Current leader in the European market, the Ford Ranger it is getting ready to meet a new generation and so it was no big surprise that we saw the first spy photos of the North American pick-up appear during its road tests. In total, two Ranger prototypes were “caught up” in tests in southern Europe.
The lot of camouflage that covered the body does not allow us to anticipate much about its design — except for the typical pick-up silhouette — but it is possible to see that the front section seems to take a lot of inspiration from the larger F-150, especially when we look at the format. of the headlights.
As for the rear, the vertical headlights (typical of pick-ups) are maintained, but the bumper is redesigned. However, the most interesting detail that these two prototypes feature and the one that most hints at Ranger's future is a small yellow sticker.
Electrification on the way?
In Europe, test prototypes that are plug-in hybrids must have a sticker (usually round and yellow) denouncing the “mixed diet” of the model. The objective is, in the event of an accident, to inform the rescue teams that the car has high voltage batteries so that the teams can adjust their procedures.
In both prototypes seen, this same sticker was present on the front window, which reinforces the possibility that the new Ranger will also have plug-in hybrid versions.
In the lower right corner of the glass, there is a sticker that encourages the possibility of a plug-in hybrid Ranger.
This possibility makes even more sense when we remember that Ford has promised that by 2024 its entire range of commercials in Europe will have zero-emission variants, whether using 100% electric models, such as the E-Transit, or plug hybrids -in.
Amarok, Ranger's “sister”
It was in 2019 that Ford and Volkswagen announced a substantial partnership that includes the development of a series of vehicles, most of them commercial, as well as the use of the MEB (specific platform for electric vehicles of the Volkswagen Group) by Ford.
Under that deal, Volkswagen Amarok will see a second generation, with the future Ford Ranger donating foundations and, most likely, powertrains — will it also have access to plug-in hybrid variants? The biggest difference between the two will be in terms of appearance, with the German brand having already anticipated the second generation of Amarok with some teasers, the last of which is known this year:
