WATCH | Ford’s next-gen Ranger taken through its paces

Ford has released teaser pictures and a video of the next-generation Ranger bakkie, which will be fully revealed later in 2021 and launched in 2022.

From 2022, the new-generation one-tonner will be locally built for SA and export as part of a R15.8bn investment in Ford’s Silverton plant near Pretoria. Ford’s all-new bakkie will be built for the local market and export to more than 100 countries. The plant also will manufacture the next-generation Volkswagen Amarok on a shared platform with the new Ranger as part of a strategic alliance between the two automakers.

Ford’s new Ranger is shown being tested to the extreme in harsh off road conditions including mud, mountains and snow.

Though the bakkie is heavily camouflaged, the images reveal there are C-shaped LED headlights and that the vehicle borrows styling cues from its larger US cousin — the Ford F-150.

The new Ranger is said to offer improved off-road capability, more on-road refinement and updated technology that includes Ford's Sync4 infotainment system with a larger touchscreen.

No technical details are disclosed but the 157kW/500Nm 2.0l four-cylinder twin-turbo diesel engine, first introduced in the current Ranger Raptor, will almost certainly be carried over. To appease the power hounds, flagship versions of the new Ranger may get a powerful 3.0l V6 turbo diesel under the bonnet, either the 185kW unit from the F-150 or the 190kW engine from the Amarok.