The Ranger is built and sold around the world with the notable exception of North America. The last U.S.-built Ranger rolled off the line in St. Paul in December 2011. Ford redirects truck buyers to the larger Ford F-150, but a core of customers continue to ask for the return of the smaller pickup.
Elsewhere, the truck is a strong product; global sales increased 40% in 2014. Ford builds the pickup in South Africa, Thailand and Argentina.
Nigeria will be the first African country outside of South Africa to produce Ford vehicles. The Ranger will be assembled in Ikeja, in the Lagos state, about 470 miles from the capital city of Abuja, creating about 180 jobs. An investment figure is not being released.
The kit assembly plant has capacity for 5,000 trucks a year, all for the Nigerian market.
“Nigeria is a priority market for us in Sub-Saharan Africa and today’s announcement will allow us to better serve our customers both from a retail point of view, and in terms of vehicle and parts availability,” said Jeff Nemeth, president and CEO of Ford Motor Company of Sub-Saharan Africa region. “We are committed to supporting Nigeria’s developing automotive industry and economy together with Coscharis, and are looking forward to being active in the community. New assembly operations, even on a smaller scale like this one, have very positive ripple effects in the local economy and work force.”
Dr. Cosmas Maduka, president of Coscharis Motors said: “We value our partnership with Ford immensely and we are looking forward to having the opportunity assemble world class Ford Rangers in Nigeria. This partnership will boost Nigeria’s much needed march towards industrialisation and create an important step in the development of the automotive industry."
In line with the operating procedures for Ford plants around the world, Ford will send experienced employees to Nigeria to assist with implementing the Global Ford Production System, which focuses on the highest standards for safety, quality and delivery.
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