Ford has provided another clue that an electric Ranger is in development, by trademarking the badge it would wear: Ranger Lightning.  Ford has filed to trademark the 2023 Ford Ranger Lightning name, suggesting a much-rumoured battery-electric version of the new ute is in the works. Spotted by CarBuzz, Ford this week filed to trademark the Ranger Lightning and Maverick Lightning names in Europe – spreading the F-150 Lightning electric pick-up's badge into a family of battery-powered utes. While a trademark filing does not serve as confirmation of a new model, it's backed up by comments from Ford CEO Jim Farley in April that the company is working on a second electric pick-up. "We’re already pushing dirt down in Blue Oval City in Tennessee for another electric pickup truck that’s different than [the F-150 Lightning]," Farley said. Above: Ford F-150 Lightning. A Ford spokesperson told US website Jalopnik the second electric ute would be a "next-gen" model not related to the F-150 Lightning. At the time, this was expected to refer to the Ranger, given it doesn't go on sale in the US until next year, and the smaller car-derived Maverick has been on sale for a year – however the fact Ford has trademarked both names suggests it's keeping its options open. Ford is believed to be pursuing a plug-in hybrid (PHEV), set to launch in 2024 – and a strong chance for Australia, exclusive reporting by Drive suggests. Meanwhile, Volkswagen executives have assured their new Amarok ute – twinned with the new Ranger – is also capable of electrification, with the company said to be "seriously considering" an electric model, rather than a PHEV. While Ford has previously offered a Ranger Thunder as a special edition in Europe and South-East Asia, another option could be an additional variant of a potential Ranger Lightning (after all, thunder follows lightning) – though this is yet to be confirmed or teased. Stay tuned to Drive for all the latest news on a possible electric 2023 Ford Ranger Lightning. Top of story: Ford Ranger Lightning, imagined by SRK Designs. Alex Misoyannis has been writing about cars since 2017, when he started his own website, Redline. He contributed for Drive in 2018, before joining CarAdvice in 2019, becoming a regular contributing journalist within the news team in 2020. Cars have played a central role throughout Alex’s life, from flicking through car magazines at a young age, to growing up around performance vehicles in a car-loving family. Read more about Alex Misoyannis A new electric member of the Ford truck family is shaping up to be a stunner, and it's likely to be joined by an electric Maverick, too.WHY IT MATTERS: Demand for the Ford F-150 Lightning has exceeded the automaker's wildest dreams, with demand far outstripping supply. Not surprisingly, Ford CEO Jim Farley said there is another electric truck planned. When you strike gold, it makes sense to mine a similar vein. High-volume vehicles are key to Ford's aspirations to become the leader in EVs and scale will also help to reduce cost. PLATFORM AND POWERTRAIN: Farley and his team are not sharing details of the EV addition to the F-Series family, but Farley ruled out an electric F-250, F-350, or F-450 for now, and has also said it the truck is different from the next-gen Lightning. Which means Ford is most likely going smaller. We can't rule out a performance F-150: an electric Raptor, on the new, dedicated EV platform for the next-generation Lightning, which would mean more than the 580 horsepower and 775 lb-ft of torque already available on the current Lightning. But that will probably come down the road, after the smaller trucks. As the trademark filing and previous speculation indicate, at some point there will also be an electric version of the Ford Maverick, the car-based small lifestyle pickup that is currently available with a hybrid powertrain. But we think this is further out, given its role as an affordable, entry-level vehicle for the brand that no longer has entry-level cars. The Maverick has the least in common with the body-on-frame full-size F-Series family; the car-based truck uses the same platform as the Ford Escape. While Ford is protecting the trademark now, that's not necessarily an indication that it's imminent. ESTIMATED PRICE: $35,000 EXPECTED ON-SALE DATE: 2025 Trending Pages
|
