2023 Ford Ranger production begins, first customer deliveries en route to Australia

The first shipment of the 2022 Ford Ranger is on its way to Australia, with deliveries to customers slated to begin in June.

Having launched last year as the replacement of the current Ranger, Ford's next-generation ute is now on its way from Thailand as the local production team started rolling the T6.2 off its assembly line.

A spokesperson for Ford Australia told 4x4 Australia some of the vehicles pictured were destined for the first round of local deliveries, although no specific number was given on how many examples could be expected.

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Due to supply chain issues, Ford won't be able to initially meet the higher-than-expected demand for the Ranger, with the lower-spec four-cylinder bi-turbo variants (XL, XLS, XLT) prioritised over the incoming V6 engine (XLT, Sport, Wildtrak) despite the latter garnering the most interest from prospective buyers.

The new EcoBoost V6-powered Ranger Raptor is still locked in for a July arrival, coming in as the flagship variant of the Ranger line-up with an $85,490 price tag before on-road costs.

Ford will be hoping to increase production volumes of the upcoming Ranger after easing production of the current model affected its new-car sales, with the 13,241 examples sold so far this year representing a 12 per cent decrease from the same period in 2021.