Ford once dominated the compact pickup truck market in the U.S. Years of product neglect combined with an assault by Toyota and Nissan pushed it out of the business.
In a terse statement yesterday, Mazda said that it would buy its next generation pickup truck for Japanese and global markets from Isuzu. However, North America was excluded, and the on sale date was unspecified.
Thus ends the Mazda relationship with Ford Motor Company. The Mazda B-series compact truck was a rebadged version of the Ford Ranger of course. The current version – BT50 – is not sold in the U.S.
There is much speculation that Ford will bring the Ranger back – once on the list of Top Ten sellers in the U.S. and produced in two plants here – Edison, NJ and Minneapolis, MN. Officially Ford says it can serve the pickup market without a compact truck. Ford had big plans for the last Ranger that debuted in late 2011. It was sold in ~180 markets. Is an F-100 or new Ranger in the works? If it is, it will likely be a mid-size, not a compact pickup. (See New Chevrolet Colorado Concept Begs the Fuel Economy Question: Where oh Where is Ford’s Small U.S. Pickup?)
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
