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Until 1997, mention of ‘pick-up’ to Malaysians would have evoked an image of a rugged vehicle that was suitable only for commercial applications, not something which would be for daily use in the city, let alone be a ‘trendy’ and ‘lifestyle’ machine. Of course, there were also those images on ‘Baywatch’ which showed a pick-up as a fun machine but the problem was that Malaysian regulations did not permit private ownership of pick-ups up at that time. So while some people may have liked the idea of owning such a vehicle (maybe in the hope of having a ‘Baywatch’ sort of lifestyle), it wasn’t possible unless they had a company to register the vehicle under.
Since the pick-up couldn’t be used for fun, the manufacturers didn’t bother to equip them for comfort. They were generally basic sometimes with hand-painted company names on the doors (and the speed limit label) and the cargo bed would be filled with tools or equipment… or a half a dozen workers!
Ford Malaysia changed all that and partly it was due to right timing because in the year it introduced the Courier (shown on right) here, the regulations had already changed to allow individuals to register pick-ups for private use. It applied only to the double-cab configuration with two rows of seats and four doors (later on, Proton would somehow get an exemption for its single-cab Arena pick-up because of the company’s privileged position in the industry).
Because it could sell the Courier for non-commercial purposes, Ford Malaysia presented it as a lifestyle vehicle and with its low price (thanks to not being subject to import duty because pick-ups were considered as commercial vehicles), it attracted a new generation of buyers. Even though it has a diesel engine, it still won many new customers who figured that a pick-up might be a better idea than a Proton sedan. It quickly became fashionable to be drive a truck - even to the ‘happening’ places. In fact, thanks to Ford, the pick-up segment grew by some 30% that year - with Ford in the lead, of course.
Not surprisingly, the company picked Thailand to make it as that country has the second largest pick-up market in the world after the USA. Manufacturers do not set up a plant in a country for export purposes but look at whether it has sufficiently strong demand for the product the plant will build. Thailand was the best choice in the region and from there, trucks could be exported around ASEAN at the special 5% AFTA rates. However, the idea was not to just build for ASEAN markets but also for markets beyond ASEAN. In this way, the all-important economies of scale could be achieved by higher volumes, keeping production costs low and ultimately, keeping the vehicle affordable.
The first generation of the Ranger was launched in Thailand in 1998 and although it seemed like a re-skin of the Courier, it was actually more than that with a lot of new engineering work done. Ford also took a big step to focus on safety, something which other manufacturers had not cared a lot about at that time. Significantly, airbags were fitted and the attention Ford showed won it many customers who felt that the company showed more respect for the lives of its customers. Later on, Ford would also lead by adding features such as ABS and EBD, which must certainly have helped reduce accidents.
Unfortunately for Ford (and other companies too), the late 1990s was when the economic crisis swept through Asia, starting from Thailand. The market contracted greatly and the new Ford plant which had counted on at least 70% of its output being sold in Thailand was in trouble. While the old hands knew that the situation would eventually change, it was important to keep the factory humming and so other markets were quickly sought for the still-new model.
“It was a tricky time for us,” recalled Mike Pease, Ford Malaysia’s Managing Director who was stationed in Thailand at that time and very much involved in the Ranger project. “We had to find other markets to take the Ranger and put in effort to promote it at the Birmingham Motorshow that year. There were pick-ups available in Europe then but the Ranger was something new and appealing and it caught on, and the orders started coming in. I think that during that period, 70% of the factory output was exported so it was a reverse of what we had planned.”
The Ranger arrived in Malaysia in 1999 by which time, the market was recovering and interest in pick-ups was also growing. It was ‘cool’ to have one and also didn’t cost much to buy or run. Ford emphasized the car-like qualities and features and sales took off. To whip up more excitement, a yellow (later black was also available) Splash edition was offered which gave a sporty image. By the end of 2001, the pick-up truck market in Malaysia had grown by over 40%, with Ford controlling almost half the segment.
However, one thing was missing which more and more customers asked for – an automatic transmission. Original planning had seen Ford thinking that most pick-up buyers would prefer manual transmission but the market had been changing and the convenience of an automatic was preferred – especially since most people didn’t take their truck off-road or at least in any conditions that were really rough. The omission lost Ford sales which went to the Mitsubishi Storm that came into the market with an automatic transmission and reduced Ford’s dominant position.
It took Ford a while to complete the engineering program for an automatic transmission variant for the 2.5-litre engine. There was a variant with automatic transmission sold in some markets which had a 2.9-litre engine but that engine wasn’t particularly muscular and what was needed, especially in Malaysia, was the 2.5 litre size. The automatic transmission finally came with the upgrade of the model for the second generation. Besides getting an automatic transmission, the 2003 Ranger also had improvements in many areas. The suspension was retuned and the rear spring rate was also lowered for better ride comfort with an unloaded truck bed. This was done based on studies that showed that many Ranger owners often drive with nothing at the back.
Comfort levels were brought closer to the average passenger car, quite a feat for a pick-up truck and with the general superiority of the product, the Ranger Automatic easily won the Pick-Up Category in Autocar Asean’s ‘Car of the Year 2004 Awards’ as well as another award from the New Sunday Times Cars, Bikes & Trucks section.
From the start, the Ranger has been assembled at Ford’s plant in Shah Alam, Selangor, and because of this, it has been possible to provide variations and features which Malaysian buyers specifically want and which may not be possible if the vehicle was imported fully-built (CBU) from the Thai plant. Mr Pease stressed that the quality is as good even though the plant here may be smaller and have less automation.
Proving itself by way of sales figures was not enough for Ford Malaysia. As further demonstration of the ‘Ford Built Tough’ promise, the company provided Rangers for the Trans-Sahara event with the Petronas Adventure Team. Later, the same vehicles were also used in an expedition to the Himalayas.
From the historical perspective, the Ranger was clearly the one that brought to Malaysians the ‘pick-up culture‘. However, instead of the culture like that in Thailand, the one in Malaysia is actually oriented more towards lifestyle. Where the Thais buy pick-ups for a variety of purposes, Malaysian buyers use it as an alternative to a passenger car and many do pursue outdoor activities too (or because they got a Ranger, they began to enjoy such activities!). Ford Malaysia even started its Lanun Darat club for Ranger owners to enjoy weekends in the jungle.
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