Ford is planning to bring back the Bronco SUV and Ranger pickup to U.S. market, which is facing a high demand for trucks, according to a source familiar with the automaker's plans.
Ford is said to be working things out with the United Auto Workers on the project to bring back the Ranger, which will be manufactured in Wayne, Michigan, a person who knows about the plan revealed on Wednesday, according to Fox News.
Moreover, there were talks about the comeback of Bronco, the same unidentified person said.
The Ford Ranger was made available to 180 markets worldwide but it didn't include U.S. and Canada territories. The last batch produced for North American market was in 2011, with Ford making an exit from the small pickup market.
Soon after, General Motors followed in 2012 but made a comeback and is now selling almost 88,000 GMC Canyon and Chevrolet Colorado variants this year.
The smaller pickups are more efficient compared to its full-sized counterpart and this could help both Ford and GM meet fuel economy requirements set by the government.
Meanwhile, Ford Bronco was produced from 1966 until 1996 and the model has crossed five generations. It became a rival to Jeep CJ, presently known as the Wrangler.
According to the source, as reported by Bloomberg, the revival of Bronco will bring consumers a midsize SUV, much like Explorer. It will have the body of a pickup but will be much tougher than Explorer.
Should production for the revival vehicles be given the go, both Ranger and Bronco will be built in the Michigan plant.
However, the factory is currently producing Ford Focus and C-Max and it may less likely have the extra room for two vehicle models.
It is rumored that Focus and C-Max productions will complete by 2018, so the Ranger might arrive in the market in that same year.
