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Despite stiff competition from cut-price Chinese rivals, Ford Australia has high hopes for the Ranger plug-in hybrid (PHEV), insisting it will deliver on the many attributes that have put the Ranger on track to be Australia’s best-selling vehicle for two years running.
The Ford Ranger PHEV will go head-to-head with two fresher-faced rivals – the BYD Shark 6 and GWM Cannon Alpha PHEV – when it arrives in Australia in mid-2025, in what GWM marketing boss Steve Maciver has dubbed as “the next battleground” for the segment.
CarsGuide understands that Ford is aiming for a sub-$70,000 starting price tag (before on-road costs) for the Ranger PHEV, with a target electric range of "over 45km".
That range figure might appear small, especially when comparing the Ranger PHEV to its rivals, which will provide more than double that amount, but Ford believes it is sufficient enough for the average Ranger customer.
"We know that the Ranger customer, 50 per cent of them travel less than 50km per day, so a good chunk of them will be driving on pure EV mode," said Ford Australia's General Manager of Electric Vehicles, Myles Hartley.
The BYD Shark 6, meanwhile, will start at $57,900 before on-road costs, and offer a pure electric range of 100km when deliveries commence before the end of the year.
GWM is yet to reveal a starting price for the larger-sized Cannon Alpha PHEV, which will carry a claimed 110km of pure-electric range, though the brand, which sells some of Australia's most affordable new-energy vehicles, is expected to come to the plug-in ute market competitively.
“Yes, there is going to have to be a premium there for that plug-in hybrid technology. But as with every car we bring to market … [the] Cannon Alpha hybrid is no different, value is really important and we won't lose sight of that,” said Maciver.
Despite the higher price tag the Ranger PHEV is expected to incur over its rivals, Hartley said the brand was working to deliver class-leading performance in the plug-in segment.
“The team isn't resting on their laurels. They’re not sitting there waiting for someone to beat us before we advance the product,” he said.
“We truly believe that the [plug-in] delivers on the key Ford attributes that made the Ranger number one – the towing [and] off-road capability.”
Unlike the BYD Shark’s 2500kg towing capacity, Ford says the Ranger PHEV will have 3500kg, the benchmark for diesel-powered utes.
It will also offer high-and low-range four-wheel driving capability, an area where the BYD Shark 6 also falls short.
And despite the Cannon Alpha PHEV meeting the Ranger’s ability on both of these metrics, neither it nor the BYD Shark 6 will be capable of matching the Ranger PHEV's vehicle-to-load (V2L) capacity.
The Ranger PHEV's V2L output is quoted at 6.9kW, more than double the Canon Alpha's output of 3.3kW and 0.3kW more than the Shark 6's at 6.6kW.
Ford said the class-leading V2L output means customers will be able to plug more power-hungry tools such as welders and air compressors into their vehicle.
You’ll be able to power a caravan off of it as well, removing the need for a diesel generator on long-haul camping trips.
Additionally, Hartley said there is one other area other brands won't be able to compete with Ford: its extensive dealer network.
Ford operates 177 dealers across Australia, significantly more than GWM, which operates 107.
BYD doesn’t operate dealerships in Australia, rather, it has 'stores' and has a service partnership with MyCar, though it operates in fewer rural and remote locations across Australia than Ford.
Ford hopes that might help alleviate some of the concerns customers may have about owning a plug-in hybrid ute in a remote area or venturing into the outback with one.
Combined, it's these attributes that Ford believes will help the Ranger PHEV garner greater appeal over its rivals.
"Maybe there's a little bit more upfront investment, but over five years, we'll make sure that they get that back [in fuel savings], plus they've got the benefit of all the new features that the new electrified powertrain offers," said Hartley.
The question is, will customers favour performance or price in the burgeoning plug-in ute segment?
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