Ford is working overtime to get Ranger utes in customer hands before the end of this year, so it can regain the title of Australia’s top-selling vehicle for the first time in 26 years.
The Toyota HiLux is at risk of ending its five-year winning streak at the top of the sales charts after production slowdowns caused by semiconductor shortages crippled supply.
The two title contenders are separated by just 3000 sales with two months remaining; the pair has never been this close so late in the year.
While the Ford Ranger dominates the Toyota HiLux in the 4×4 category, the Toyota HiLux is ahead when sales of both 4×2 and 4×4 models are combined, as is industry practice.
Both Ford and Toyota are struggling with stock shortages, but Ford appears to have had more luck with sourcing vehicles amid the crisis.
The boss of Ford Australia, Andrew Birkic, told Drive the company is working hard to shorten waiting times for the Ford Ranger and get as many customers into vehicles as quickly as possible.
However, the Ford Australia boss insists the company is not popping champagne corks just yet.
“It’s been a very difficult year for a lot of manufacturers with the semiconductor issue,” Mr Birkic told Drive. “Demand is strong, there’s certainly a waiting list.”
When asked if Ford was working hard to end its 26-year drought from the top of the sales charts, Mr Birkic said: “We know our quantities of stock and we’re just focusing on (getting those vehicles to customers) as quickly as we can.”
“There’s still a couple of months to go,” said Mr Birkic. “You can’t be complacent. We know there are very strong rivals out there. Our competitors have good products … we need to make sure we keep ahead of the pack.”
When asked what it would mean to Ford Australia for one of its vehicles to top the sales charts for the first time in more than a quarter of a century, Mr Birkic said: “We’re internally very proud of (the Ranger) and we’re thankful to our customers.”
The Ford Australia executive said strong demand for the Ford Ranger near the end of its model cycle – just months away from a new model – was a “testimony to the original design and our focus on continual improvements.”
So will Ford promote its sales victory if the Ford Ranger finishes the year ahead of the Toyota HiLux? “We honestly haven’t had that discussion. Our key priorities are to get as many (Rangers) as we can here to meet demand, get them to our customers. We will certainly look to ensure that we can get as many (Rangers) as we can.”
The Ford Australia executive said while it was too early to talk about the new Ford Ranger (due to be unveiled on 24 November), he said the current model will remain in production into the new year.
“The current model is still in production, still coming, and we are still taking orders,” said Mr Birkic. “There is still strong demand for that car.”
The post Ford Ranger and Toyota HiLux battle heats up in sprint to the finish appeared first on Drive.
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