DETROIT: Ford is bringing a new very limited edition pickup to Frankfurt as interest in Europe starts to pique.
With the F Series, Ford can claim to be America's most popular pickup brand. In 2016 alone, it sold over 900,000 in the US, accounting for more than a third of the country's total pickup market.
But whereas the pickup has been an automotive icon on American roads for over 50 years, European interest in such trucks only started to rise at the beginning of the millennium.
At first the demand was driven by financial incentives - pickups offered a more tax-efficient way of owning a company car as a business benefit - but more recently they have started to turn heads as a more rugged, individual alternative to the SUV.
In 2015, Ford sold 27,300 Rangers in total across Europe. However, fast-forward to today, and the company has already sold 23,100 Rangers for the year to date.
To take advantage of this growing appeal and to stem the tide of competition that is set to come from the new Mercedes X-Class, also making its debut in Frankfurt, Ford has come up with a special Ranger Black Edition.
It will be limited to just 2,500 units and will come solely in Double Cab form. It will stand out from other pickups due to its unique exterior finish - it really is completely black, with all brightwork and chrome detailing replaced by a black gloss treatment from the radiator grille to the roof rails, side steps and its alloy wheels.
As for creature comforts, it will come with sat-nav, front parking sensors and a rear-view camera. Other standard features include leather trimmed seats, dual zone climate control plus Ford's latest-generation Synch 3 infotainment system including 8-inch touch screen.
"Ranger customers appreciate the vehicle's tough, go-anywhere capability and its rugged good looks, and we expect this attractive new limited series to be snapped up within weeks," said Hans Schep, general manager, Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe.
The 2017 Frankfurt auto show opens to the public on Sept 14.
