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Customers Help to Create NextGeneration Ford Ranger Design *Developed with Work, Rest & Play in mind
The late Formula 1 Grand Prix TV commentator Murray Walker was credited with the famous Mars bar “Work, Rest & Play” slogan when he worked at an advertising agency. Today, that same promo could be suited to Ford on the introduction of the all-new next generation Ranger pick-up. More so than ever before, customer input into the design of this new 1-tonne open back truck was to the fore as Ford set about creating an all-new version. Not that there is anything wrong with the current model - it remains Europe’s number 1 seller with a significant 40% market share - it’s just that trends change and customer expectations increase all of the time. More than 5,000 Ranger clients were interviewed, attending workshops with Ford design engineers listening to how they used their vehicles and what’s expected from them. In a nutshell, customers want more from their pick-ups, as it’s a first or second car in the family or business. What has been created is a high-tech, connected, versatile, more powerful vehicle with upgraded chassis and suspension, as well as better access to a wider load area. Oh, and a dramatic styling redesign too! The next-gen Ranger project was led by Ford’s Product Development Centre in Australia. Its international team of dedicated designers and engineers worked with teams around the globe to not only incorporate the very latest in Ford technology, capability and safety, FLEETVAN&UTILITY | Spring 2022
but to also engineer and test the Ranger to Ford’s toughest standards. Fleet Van & Utility was privileged to be part of the ‘Inner Circle’ during the early stages of the new Ranger’s development project, hearing first hand from the development and engineering team of the processes involved, such as the said customer clinics. “In a very real sense, our customers have been with us all along the vehicle development journey,” said Max Tran, Chief Designer for Ranger. “We reimagined the Ranger from understanding and interpreting how our customers used their truck and what they expected from a pick-up. This journey started even before we put pen to paper with our first sketches. We were not just trying to create a good truck. We wanted to create an exceptional one that inspired owners every time they saw their Ranger in their driveway.” Tran’s team spent hundreds of hours with customers in Thailand, Australia, South America, Europe, China, Saudi Arabia and North America to see how they use their pick-ups on a daily basis. From the interviews more than 1,800 pages of field notes for reference were generated, which helped development and guide both engineers and designers to build a pick-up with the features and capability customers wanted. “Seeing owners use their trucks, whether for work, family or play, inspired
some fantastic ideas that drove our design and development decisions. One great example of that is the integrated box side-step. During our clinic sessions, we noticed that many customers had trouble reaching over the side of the truck into the bed; others were standing on the rear tyre or the bumper to gain access. So, we came up with the idea of a box step, behind the rear wheel,” he said. “We mocked one up, tested it with owners and the response was overwhelming. People told us that step would be reason enough to buy the Ford Ranger.” Despite a broad customer base with different requirements and backgrounds,
Tran’s team discovered that globally, Ranger owners shared a lot of similar personality traits. “We found that no matter what the market, our customers are doers. They like solving their own problems, and they like to feel confident in their truck, not just in the way the vehicle functions, but also in the way they feel when they’re driving it. Customers had clear ideas on what they liked and how they used their Rangers in
