New Ford Ranger Wins ‘International Pick-Up Award 2013’; Judges call it ‘Perfect Blend’ of On and Off-Road Performance

• New Ford Ranger wins “International Pick-Up Award 2013;” judges praise on- and off-road prowess, strong engine line-up, payload and towing capability, and safety
• All members of the judging  panel select new Ranger as their number one choice
• “International Pick-Up Award 2013” follows “International Van of the Year 2013” for the new Transit Custom and 2012 “International Engine of the Year” for the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine

DUBLIN, Nov. 5, 2012 – The new Ford Ranger has won the “International Pick-Up Award 2013”.

Every member of the judging panel ranked new Ranger as their number one choice; praising its performance on- and off-road, strong engine line-up, payload and towing capability, and safety.

New Ranger won the “International Pick-Up Award 2013” award following extensive testing at Millbrook Proving Ground in Bedfordshire, England, after which it was awarded 47 points – more than the combined number of points garnered by the second- and third-placed Isuzu D-Max and Volkswagen Amarok. The award was presented to Ford by jury chairman Pieter Wieman at the Fleet Transport EXPO 12 event, in Dublin.    

"The Ford Ranger is a great all-rounder, combining the perfect blend of on-road comfort and stability with off-road capability," said Jarlath Sweeney, the Irish judge on the panel of CV journalists that also serves on the “International Van of the Year” jury.

New Ranger is offered in three versatile cab bodystyles – Double, Super and Regular – that are among the roomiest in its class; comes with a choice of two powerful and economical Duratorq TDCi diesel engines, and with a choice of 4x2 and 4x4 drivetrains.

“Ranger is great for work and great for leisure, and customers will appreciate the difference as soon as they get behind the wheel,” said Paul Randle, vehicle line director, Global Commercial Vehicles, Ford of Europe. “This prestigious award is testament to the work of our global product teams and there is plenty more to look forward to with the launch of the all-new Transit and all-new Transit Connect in 2013.”

Totally new from the ground up; new Ranger now delivers more payload and class-leading towing capability; along with innovative new comfort and driver assistance features; and is the first such vehicle ever to achieve a Euro NCAP 5 Star rating.

Ford has this year already won “International Van of the Year 2013” for the all-new Transit Custom; and its 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol engine was named the 2012 “International Engine of the Year”.

The new Ford Ranger is on sale in all major markets across Europe.

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About Ford Motor Company
Ford Motor Company, a global automotive industry leader based in Dearborn, Mich., manufactures or distributes automobiles across six continents. With about 172,000 employees and 65 plants worldwide, the company’s automotive brands include Ford and Lincoln. The company provides financial services through Ford Motor Credit Company. For more information regarding Ford’s products, please visit www.ford.com.

Ford Europe is responsible for producing, selling and servicing Ford brand vehicles in 50 individual markets and employs approximately 47,000 employees at its wholly owned facilities and approximately 69,000 people when joint ventures and unconsolidated businesses are included. In addition to Ford Motor Credit Company, Ford Europe operations include Ford Customer Service Division and 24 manufacturing facilities (15 wholly owned or consolidated joint venture facilities and nine unconsolidated joint venture facilities). The first Ford cars were shipped to Europe in 1903 – the same year Ford Motor Company was founded. European production started in 1911.