page_title: Ford Ranger (Americas)
section_title: South American production (1996–2011)
hierarchical_section_title: Ford Ranger (Americas) / Variants / South American production (1996–2011)
caption_attribution_description: Ford Ranger 2.3 XL 2012
context_page_description: The Ford Ranger sold in the Americas is a range of pickup trucks manufactured and marketed by Ford in North and South America under the Ranger nameplate. Introduced in early 1982 for the 1983 model year, the Ranger is currently in its fourth generation. Developed as a replacement for the Mazda-sourced Ford Courier, the model line has been sold across the Americas; Ford of Argentina began production of the Ranger for South America in 1998. Through its production, the model line has served as a close rival to the Chevrolet S-10 and its Chevrolet Colorado successor, with the Ranger as the best-selling compact truck in the United States from 1987 to 2004.
  From 2012 to 2018, Ford retired the Ranger model line in North America, concentrating on its full-size F-Series trucks. For the 2019 model year, Ford introduced a fourth generation of the Ranger. The first mid-size Ranger in North America, the fourth-generation Ranger is derived from the global Ranger T6.
  During the production of the first three generations, the Ranger was produced at Louisville Assembly, Edison Assembly, and Twin Cities Assembly Plant; the final 2012 Ranger was also the final vehicle produced at the facility.
context_section_description: In 1995, Ford began exports of the Ranger from the United States to Argentina; initial exports started with two-door SuperCab equipped with the 4.0-liter gasoline Cologne V6. As demand increased, Ford made the decision to produce it locally in Buenos Aires, Argentina at the Ford General Pacheco Assembly Plant for the local market and subsequently for the rest of Latin America.
  The first Rangers produced at General Pacheco were built in 1996, with Ford offering single cab versions with gasoline engines.  By November 1997, supply was increased with both diesel and gasoline engines, two-wheel and four-wheel drive, and different levels of equipment.  After two years of local production, Ford of Argentina introduced a redesigned version of the Ranger for 1998.  Featuring the same updates as its counterpart in the United States, a new four-door double cab body variant exclusive to South America made its debut.  As Ford was developing the functionally similar Ford Explorer Sport Trac at the time, the double-cab Ford Ranger was not produced or marketed in the United States or Canada.
  Starting in 1998, Ford began to phase out the Ford Courier name on its Mazda-produced compact pickups sold globally in favor of the Ranger nameplate (though the Courier remained in use in Australia). Consequently, exports of the North American-produced Ranger were primarily limited to South America, including Argentina, Brazil, and Chile.  To better match the needs of local buyers, Ford of Argentina offered three different turbodiesel powertrain options, including a 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder diesel with 115 hp (85 kW) starting in 1998, a 2.8-liter with 135 hp (99 kW) starting in 2002 and a 3.0-liter with 163 hp (122 kW) and 280 lb⋅ft (380 N⋅m) of torque mated to an Eaton FSO-2405-A five-speed manual transmission starting in 2004.
  The 2001 exterior facelift given to North American Rangers was not carried over to South American versions, with the 1998 front bodywork remaining until the 2003 model year. For 2004, both versions were given the same grille (though Argentine-produced versions were designed with projector-style headlamps).  Following a US$156.5 million upgrade to the General Pacheco factory in 2007, several upgrades were made to the South American Ranger; a number of them would diverge the model from its US counterpart. For 2008, the Ranger received a makeover with a grill and headlights similar to the 2006 North American version; bed extenders became available for all boxes.
  For 2010, Ford of Argentina gave the Ranger its largest facelift since 1992.  Exclusive to South America, the update replaced the hood, front fenders and bumper with a more aggressive design; to allow for a more aggressive stance, large wheel arches were included.  For the first time, the Ranger adopted the Ford three-bar corporate grille; the door handles were redesigned, shifting to a loop-style design.  The interior was largely unchanged, as were the powertrain offerings.  A new option (for Argentina and Brazil) included an engine powered by compressed natural gas, making it the first pickup truck to offer a factory-built natural gas vehicle (NGV) commercially available in those countries.
  In 2012, Ford of Argentina replaced the US-derived Ranger with the larger Ranger T6. Designed by Ford of Australia, the Ranger T6 consolidated the Ford- and Mazda-based versions of the Ranger onto a single platform sold globally, introduced to North America for 2019.
   Ford Ranger (Argentina) wheelbases and bed lengths:
  1998–2012 – 111.5 inches (2,831 mm) – 6 ft. bed (1,732mm) Single Cab
  1998–2012 – 117.6 inches (2,987 mm) – 7 ft. bed (2,129mm) Single Cab
  1998–2012 – 125.7 inches (3,192 mm) – 5 ft. bed (1,467mm) Double Cab
  Engines:
caption: 2012 Ford Ranger 2.3 XL double cab
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