The Ford Ranger has been topping the sales charts in Australia, but it’s a very different story in the US, where the model could be cut from the Blue Oval’s showroom offerings and replaced by a pickup version of the Bronco.

Ford “currently does not have plans” to build the next generation of Rangers at its factory in Wayne, Michigan, according to a report in Automotive News. Instead, the American giant is predicted to produce petrol and hybrid versions of a new pickup at its Tennessee plant.

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That pickup would be “similar in size to the Ranger” but won’t necessarily sport the Ranger badge. The Michigan factory would instead produce a pickup based on the Bronco, with that vehicle to launch by 2030.

Since coming to Australia in 2022, the current-generation Ranger has blown its rivals out of the water thanks to its class-leading equipment levels, power and huge model line-up. It now faces stiff competition from models like BYD’s Shark but continues to sell in huge numbers.

However, the Ranger has struggled in the USA, selling 70,960 last year, far behind the Toyota Tacoma’s mark of 274,638 sales. It also lags behind the Chevrolet Colorado and the Nissan Frontier is hot on its heels. The Bronco, on the other hand, had sales of 146,007.

On August 21, WhichCar by Wheels reported that Ford is planning to leverage the goodwill around its most recognisable models by grouping vehicles into sub-brands. The Bronco has been tipped to be one of the focal points of the move as it gets a pickup version that mirrors Jeep’s Wrangler-based Gladiator.

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The Bronco three- and five-door off-roader is already available in North America, as is the more road-biased Bronco Sport medium SUV. Overseas markets will get access to the Chinese-made Bronco New Energy extended-range plug-in hybrid, while Europe will receive a Spanish-built multi-energy compact Bronco SUV within the next two years.

A Bronco ute would see Ford’s product plans come full circle, with the ladder-frame chassis underpinning the Bronco originally developed as an offshoot of the T6 chassis used under the previous-generation Ford Ranger.