2024 Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid on track for Australia, due next year

EXCLUSIVE

Plug-in hybrid power is on track to come to the 2024 Ford Ranger ute in Australia within the next 12 months – paired to turbocharged petrol power – Drive has unearthed.

Last year Drive reported plug-in hybrid technology would become the first form of ‘electrification’ for the new Ford Ranger ute – rather than solely electric power (as with the LDV eT60) or a ‘self-charging’ hybrid system (as with Toyota technology).

Top secret plans seen by Drive show the option of plug-in hybrid power is still planned to arrive in local Ford showroom sometime next year – as part of Model Year 2024 (MY24) updates – though Ford Australia has, for now, not confirmed these details.

MORE: Ford Ranger and Everest plug-in hybrids due in 2024, coming to Australia – report

The company has previously said the new Ranger and its Ford Everest SUV sibling have been engineered to support the future rollout of “electrified” – hybrid and/or electric – power.

The Ranger’s plug-in hybrid option may eventually find its way to the related Ford Everest 4WD, but it is unclear when such a model is due.

Drive has learned the first electrified Ranger will be powered by a 2.3-litre turbocharged four-cylinder petrol engine, combined with one or more electric motors.

This engine – without hybrid assistance – is already available in the Ford Ranger in the US, as well as its twin under the skin in Australia, the new Volkswagen Amarok.

Power outputs are yet to be revealed, but the 2.3-litre engine develops 222kW and 452Nm on its own in the Volkswagen Amarok – before an electric motor is added.

The Ranger is believed to be the first use of the 2.3-litre turbo engine with plug-in hybrid technology in any Ford vehicle.

It will be only the second four-cylinder petrol Ford Ranger sold in Australia – the first since a 2.5-litre non-turbo petrol engine was axed a decade ago – and will join the twin-turbo V6 Raptor as one of two petrol Ford Ranger variants on sale in Australia.

Power outputs for the electric motor, maximum battery capacity, and electric-only driving range are yet to be disclosed for the upcoming Ford Ranger plug-in hybrid (PHEV).

Drive understands the Ford Ranger PHEV will also be sold in the US, where it will spawn a long-awaited plug-in hybrid version of the Ford Bronco four-wheel-drive not sold in Australia.

Whereas most versions of the new Ford Ranger and Everest are built in Thailand for Australia, it is believed the plug-in hybrid Ranger for Australia could be produced in South Africa.

The Silverton, South Africa plant does not currently produce any variants of the Ford Ranger for Australia, however it does build European and African-market versions of the Ranger – and Africa-sold Ford Everest 4WDs.

The factory also produces the second-generation Volkswagen Amarok ute, for all global markets – including Australia.

It is believed the Thailand factory does not currently produce Ford Rangers and Everests with the 2.3-litre turbo-petrol engine, as the markets the factory serves – primarily in Asia – are dominated by diesel power.

If the Ford Ranger PHEV is manufactured in South Africa for Australia, it would be hit with a 5 per cent import tariff, which is not applicable to most of the model range as Australia holds a free-trade agreement with Thailand.

How much of a price premium the plug-in hybrid system will command over turbo-diesel four-cylinder and V6 versions remains to be seen.

As a guide, plug-in hybrid versions of passenger cars and SUVs typically cost $10,000 to $20,000 more than equivalent petrol-only models.

From August 2023 (Model Year 2024) production, the Ford Ranger will be priced from $36,380 plus on-road costs – but the cheapest dual-cab V6 pick-up model will be $66,390 plus on-road costs, and the top-selling Wildtrak V6 will be $72,390 plus on-road costs.

In the Volkswagen Amarok Aventura, the turbo-diesel V6 and turbo four-cylinder petrol engines are offered for the same $79,990 plus on-road costs list price.

Volkswagen has expressed its desire to skip the plug-in hybrid power preferred by Ford and focus on an electric version of its Amarok twin, but a completely battery-powered version is yet to receive the green light.

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