The new Ford Ranger Hurricane
With the new tariff structure having been announced and creating confusion in the market for the time being, it may seem that no one can launch anything. However, Ford Malaysia has been able to put its all-new 2004 edition of the Ford Ranger Hurricane into the showrooms with a confirmed price of RM91,960 (Peninsular Malaysia price, on the road without insurance). Part of the reason for the price being available is that there is nothing affecting pick-up trucks which have been duty-free for some time, so their prices will not change much anyway.
The Hurricane, as will be remembered, was developed in response to customer demands. It came about after Ford Malaysia created the Extreme version of the previous Ranger, an exercise which was done only in Malaysia but which attracted the attention of the people in Ford ASEAN. From then on, it was decided to offer an additional version with special accessories and more aggressive looks as a ‘top of the line’ version.
“People talk about giving customers what they want, Ford delivers. We are constantly in touch with our customers, and they told us that they wanted to see a more aggressive exterior styling treatment on the Ranger,” explained Deborah Aronson, Ford Malaysia’s Managing Director.
Apart from all the standard features of the latest Ford Ranger Automatic, the new Hurricane, which is available in four colours, is distinguished with additional features such as a new tough bullbar that’s design-integrated and airbag-compatible for enhanced front protection; unique bodyside protection moulding treatment to shield against dents; a water-resistant and lockable utility box for tools and gear; rear window grill for rear glass protection and robust rear tail lamp guards.
All Rangers, which have 4-wheel drive capability, are renowned for being designed, engineered and manufactured to the highest possible standards. Following in the tracks of the previous models, the new Hurricane also meets Ford’s stringent ‘Core Safety Guidelines’, which include frontal perpendicular barrier impact and rear moving barrier tests. These guidelines are tighter and more demanding than the government safety regulations of any country in the world.
Ford, which makes the best-selling pick-up in the world, pioneered a new niche and a new market of buyers in Malaysia with the Ranger and it continues to be a leader in its class with a high level of standard safety equipment. These include driver and passenger airbags, 4-wheel ABS with EBD, anti-submarine front seats, a collapsible steering column, safety belt pretensioners (which remove safety belt slack in a frontal collision), fuel tank guard and childproof rear door locks.
“Henry Ford’s slogan was ‘Build them where you sell them’ and that is a fundamental principle that we hold very strongly to. Our strong operations here in Malaysia have helped us get to know the customers and their needs. So we have been able to continue to build exciting new products such as the new Hurricane that are exactly what the customers want,” added Ms Aronson.
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