Ford Motor Company’s Michigan Assembly Plant started the week with a ceremony to celebrate the return of the automaker’s Ranger pickup to the U.S. market.
The Wayne, Mich., factory officially kicked off production of the Ranger on Monday with events that included test drives of the new truck through a parking lot off-road course.
Ford halted production of the Ranger — departing the domestic midsize pickup market altogether — in 2011, although it continued to make the truck for select overseas markets. But as U.S. sales of larger, more profitable vehicles continued to increase relative to smaller cars in recent years, the automaker made the decision to overhaul Michigan Assembly to produce the Ranger and Bronco SUV, another long-dormant model.
Reports indicated that workers began to return to work in Wayne this month as the changeover from car production wrapped up. Ford officials said the pickup would return to U.S. roads early next year.
The company touted the new midsize truck as “specially designed and engineered for American truck customers,” from its payload and fuel efficiency to advanced driver assistance and connected technologies.
The Bronco, which was originally made in Wayne from 1966 to 1996, is scheduled to be reintroduced in 2020.
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