Cheaper Ford ute to slot under Ranger in global markets, potentially including Australia

Ford has confirmed it will soon release another new ute and it’s a chance for Australia, where it could slot in under the top-selling Ranger as a more affordable alternative.

“Next year, we will be launching our affordable midsize pickup for international markets. We expect the base material costs for this truck to be 20 per cent lower than today's Ranger,” said Ford CEO Jim Farley in a third-quarter 2026 earnings call.

“Just as Maverick has done in the US, this truck is designed to bring new customers into the Ford truck lineup internationally at a cost structure that allows us to compete, in this case with the Chinese.”

Ford Australia had no comment, but Mr Farley’s reference to international markets indicates this is a model for sale outside North America, which opens up the possibility of an Australian launch.

In discussing this unnamed “affordable midsize pickup”, Mr Farley wasn’t referring to the previously confirmed electric Fathom dual-cab, which he discussed further in the earnings call. This new model will be built in the US, and a right-hand drive export program has yet to be confirmed.

The CEO’s reference to lower production costs and competing with Chinese automakers suggests this unnamed pickup could be another collaboration with one of Ford’s two Chinese joint-venture partners, Changan and JMC, and likely built in China.

Ford has already leveraged its partnership with JMC to develop the Transit City van, arriving in Australia this year. Though sized similarly to the Transit Custom, Chinese production has allowed Ford to price it significantly lower.

The JMC partnership has also borne the Bronco Basecamp, due in Australia during the second half of 2027. Unlike the Transit City, which is closely related to the JMC E-Fushun, the Bronco Basecamp was developed from the outset as a Ford model.

JMC was established in 1993, building its first pickup that year – the Baodian, a rebadged Isuzu Faster, better known to Australians as the Holden Rodeo. However, Ford subsequently acquired a stake in JMC and subsequent models from the Chinese brand used Ford technology.

That included the JMC Vigus, sold here from 2015 to 2018, which used a licensed version of Ford's turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder 'EcoBoost' petrol engine.

The JMC brand is set to return to Australia this year, distributed by independent firm Jumac and offering the budget Vigus Plus ute as well as the newer Grand Avenue.

Ford's other joint-venture partner Changan also builds pickups, though its combustion-powered F70 is already offered in various global markets by one of Ford's key rivals, Stellantis. The F70 is sold as the Fiat Titano, Peugeot Landtrek and Ram Dakota.

Changan and JMC are closely linked with each other through shareholdings, though it appears unlikely Ford would use the same ute platform as Stellantis, one of its arch-rivals.

Various non-Chinese brands have been tapping their Chinese joint-venture partners for new global models. Nissan Australia is launching a rival for the plug-in hybrid Ranger in 2027 in the shape of the new Navara Pro, developed with Dongfeng, while Mazda has tapped its own Changan joint venture for the new 6e and CX-6e.

In addition to this new pickup and the electric Fathom, Mr Farley has previously confirmed another “combustion truck, an affordable one” to enter production in the US state of Tennessee in 2029, though Ford hasn’t offered any more detail on what shape this will take.

If this is yet another new nameplate, it will give Ford an even greater spread of pickups – although no single market will offer all of them.

Ford already offers the unibody Maverick dual-cab in markets such as North America and Brazil, as well as the Ranger and larger F-Series lineup.

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