Ford leaves Toyota Hilux's wheel spinning with announcement of Ranger Plug-in Hybrid including how much it'll tow, carry and when it will land in Australia

Ford Australia has made a surprise move that could send rival Toyota scrambling after it announced a plug-in hybrid version of its popular Ranger ute is coming in just over a year’s time, leaving HiLux buyers stuck with diesel only.

In a secret briefing to Australian and New Zealand journalists, Ford Australia executives revealed that plans for a Ranger plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) were so advanced that production will start in 2024 followed by the arrival of the ute locally by 2025.

Meanwhile all is quiet in Toyota’s camp with no word on when or even if a HiLux plug-in hybrid will arrive. Yes, a fully electric HiLux has been spotted in Australia during the past month but we think this could be a one-off concept to test public opinion. So for now, it appears Ford has beaten its rival to market with its electrified Ranger. 

“Today we’re announcing a Ranger that gives Australians a pick-up that enables them to embrace electrification without compromising anything they love about their Ranger and that is the Ranger Plug-in Hybrid,” Ford Australia' and New Zealand CEO Andrew Birkic said in the briefing to the media.

“The electrified Ranger gives customers everything they expect from a Ranger and more. It’s a no-compromise solution for Australian customers to bring the benefits of electrification to their lives in the way only Ranger can. This is the Ranger Australia loves and trusts plus more. It brings the ability to drive with zero tailpipe emissions capability, go to the campsite, power the worksite, tow your boat or caravan and take you wherever you want to go.

“There’s no compromise. We maintain the 3.5-tonne towing capacity, a targeted 45km range and we also have an amazing feature called Pro-Power onboard - to provide the power on the jobsite or the campsite - and there are also the EV drive modes.”

The Ranger PHEV uses what Ford says is a ‘relatively large’ electric motor and rechargeable battery, and pairs them with the same engine used in the four-cylinder Mustang - a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbo petrol. 

The Ranger PHEV will be able to be driven in fully electric mode for up to 45 kilometres, as well as in an Auto mode which will use both the petrol engine and electric motor, or a recharge mode which will use the engine to produce electricity to top-up the battery. 

Ford says the Ranger PHEV will produce more torque than any Ranger has before, but stopped short of giving out the specifications just yet. If it was to make more torque, this means the Ranger PHEV would need to produce more than the 600Nm that’s made by the 3.0-litre V6 turbo-diesel Ranger.

That shouldn’t be too hard to beat given that the 2.3-litre turbo petrol engine when in the Mustang makes 441Nm. Another 200Nm could be added easily by an electric motor. 

During the briefing Ford Australia revealed more engineering details of the Ranger PHEV and importantly the work which had been carried out to ensure this hybrid version has the same capabilities from towing to payload capacity as the regular Ranger.

“We've integrated the hybrid powertrain battery and electrical systems to deliver all the capability that Ranger customers have come to expect, “ said the Chief Engineer for the Ranger PHEV, Rob Sharples.

“We've also installed the heavy duty suspension and steering system and calibrated the internal combustion engine specific to the application.

“This engineering development has ensured Ranger's outstanding driving dynamics both on and off the road whilst also continuing to deliver three-and-a-half tonne towing capacity and maintaining the payload that people have come to expect.”

Ford is yet to reveal pricing but we understand the plug-in hybrid tech may only be offered on the Wildtrak grade. The regular four-cylinder diesel version of the Ranger Wildtrak lists for $67,990 before on-road costs.

Ford has marked up its PHEV version of its vehicles in the past by as much as $15,000. In that case you could be looking at a list price for the Ranger PHEV starting from about $83,000 making it the most expensive Ranger in the line-up apart from the Raptor which lists for $86,790.