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INDUSTRY - March
'98 Geared to Go
In 1997 Ford sold 298,796 Ranger pickups to lead the compact pickup segment with 30.4 percent of the market. Ranger, ranked fifth among the top 10 trucks sold this year, is the only compact pickup to be among the top 10 vehicles in 1997 (ranked No. 10). "The popularity of pickup trucks and sport utility vehicles is quite a boost for the today's automotive industry," said Bob Kurtz, manager of the three million-square-foot facility on Fem Valley Road. "We're proud to be building 1998 versions of two of the truck market's most popular vehicles, as well as Mercury's first SUV."
Ranger's new Ford-patented four-wheel drive Pulse Vacuum Hublock system lets drivers engage or disengage front axle power at most speeds with no lag in shifting. The standard four-cylinder engine has 10 percent more horsepower and torque, and displacement is up from 2.3L to 2.5L. Ranger's 3.0-liter Vulcan V-6, standard on 4x4s, has a new upper intake manifold that boosts torque 14 percent through the mid-range. The 1998-model Explorer has added safety features such as next-generation anti-lock brakes (ABS) that help Explorer stop straighter on most wet, dry, or icy road conditions. In addition, Explorer now offers a standard anti-theft system. With Ford's advanced SecuriLock TM anti-theft system, any attempt to start the engine without the proper key results in immobilization of the vehicle. With millions of possible code combinations, this system is tough to defeat. Mercury Mountaineer's standard powertrain now is a 4.0-liter SOHC V-6 engine coupled with a five-speed automatic overdrive transmission. An optional 5.0-liter V-8 with four-speed automatic transmission also is available. Mountaineer's new look for 1998 features a new grille, bumper fascia and lower valance with fog lamps. At the back is a new liftgate with new tail lamps, a new one-piece bumper, and larger rear glass with a revised wiper arm. A new appearance group includes a tone-on tone paint treatment and chrome wheels.
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Ford Motor
Company's Louisville employees are building the 1998-model Ford Ranger – America's
best-selling compact pickup truck for 11 straight years – at the Louisville Assembly
Plant (LAP). More than 3,700 LAP workers also are manufacturing the 1998 Ford Explorer,
the world's best-selling sport-utility vehicle, and Mercury Mountaineer.
The
1998-model Ranger features a new short- and long-arm front suspension system and
rack-and-pinion power steering, and its front frame section is 370 percent more resistant
to twisting – thanks to the addition of front box-section-rails.