AutoblogGreen

Al little less then a month ago, when I was visiting the Houston Auto Show, I told a headquarters lady of Ford that I wanted to buy a Ford Ranger Hybrid. She looked uninterested at me and told me that I had to wait. Come on Ford, Rangers are not made for the highway but they are used mostly for stop and go and thus the ideal Hybrid car.

It seems I dont have to wait after all. I want one of these!

Reply

Great! Now we'll have third world cars to go with the third world illegal immigrants pouring across the border. Hurry, get your Mahindra pickup right here folks! Does anybody doubt the end of the world is near?

Reply

You mean the end of YOUR world. The end of the world is near because people are doing what they have done for thousands of years? (migrate) The end of the world is near because people scoff laws to do what they want to do? (You never speed?)

The sleeping giants have awaken and you are scared. Confront your fears and stay on the move if you want to keep up with the rest of this world.

Good luck!

Reply

I don't see how people will buy this is large numbers. Why would you buy a truck for mid 20,000 when you can buy a Ford Ranger for 10,000 less. You can pick up a base Ranger for around 13,000. No the Ranger does not have a diesel, but with diesel fuel going for about 40 cents more a gallon and the Ranger costing a lot less, you can buy a lot of gas for $10,000. Plus the Ranger is known to be a well built, long lasting truck.

Reply

The Ranger will no longer be made by the time this pickup gets to market; Ford is killing it off.

Reply

You may actually have found a Hybrid truck that can replace my Tacoma. We'll see. I'm not a fan of Diesel, in fact I hate it in cars and light trucks. But if this thing makes up for the high price of Diesel by being a Hybrid I might buy it. But I definitely want more info. Also I'd bet if this truck if for real. we might actually see the big auto manufacturers follow and start making some real announcements.

Reply

Finally a diesel hybrid. Throw 100% biodiesel in there and you are all set.

Reply

1. Even if diesel fuel is more than gas, it would have to appraoch the 30% more mark before the game was even.

2. Ford already has diesel rangers in austrailia, and other counties. 2.8L powerstroke, and the 4-door version gets 36mpg.

3. FORD AND GM BETTER GET THEIR GAME FACES ON ALREADY, IF THEY DONT START BEATING THE IMPORT CARS AT SALES, THEY'RE GONNA GET BOUGHT OUT BY STUPID COMPANIES LIKE "TATA", FROM INDIA, WITH QUALITY SO BLEAK THAT YOU'D BE BETTER OFF WITH A BICYCLE. PLEASE FORD, GM, STICK WITH QUALITY PRODUCTS!!!! EVEN TOYOTA IS GOING TO SHIT!!! IF NOBODY KEEPS THE AMERICAN MADE COMPANIES ALIVE, WE'LL ALL BE DRIVING RECYCLABLE, MADE IN INDIA CARS IN A MATTER OF DECADES!!!

Reply

Dear Ranger Fans and frightened Americans,
Just because a business enters a market, not covered by the American auto makers, or other Asian/Euro companies, does not mean the end of the world or Ford. Ford has other problems. If Ford made reliable, quality products, with high gas/diesel/hybrid mileage, would there be any other business willing to risk their money by entering the same market with an inferior product. Americans are smart enough. They are not buying poor quality and low mileage vehicles. Go ask the Big 3 with 175 day average inventory what the problem is. It is not India.

Ford, and others, focused on what was making the most profit, large trucks and SUVs. By having an Indian company enter the market, means the auto market has room for businesses with new products to enter. It does not mean the USA is being invaded.

Mahindra wants to offer a product into the auto market. If Ford offers a better product and Mahindra does not, the better product gains more sales, which leads to more profits, so others enter the same market to compete for a share of the profits.
Until Ford does something, except sell a 20 year truck called the Ranger, Mahindra has to be viewed as a legitimate product in this market.

Vote with your dollars.

Reply

I am familiar with Mahindra from the agricultural side (tractors). They build a sold product that is assembled here in the US. FYI that factory one the Baldridge award for Total Quality. Mahindra started out building jeeps under license after World War II. They have been in the business over 50 years. My sources that have actually driven these vehicles in India say they are rugged reliable vehicles. Overbuilt to today's US standards. Why would they not be able to carve out a niche in this disappearing market? A pickup that has a 6000 lb towing capacity and will get 36 miles to a gallon on the highway? It will haul your camper with ease with a high torque diesel at a mid 20's pricepoint? Sign me up. However if the blue oval gets there shit together and brings a variant of the Mazda B-50 in with a tough small diesel they will get my business. I don't need and do not want an F-150

Reply

What a knuckle head (post #2)! You make us Americans look like cousin humpers. Illegal immigration was a issue that was invented by right wing radio talk show host that want to blame brown people instead of the white elitist. I am white and happen to know a little about economics and care about humans trying to better their lives. There cheap labor was actually helping the US economy DS! Also as long as American car companies keep burying their heads in the sand you are not doing them favors by buying their POS's. You can buy two Rangers while I buy one Toyota and my Toyota will outlast both of your Rangers. Peace! (thats a whole other issue though huh?)

Reply

I have a 2001 ford f150 supercrew. yeah, I know, my carbon footprint sucks, my gas bill is obscene. However, I will hold out two more years if this hybrid diesel is really going to happen.

If I can get a crew cab version of it and get 30-35 MPG, I'm ok with that.

I actually would prefer it being from India than from China. Why? encourage business with democracies.

Reply

These Mahindra's would be the modern equivalent of the 1970's International Scout/Travelall/PU's that farmers bought along with their tractors. Mahindra already has a reputation for rock solid tractors built right here in the USA.

Any presumption that it would be crap just because the parent company is located in India reminds me of what was said about the Japanese cars decades ago...

Bring it Mahindra!

Reply

Why are the European Diesel solutions not even mentioned in the US? They have been toiling with high petrolium prices and emission standards for decades. Jaguar has made a diesel since 1927 and now produces a 2.0, 2.2 and a 2.7 twin turbo with milage in the 60mpg hwy and 52 overall. This is not in a Toyota tin can but a luxury 3,800Lb car. Hmmm, about the weight of a mid size pickup? Mahindra is to be congradulated on its Mid size hybrid/diesel pickup and I look forward to purchase. However, the forces ( I smell conspiracy) that have kept high milage clean Diesels from Americas shores is still in place.

Reply

I agree with Leo and our expectations have been lowered to the basement.
The technology for over-100mpg hybrids exists. Check out AFS Trinity, afstrinity.com.

AFST did a hack job conversion of a regular Saturn Vue last year making it a 150mpg hybrid. Other Co's have used ultracapacitors + batteries. More important they appear to have smashed the cost barrier.
They did it in 6 mos-- slapped an electric motor on the rear axle, added batts, U-caps and controlls. Obviously not a very efficient configuration- a common Parallel hybrid with a GM-efficient GASOLINE engine.

Did you know that freight Cos get mileage of "1 ton of freight 423 miles on 1 gallon of fuel". CSX tv commercial
I first thought this was a misleading ad, but more than one freight Co states economies this high and higher:
http://www.bnsf.com/employees/communications/bnsf_today/2007/05/2007-05-17-a.html

http://www.csx.com/?fuseaction=media.how

The locomotives are Electric powered with diesel generators-- this is known as a SERIES hybrid.

The difference between a Parallel vs Series hybrid is, with a Parallel you need nice big complicated transmission with lots of moving parts, also requiring service: regenerative braking is less efficient because of the transmission. With a Series Hybrid the electric propulsion can be xtr efficient without a transmission. Add to that the higher thermal efficiency of diesel (~38%) vs. gas (~25%), and peak eff of a constant load generator. Economy of size for a giant locomotive.

It's not rocket science. Current hybrid cars get higher mileage because of the MUCH higher efficiency of the electric drive.
So far they are all Parallel hybrids with only a small fraction of propulsion by electric motor.
Big gasoline ICE engines, small electric drives, small batteries and complex transmissions.

I think the best vehicle of the present is electric-- even when the electricity comes from an gas ICE, but could come from a diesel generator, or H fuel cell, or solar, wind. The technologies exist.
I can only guess that car mfrs don't want to swallow that profit-loss pill to move away from gas I.C.E. focus. IMO we need to create tax incentives for mfrs & consumers to get over the hump and do the clean efficient thing.

Reply