The Ford Super Duty series is an even tougher, more capable pickup truck that sits above the F-150. Will a Ford Ranger Super Duty similarly complement the Ranger?
Ford Authority reports the Ranger Super Duty nameplate has been trademarked with the Intellectual Property Office Of The Philippines (IPOPHL).
The trademark was filed on March 1, 2024, for “motor vehicles, namely, automobiles, pick-up trucks, utility trucks, and sport utility vehicles, and parts thereof”.
The name hasn’t been trademarked with IP Australia.
It’s unclear whether the Ranger Super Duty will simply be some region-specific trim level or special edition using a familiar name, or if Ford has a tougher Ranger in the works.
It’s possible it’s the former, given Ford doesn’t sell the F-150 or Super Duty in the Philippines, so a Ranger wearing the Super Duty nameplate theoretically wouldn’t cause any confusion in Ford showrooms.
However, Ford introduced its current Ranger in 2022, and has been gradually rolling out more variants – which leaves open the possibility of a tougher variant to join the Ranger lineup in markets such as the Philippines and Australia.
If Ford follows its full-sized Super Duty formula with a Ranger Super Duty, that could mean it’ll boast greater towing capacity and payload figures than the regular Ranger.
US-market figures put the maximum towing capacity of an F-150 at 6123kg, while an F-250 Super Duty can tow between 7847kg and 9979kg without a gooseneck hitch. With one, the maximum capacity rises to 10,432kg.
Maximum payload in an F-150 is 1109kg, while in an F-250 it’s 1673kg.
The Super Duty pickups also feature a different engine lineup, consisting solely of V8s.
The third possibility is this filing was made to simply protect a nameplate Ford might choose to use eventually, but which it currently isn’t developing anything for it to attach to.
Ford has trademarked the Ranger Lightning nameplate in Europe, but an electric ute has yet to debut.
In Australia, Ford has also trademarked names it never ended up using (Mondeo Evos), as well as filed to protect old names that haven’t been resurrected on new vehicles (Cortina).
MORE: Everything Ford Ranger