ford plants around the country faced longer shutdowns than St. Paul. And he said the company has developed a prototype for a new Ranger with a bigger cab and a slightly smaller truck bed -- a positive sign for the local plant.
McKenzie, who just returned from a national Ford UAW meeting last week, noted that several Ford plants around the country faced longer shutdowns than St. Paul. And he said the company has developed a prototype for a new Ranger with a bigger cab and a slightly smaller truck bed -- a positive sign for the local plant.
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...Still, McKenzie said he was somewhat reassured by the creation of a new extended-cab Ford Ranger prototype: "It looks like they are trying to have this Ranger to hang in there for a couple more years."
[code][/code]...Still, McKenzie said he was somewhat reassured by the creation of a new extended-cab Ford Ranger prototype: "It looks like they are trying to have this Ranger to hang in there for a couple more years."
That sucks for the workers.
I cant wait to see the new ranger...a bigger cab is a good idea. Maybe some semi full size seats back there. A smaller truck bed...i dunno...may look kinda funny. (but to give room for the cab, I can deal with it).
His quote made me a little confused...is he saying they are keeping the body style of the 04/05s for a while longer before upgrading them, or keeping rangers themselves for a few more years and then replacing them with something else...im guessing its the first one?
I cant wait to see the new ranger...a bigger cab is a good idea. Maybe some semi full size seats back there. A smaller truck bed...i dunno...may look kinda funny. (but to give room for the cab, I can deal with it).
His quote made me a little confused...is he saying they are keeping the body style of the 04/05s for a while longer before upgrading them, or keeping rangers themselves for a few more years and then replacing them with something else...im guessing its the first one?
I guess they will finally bring us what every country South of the border has had for years now. Chances are my parents would have bought a crew cab Ranger if they were for sale here in 2002...they decided on a Super Cab over a Sport Trac. My dad took one look at the Sport Trac and said no...and that is coming from a person who has bought some ugly vehicles before.
Go to ford.com and visit the Ford web site for pretty much any South American country.
There are at least two different rangers out there besides the ones you are used to. There is an asian market ranger, and a south american ranger. You could probably find pictures of both of them on the web somewhere.
South America version:
That's one of the rangers from http://www.ClubRanger4x4.com.ar , Don't know who's it is though, as I don't know that much Spanish.
That's one of the rangers from http://www.ClubRanger4x4.com.ar , Don't know who's it is though, as I don't know that much Spanish.
Wowak, I think that is the European/Asian spec Ranger. The South American Ranger is styled almost exactly like the US truck. As I understand it there are three different basic versions, the US, made here, the South American spec, made in Argentina, and the European/Asian spec, made in Thialand. Lemme see if I can find some pix..
Damnit! I can't seem to link any pix in. Here's some links though:
http://www.ford.co.uk/ns7/ranger/rgr...w/rgr_thunder/ - UK Spec Ranger Double Cab 'Thunder'. This site is all ASP and I can't seem to get a regular link. This (link) almost works. The body style is totaly different though. I think it is narrower. The grill looks not unlike the US Super Dutys.
http://www.ford.com.br/ - Ford Brazil site. Everything I can find for South America is in flash and I can't link it in here. But right on Brazil's front page they've got the double cab Ranger that looks very much like our '04s down to the grill and headlights. I notice the fogs are still round though, not like the US Ranger's new square shaped ones.
http://www.ford.co.uk/ns7/ranger/rgr...w/rgr_thunder/ - UK Spec Ranger Double Cab 'Thunder'. This site is all ASP and I can't seem to get a regular link. This (link) almost works. The body style is totaly different though. I think it is narrower. The grill looks not unlike the US Super Dutys.
http://www.ford.com.br/ - Ford Brazil site. Everything I can find for South America is in flash and I can't link it in here. But right on Brazil's front page they've got the double cab Ranger that looks very much like our '04s down to the grill and headlights. I notice the fogs are still round though, not like the US Ranger's new square shaped ones.
One other thing: Check out this guys' cardomain site (link). He's got an '01 SA spec crew cab that was made in Argentina. I actually emailed him sometime back and asked him about the tanks. Seems he converted the truck to run on Natural Gas, which seems to be common down there. And you lift nuts will dig his buddy's truck w/ something like 12" of lift!
I read on the Ford Argentina site that they have a 'flex fuel' focus available in that market. See all this neat crap Ford makes for OTHER markets instead of it's own home market!
I read on the Ford Argentina site that they have a 'flex fuel' focus available in that market. See all this neat crap Ford makes for OTHER markets instead of it's own home market!
The only make what they think they can sell (they aren't always right at guessing) and they stop making things that don't sell. It's pretty much that simple I imagine.
The south american ranger looks pretty much like ours. One answer to your question as to why they have neat stuff other places is that there aren't many full sized vehicles in other markets. Here, F-150 steals away many ranger sales which gives ford little incentive to make the ranger more appealing as the general compact truck market continues to dwindle.
The south american ranger looks pretty much like ours. One answer to your question as to why they have neat stuff other places is that there aren't many full sized vehicles in other markets. Here, F-150 steals away many ranger sales which gives ford little incentive to make the ranger more appealing as the general compact truck market continues to dwindle.
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Was more of an observation than a question. And I think it relates more to our consumers' opinions then to Ford's marketing schemes. VW makes all kinds of neat stuff that they don't export beyond Europe. But they don't make much (that I know of) that they export to the US that they don't have in their own home market as well. I once saw a very neat looking VW mini-pickup over there that I thought would sell like hotcakes over here, but what do I know?! It seems that almost every automaker offers more in non-US markets than they do in the US market.Originally Posted by Dave and Julie
One answer to your question as to why they have neat stuff other places is that there aren't many full sized vehicles in other markets.
Overall I suppose I'm just bitter because the US market won't support alternative fuel vehicles, where many other markets will! I'd like to have the option to own such vehicles!!
I know there is at least SOME part interchangability between the Euro spec Ranger and the US Ranger. Don't know how much. The door skins and the area around the windows look to be the same, so its probably the same basic cab stamping at least.
