Plug-in hybrid Ford Ranger becoming reported reality in 2024

First hinted at three years ago, months before the eventual reveal, supposed uncovered but also unpublished documents in Australia have shed more light on Ford’s incoming new Ranger plug-in hybrid (PHEV)

Set to be a first for the Oval Blue as neither the Maverick nor the F-150 are outfitted with a plug-in hybrid setup, the Ranger PHEV is expected to become a reality in 2024 powered by a petrol-hybrid configuration instead of the mild-hybrid diesel its rival, the next Toyota Hilux, will adopt in 2025.

Three years in the making

Back in 2020, Australia’s carexpert.com.au reported that the setup will involve an electric motor and battery pack combined with the 2.3 EcoBoost petrol powering the Musting for a total system output of 270kW/680Nm.

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Less than 12 months later, the publication went further by alleging that the hybrid Ranger will be made at the Silverton Plant outside Pretoria and not the Rayong facility in Thailand that produces Rangers for the Australian market.

Reportedly, it was alleged at the time that Silverton had the ability to produce the hybrid powertrain as opposed to Thailand, whose focus centres on producing the four-cylinder Panther and six-cylinder Lion turbodiesel engines made for South African Rangers at the Struandale Engine Plant in Port Elizabeth, now Gqeberha.

Made in South Africa?

According to the latest claim by drive.com.au, the combination of the electric power, battery pack and 2.3 EcoBoost engine will indeed be used as the latter, without electrification, currently powers the North American Ranger and the joint venture developed model that is the new Volkswagen Amarok.

At the same time, the uncovered documents obtained by publication does hint at the PHEV system possibly coming from South Africa in spite of neither Ford nor Volkswagen selling the non-electrified petrol unit locally.

As a refresher, the EcoBoost develops 200kW/420Nm in the North American Ranger and 222kW/452Nm in the Aussie-market Amarok, but remains forbidden fruit for the Ranger sold Down Under.

Out-torquing Raptor

Should the mentioned output eventually prove accurate, the Ranger PHEV would officially become the torquiest model ever produce, an accolade currently belonging to the twin-turbo 3.0 EcoBoost V6 that develops 583 Nm in the new Ranger Raptor.

As Volkswagen already announced in 2019 that it wouldn’t introduce electrification on the then still-born new Amarok, the PHEV system will remain a Ranger exclusive for the foreseeable future.

Despite little else being known at present, expect more details to become apparent within the coming months.

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