For the first time in 28 years a Ford vehicle has taken the sought-after title of Australia’s #1 selling vehicle. There were 63,356 Ford Rangers delivered in 2023 – up 33% on 2022 – as part of the biggest year for car sales on record.
Since its launch in 2011, the Ranger has been transformed from a work vehicle into a vehicle for every Aussie and every part of life – from office workers to tradies, parents with kids, and, of course, Aussies who tow, camp and go off-roading.
The Ranger, designed and engineered by Ford’s Australian team in Melbourne and Geelong, has everything you could want, from a ‘box step’1 that makes getting in and out of the tray a breeze, to app-controlled ‘zone lighting’ for customers who take their Ranger offroad or work or play into the night.
Customers like Ty Fenwick say Ranger is worthy of the top spot. Ty, a Ranger Raptor owner, motocross track builder and offroad content creator ordered his truck right after the global reveal and has driven it 17,000kms this year.
“Every time I get in this thing it puts a big smile on my face – from the FOX shocks it comes with as standard, to the V6 Twin Turbo with plenty of power. It’s just awesome.”
All thanks to passionate people
“There are so many people who play a role in the success of a vehicle. For Ranger, that’s our team of designers, engineers and everyone at Ford who pours their passion into making the vehicle what it is, our dealers who are passionate about serving their customers and communities, and ultimately our Ranger customers whose passion for their vehicle is what gets us up in the morning,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO, Ford Australia.
“This number one spot is thanks to the combined passion of all these people. Without any one of them, Ranger wouldn’t be where it is today.”
The ute that changed what it means to be a ute
“Since it debuted in 2011, Ranger has redefined the ute segment globally. It’s transformed a work vehicle into one that can be used by just about anyone for anything. We see our customers take it to the most extreme off-road locations and then see them parking in tight city streets and unloading their groceries and kids. A Ranger is a do everything, go everywhere vehicle,” added Birkic.
And most recently, Ford announced that Ranger would soon be available as a Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV). Arriving in early 2025, it will be able to be driven in pure electric mode for more than 45 kilometres without using a drop of fuel or producing tailpipe emissions, helping customers save at the pump. This means Ranger customers, more than half of whom travel 40km or less per day, will be able to do their average daily commute on electric. The Pro Power Onboard function will mean tradies can power their tools from their Ranger PHEV and enable camp sites to be lit when off road.
The Aussie best-seller was already a huge global hit
Ford’s Aussie team is celebrating Ranger’s place at #1, but the ute has already been winning awards and topping sales charts around the world for years. Sold in over 180 markets, Ranger has long been a #1 in markets like New Zealand, and segment-leader in markets including Europe and the UK and Vietnam. It has won awards in countries as varied as Australia, South Africa, and the United Kingdom1.
Customer demand and congestion at ports led Ford to a unique solution
With sustained high demand, and to overcome an industry-wide backlog due to port congestion, in 2023 Ford Australia took the extraordinary step of signing an exclusive deal to charter Grand Quest, a ship dedicated to transporting both Ranger and Everest from the factory in Thailand to Australia and New Zealand. This enabled the company to deliver thousands of Rangers to customers across the country.
