-
Recent Posts
- Harley‑Davidson On-Shoring Motorcycle Production
- Vehicle Affordability – Price Increases Small as Incentives Grow
- Beware! Catalytic Converters are Pursued by Thieves
- Magna CEO Swamy Kotagiri Speaking on Decisions That Will Shape the Next Decade of Automotive Manufacturing
- First Look – Audi Tazio Nuvolari Hybrid Super Car
- Trump Thumped – U.S. Air Carriers Fuel Costs Climb 26%!
- Stellantis – Solar Now Powers Two-Thirds of EU Plants
- Ralph Nader Arises Again in Uber Legal Accountability Bout
- Nissan to Build Chinese Chery Vehicles in UK?
- Goodyear to Make Tires for Pegasus Lunar Terrain Vehicle
- Honda Hybrid-Electric Vehicles Set U.S. May Sales Record
- BTS – May 2026 Fuel Prices Are Sky-High Up 32-50%
- FuelFest – 2027 Toyota GR86 Sports Car Debuts
- Wheels Off? GM Front Wheel Bolt Recall on 24-in Wheels
- Airbag Failures – American Honda Recalls ~99,000 Vehicles
Recent Comments
- Magna International on Magna International Posts Q1 2026 EPS Loss of $0.04
- Council on Foreign Relations on Iran and Strait of Hormuz on AAA – Pump Gasoline Prices Still Soaring
- Autocrat on Stellantis Subordinated Perpetual Hybrid Bonds on Stellantis Posts Full Year 2025 Loss of €22.3B
- Michigan Governor Whitmer on Pew – Confidence in Trump Dips, Fewer Support His Policies
- Porsche Motorsport Daytona Victory on Daytona 24 Hours – Old and New Stars Getting Ready to Run
Archives
Meta
Tag Archives: ford ranger
Chevrolet Colorado Midsized Pickup to be Made in Wentzville as GM Tries to Forget Bankruptcy, Hummer and Shreveport
General Motors broke ground today on a $380 million plant expansion to its Wentzville Assembly facility to build the newly re-designed Chevrolet Colorado midsize pick-up in 2013. In the sad language oft used when describing the floundering U.S. economy, GM said it is “creating or retaining” about 1,260 jobs hourly and salaried jobs. The new Chevrolet Colorado is based on an all-new midsize truck architecture developed by GM do Brasil within GM’s global product development organization. Continue reading
Mazda BT 50, Ford Ranger Pickup Capacity Upped in Thailand
Ford Motor, of course, once dominated the compact pickup truck market in the U.S. until years of product neglect combined with an assault by Toyota and Nissan pushed it to a footnote in the segment. This first forced the closing of Ford’s Edison, New Jersey plant. The remaining plant in Minnesota did not survive the Ford UAW contract last year. It was and remains a stunning amount of business to cede to the competition. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, manufacturing, news analysis
Tagged aat, auto informed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, compact pickup trucks, ford ranger, Ken Zino, thailand ranger
2 Comments
Chevrolet’s All-New 2013 TrailBlazer Debuts in Dubai
The next generation TrailBlazer combines the hauling and towing capability of a body-on-frame SUV with what’s claimed to be the ride comfort and efficiency of a crossover. In other words, it’s a traditional American truck although it was developed along with the all-new Chevrolet Colorado pickup by GM do Brasil. While GM has announced the return of the Colorado to the U.S., but has not confirmed the TrailBlazer will join it, which seems an easy, though potentially cannibalizing, addition to the showrooms. Continue reading
Posted in auto news, concept, new vehicle, news, news analysis
Tagged auto informed, auto news, autoinformed, autoinformed.com, automotive news, Chevrolet, chevrolet trailblazer, ford ranger, gmc canyon, Ken Zino, suvs, trailblazer, zino
Leave a comment
Midsize Chevrolet Colorado Pickup Will Be Built in U.S.
The GM Colorado decision once again raises the Ford Ranger question. Ford Motor once dominated the compact pickup truck market in the U.S. until years of product neglect combined with an assault by Toyota and Nissan pushed it to a footnote in the segment. This first forced the closing of Ford’s Edison, New Jersey plant. The remaining plant in Minnesota did not survive the tentative Ford UAW contract that is now being voted on, and will shut down later this year. Continue reading
New Ford Ranger Debuts in Bangkok – U.S. Bound?
Ford is billing the compact pickup truck as a global entry – it will be sold throughout Europe, Asia and South America – but remains mute if the Ranger will reappear in the United States, the world’s largest pickup truck market. Continue reading
New Chevrolet Colorado Concept Begs the Fuel Economy Question: Where oh Where is Ford’s Small U.S. Pickup?
Ford, which once dominated the compact pickup truck segment in the U.S., has said that it will close its Twin Cities, Minn, Ranger plant at the end of this year, offering instead more fuel efficient models of the gigantic F-150 pickup the best selling vehicle in the U.S. at 74,000 units year-to-date. The Toyota Tacoma is currently the best selling mid-size pickup truck in the U.S. at more than 15,000 units year-to-date, outselling an ancient Ranger – last major redesign was in 2001 – by more than 2:1. Continue reading

IIHS – Small Crew Cab Pickups Flunk Crash Tests
Most small pickups fall short when it comes to protecting passengers seated in the rear, according to the latest crash test ratings from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety released today. None of the five small crew cab pickups IIHS evaluated has a good rating. The Nissan Frontier is rated acceptable. The Ford Ranger earns a marginal rating, and the Chevrolet Colorado, Jeep Gladiator and Toyota Tacoma are all rated poor. The ratings only apply to the crew cab versions. Continue reading →