Australia will continue to serve as the home of Ford Ranger and Everest development for many years to come, according to top global product executive, Jim Baumbick.
Once a key cog of the local economy, the Australian car manufacturing industry effectively died in 2017 with the closure of Holden, Ford, and Toyota production facilities.
Despite the death of local manufacturing, Australia has remained a key product development hub for Ford, with local design and engineering teams based in Victoria leading the development of the Ford Ranger ute, Ranger Raptor, and Everest SUV – vehicles sold in approximately 180 markets globally.
However, there’s long been speculation that Ford intends to shift development of the next-generation Ranger, Everest and Bronco to the USA.
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Speaking to CarExpert in Iceland, Mr Baumbick threw his support behind the Ford Australia R&D team, dismissing suggestions that the days of local product development are numbered.
“Nope,” Mr Baumbick said when asked if Ranger development is set to leave Australia.
“What I love about our Ford Australia team is that they wake up every day and worry about the Ranger business. They built the business and know the customer the most.
“Out of 180 countries, that’s the focal point.”
While Ford remains Australia’s largest direct automotive employer, the local division has been hit by multiple rounds of redundancies in recent years.
Back in 2023, Ford Australia announced two separate rounds of staff cuts in its vehicle development and design departments, totalling approximately 570 redundancies.
At the time, Ford attributed the contraction of its Australian operations to attrition related to the end of the Ranger and Everest development cycle, as well as internal cost-cutting.
The T6.2 Ranger has been a roaring success since hitting the market in 2022, both in Australia and across the globe. It’s the best-selling mid-size ute in 21 individual markets including the United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.
The Ranger also has a stranglehold on the European ute market, with a 43 per cent share of total sales.
MORE: Everything Ford Ranger