Ford offers factory-fitted options for Ranger
To make it easier for Ranger buyers to get the factory option accessories they want for their vehicle faster, Ford Australia has introduced the ‘Vehicle Personalisation Centre’ (VPC), where selected options will be fitted at the factory in Thailand, rather than post-sale at the dealership. VPC options apply to most MY24.5 Ranger variants, with the range to be expanded in the future.
Australia’s top-selling new car last year, demand for the Ranger has led to the introduction of the VPC initiative and follows Ford’s exclusive lease of the car carrier Grand Quest to ensure more frequent deliveries of the Ranger to meet its growing popularity.
“We’re excited to offer Australian customers another convenient, factory-fit solution for customising their Ranger,” said Andrew Birkic, President and CEO, Ford Australia and New Zealand.
“Our customers are saying to us, ‘I want a vehicle to do everything – go to the worksite, head off-road, take the kids to sport.’ And that means they need a whole lot of additions to get their ute just the way they like it.
“The current challenge for all vehicle manufacturers is wait times, which is why we have decided to take advantage of downtime in Thailand to get the upfitting done, saving on logistics and speeding up delivery in Australia/”
The initial factory accessories available through the Ford VPC are a lockable commercial canopy, two types of non-commercial canopy and a manual roller shutter. The canopies suit all dual-cab Rangers, except the Platinum and Raptor.
When selected by the purchasing customer, these factory options will be fitted after assembly and prior to shipping. For this initiative, Ford is partnering with Australian company RMA Automotive, who also re-manufacture the F-150 pickup for the Australian market.
Utilising facilities in Thailand, RMA Automotive fit the accessories before the vehicle goes to port, with turnaround being approximately two days from assembly. Accessories fitted in Thailand by RMA Automotive are exactly the same as those available for fitment at Ford dealerships and are backed by a factory warranty.
“The new VPC is the next step at giving our customers the customised vehicles they want, straight out of the box,” said Michael Karageorgiou, Vehicle Personalisation Director, Ford International Markets Group.
“The VPC will complement the Ford Dealer Network by providing us the opportunity to offer customers a faster, seamless one-stop-shop solution for all their personalisation needs. Customers can now order select accessories through a Ford dealer, knowing that their vehicle will arrive in Australia with the accessories fitted and ready to go.”
