FORD has revealed its plans for a major brand transformation.
A powerful shift is on the horizon, and drivers will soon see the difference as the next wave of cars hits the road.
The automaker is bringing its motorsports and performance operations under one roof with the launch of Ford Racing, a new division created on 4 September.
The move will unite race cars, road cars, customer experiences and global branding in a single business, designed to inject cutting-edge racing technology directly into everyday vehicles.
Ford Racing will be based in Dearborn, Michigan, where teams once split between production and motorsports will now collaborate more closely.
Executives said the shake-up will boost profits and create a powerful “halo effect” around the brand, connecting the thrill of the racetrack to what ends up in dealerships.
“We’re building this as a major business within Ford Motor Co.,” Will Ford, general manager of Ford Racing Global, told the Detroit Free Press.
“It’s a commitment to racing and finding the product opportunities that arise from those racing efforts in an all-encompassing way, to an extent we’ve never really done before.”
The timing comes as Ford ramps up for a return to Formula One and prepares to compete at world-famous races from Le Mans to the Baja 1,000.
Lessons learned on those grueling circuits will feed straight into models like the Mustang GTD and the Raptor pickup.
Ford also confirmed that the revamped division will expand into new areas, including merchandise and customer experiences, ensuring the Ford Racing name becomes a visible part of its global brand.
“The team will be focused on winning on the track and creating performance across the lineup,” Ford told the Detroit Free Press.
he added that racing technology will “trickle down to the entire family of Ford products.”
With rivals circling the off-road and performance markets, Ford’s rebrand signals an aggressive push to keep the Blue Oval at the front of the pack.
Drivers are all revved up over the potential return of a beloved old Ford model after a mysterious trademark filing.
The auto giant announced last month that the brand is going "back to its roots" by making cars more affordable as the company develops a new electric vehicle platform.
Then speculation began swirling in early August, when Ford filed a request to trademark the word Ranchero.
Ranchero was a car-based pickup sold from the 1950s through the 1970s, which was popular for its pickup-like bed on a station wagon platform.
In Ford's new filing with the US Patent and Trademark Office, the Ranchero name is trademarked when referring to pick-up trucks, electric cars, and electric vehicles.
Now, Ford fans are convinced the brand's highly anticipated new pickup will be called a Ranchero.
However, there will be one key difference in the model from 75 years ago with the one expected in 2027: it'll be much more modern.
Instead of the fan-favorite fuel system that drivers might be used to, the new Ford pickup will be an electric vehicle.
Ford is investing billions of dollars in a new EV platform in an attempt to compete with China's output.
CEO Jim Farley said last month that the plan to switch gears to electric is a "risky bet," but that he believes it'll pay off.
Ford is set to debut a new EV mid-size pickup truck that will start at around $30,000, Farley said.
The four-door vehicle will be built entirely in the United States and will be available in 2027.
Farley said the plan is "the most radical change on how we design and how we build vehicles at Ford since the Model T."
Part of the reason why the Ranchero was so popular was that it had the comfort of a car but the usefulness of a truck.
It was discontinued in 1979 for reasons including declining sales and stricter government regulations.
Ford didn't immediately return The US Sun's request for comment.
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