Ford South Africa reached a new export milestone in November 2024, achieving the highest figure so far for the current-generation Ranger.
With 10,574 of these bakkies shipped abroad last month, the Ranger was South Africa’s top vehicle export, trailed by the Mercedes C-Class (8,400), BMW X3 (4,700), Toyota Hilux (3,986), Volkswagen Polo (1,780), Isuzu D-Max (330) and Nissan Navara (299).
While the latter two bakkies are primarily exported to African markets, the Ford Ranger is shipped to over 100 global markets, including European countries.
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Production of the current-generation Ranger kicked off in November 2022, following a R15.8 billion investment in the Silverton plant outside Pretoria. The facility has an installed capacity over more than 200,000 vehicles per year. It is one of four international Ranger production hubs, which also include Thailand, the US and Argentina.
However, Ford’s Ranger record comes at a time when South African vehicle exports are on a downward slide, following a record 2023. Vehicle exports declined year-on-year by 28.6% in November, on the tail of significant declines in the preceding months.
“Although the European Central Bank has cut interest rates by 25 basis points in October 2024 with the Bank of England and the US Federal Reserve doing the same in November 2024, the global macroeconomic context has become more challenging,” Naamsa said.
“The US dollar has appreciated against most currencies, including the Rand. Monetary policy in major economies will remain restrictive with new inflation pressures and heightened uncertainty over the past two months suggesting diminished policy space. Domestic vehicle exports will remain a function of the direction and the economic performance of global markets in the new year.”
The changeover to BMW’s new X3 as well as lower-than-usual Volkswagen Polo exports are contributing to the lower numbers, although with VWSA soon to become the sole global exporter of Polo hatchbacks, the export picture could certainly improve in 2025.
IOL