The return of the Ford Ranger for the 2019 model year has been something to behold and is a name that we’ve admired for many years.

This truck has been on the market for about a month now and the sales and demand are already well beyond the expectations of Ford. This demand is so high right now that the plant that builds the Ford Ranger is going to be running on overtime shifts to attempt to keep up and meet the demands for this new truck.

A Smart Plan that Requires More than Overtime

Domestic brands have been working to figure out how to meet the new landscape of the products we want to enjoy on the road. Ford was the first to make a bold announcement by stating they would delete their sedans and hatchbacks from the market. Even with this announcement, Ford vowed to make sure the workers that were at the plants that built the sedans would continue to have a job with Ford by either retooling the same plants or helping workers relocate to areas where other Ford plants were located.

The plant that assembles the Ford Ranger is the same Michigan plant that previously built the Ford Focus. This plant was renovated to build body-on-frame vehicles, including the Ranger, and it could be tooled to build the 2020 Ford Bronco as well. The fact that a plant that was building a car that was on its way out was retooled to build a truck that’s in high demand is a strong example of perseverance. Certainly, the Ford employees at this plant will be more than happy to have the overtime that will begin this month.

The Current Demand for the Ford Ranger

So far, nearly 300,000 people have indicated they have plans to purchase the Ranger. If this number is met or beat, the Ford Ranger will take over a significant part of the midsize truck market. Last year, the leading truck in this class was the Toyota Tacoma which sold 250,000 models, followed by the GM pair of the Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon which reached 170,000 versions combined. The Ford team can see the Ranger realistically reaching the mark of 300,000 models or more because it was capable of this number regularly in the 1990s before it was eventually deleted from the market.

The Ranger is an Early Success

Everything about the Ford Ranger is already a success. This truck is powered by an admirable powertrain that has the ability to tow a heavy load that rivals the rest of the market. This truck is capable of heading out onto the trails, and it has the name that we admire. With the low price of gasoline right now and the fact that Ford successfully retooled the plant in Michigan to build this truck, the Ranger is already a huge success for the Ford brand. This truck has put the midsize truck market on notice and we can expect to see upgrades across the segment in the near future.